Published on August 5, 2022
Ahmedabad: Tangalia, the famed textile handicraft from Surendranagar, is undergoing a change with many traditional artisans using acrylic or other synthetic yarn for the fabric which is conventionally made from wool.
Two students of textile design at National Institute of Design (NID) worked with the artisans recently and proposed cotton as an alternative if they cannot find the required wool.
The bachelor’s course students —Manjusha N M and Bhumika V K — with faculty member Swasti Singh Ghai conducted workshops for Dangasiya community settled in two villages of Surendranagar, Dedadara and Berwada.
Manjusha said that the purpose of the interaction was to make the art sustainable and eco-friendly with the use of cotton. Hasu Parmar, a Tangalia artisan who was a part of the initiative, said that only a few families are now practising the art.
“About 20 are making the fabric from wool and 3-4 from cotton today. While the tradition is known, its sustainability is an issue,” he said.
“Over the past few years, many institutions including EDII and NIFT have associated with us to understand the tradition and to make it relevant for new audiences.” He added: “It was earlier made exclusively from black sheep’s wool, but its disappearance forced the community to source it from other regions or use other material.”
Parth Shastri Archive 