Mary McIntosh is currently in India leading an Embroidery Tour for Aahilya Holidays.
Aahilya is run by an inspiring woman Isha Sharma whose mission is to celebrate and support the textile artisans of her own country and to show their skills to the wider world. In doing so she can also help support individual makers, their families, and sometimes whole communities.
Isha has sought out those who are experts in their field but often also those whose work empowers women. We have met several of those on our tour.
The SujaniMahila Jeevan Foundation in Bihar state, one of the poorest regions in India, is inspiring. Run by women, for women. Sanju Devi who started the foundation has revived the almost lost art of Sujani embroidery and has won many awards for her beautifully stitched work.
Sanju Devi
https://www.instagram.com/sujanimahilajeevan?igsh=OG1zY25xcXByMmx6
She then found a way of involving local women and girls, who marry early and are unable to leave their homes, in the Sujani embroidery. They have fabric and thread delivered to them, with the designs marked out, and stitch panels, scarves and even whole saris to sell. This brings them a small income. It also gives them a creative outlet and a way to tell their stories in stitch. Many of the Sujani embroideries depict scenes of village life. The SujaniMahila Jeevan Foundation now employ 1000 women. Inspiring.
The Foundation
In West Bengal we were fortunate to meet another amazing woman, Shamlu Dudeja, now 87 and quite frail, but indomitable in her determination to revive Kantha embroidery.
Shamlu Dudeja
Shamlu now works with her daughter Malika as part of the SHE foundation which employs over 1000 women and girls in the villages of West Begal to create the most stunningly beautiful Kantha embroideries. In Shamlu’s house which we visited the only man on the premises made the tea!
The SHE mission statement is “Rebuilding lives….one stitch at a time”
Three great and inspirational women and the power of stitch.
