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4

THE WARP OF MY LIFE

I am tied

To the warp

Of my life.

Some call it

Karma

Some call it

Genes

Some

By other names.

I do not

Fight it.

I do not

Unravel it.

I dye the weft

With my dreams,

I pluck on the

Multiple chords

Of my warp

Weaving

My dreams.

My aspirations

My inner thoughts

Till it resounds

As a Raga

Of all longing.

And I,

The warp

The weft

All merge into

The eternal ocean.

Of our Universe.

 JASLEEN DHAMIJA, 1975

J

asleen Dhamija’s life embodies the rich and vibrant

textile heritage of India. She has years of knowledge,

understanding and experience on the subject. For over

six decades she has been a pioneer in the research and

revival of the textile traditions of this country, as well as

Iran, Africa, Central Asia, theBalkans andSouthEastAsia.

Since the time India achieved independence, Jasleen has

been documenting and working with handicrafts and

hand-woven textiles. She did this by studying gazetteers

researched by the English District officials and gathering

information from scholars, master craftspeople and

traders. Through her commanding personality, her

eloquent oratorical skills and her highly evolved sense

of aesthetics, she has inspired and mentored countless

young scholars, imparting to them her unique vision of

India’s textile legacy.

Jasleen was born in Lahore in 1933. Her father,

Manmohan Singh, was a remarkable entrepreneur and

opened a hotel in Anarkali bazaar, a bus company, a

bakery and a bank. They lived in a large

haveli

, as a joint

family. Her father was passionately fond of music and

dance and encouraged his daughters to study these

JASLEEN DHAMIJA  A JOURNEY THROUGH TEXTILES

Jasleen in Abbottabad dressed in her aunt’s jewellery, 1937

arts. Jasleen was taught dance. It was unacceptable for

girls to learn music and dance in those days, and his

colleagues mocked him saying, “He is making singing

and dancing girls of his daughters!”

Unfortunately, due to economic failure caused by the

Great Depression, the bank collapsed and the family

lost everything and returned to Abbottabad in the

Hazara district (now in northeastern Pakistan). It was

a provincial town but strategically located on trade

routes and known for its fine embroidery of

phulkari

and

bagh

. Jasleen recalls growing up in a large family,

with a doting mother and an older sister who inspired

her. Growing up in the years immediately leading

up to India’s independence, her family was actively

involved in the Freedom Movement. Probably her

most memorable moment was Mahatma Gandhi’s

visit to their home in 1938, accompanying him at age

five on walks in their garden and being introduced to

his message of a self-sustaining nation through the

importance of spinning and wearing khadi. Another

influential figure was the Sikh poet and spiritual leader

Bhai Vir Singh, who lived in Amritsar and whom the

family would visit each year. The third, was the gift

of a beautifully embroidered pillow cover, made in

anticipation of her wedding, by Hazra Bibi, a woman

from Swat who worked in their home. These images

have stayed with Jasleen all her life, making a strong

and lasting impression on her.

In 1940 her family moved to Delhi and the city has been

her home ever since, apart from a short residence of six

years in Ahmedabad from 1983-89. It was during the

years of attending the PresentationConvent at Kashmiri

Gate and later Miranda House, that Jasleen became

interested in handcrafted products. At times, roaming

the bazaars of Delhi, picking up colourful block-printed

fabrics or brocaded materials. Other times fashioning a

bag or a lampshade, she would sell these to the Central

Cottage Industries Emporium located at the old WWII

barracks on Janpath. A trip to South India proved