Focus on textile heritage

Palakshi Dass is a Hyderabad based textile artist and writer. She has finished her MFA in History of Art along with Textile Design from Viswa- Bharati, Santiniketan. For a long time, she has worked with the Weavers Service Center of Hyderabad under Ministry of Textile.

Her journey as an artist started from Shantiniketan. She says, "I was born and brought up in a town called Nagaon in Assam and I did my schooling and bachelor's degree here. Then I came to Shantiniketan to do Masters in Geography, immediately after that I joined the art College Kala Bhavan under Viswa Bharati University. There I did MFA."

Her love for textile inspired her to work on different mediums. "I think the medium of textile adds a different kind of value in an artist's expression. We all have experienced the traditional practice of weaving or stitching or embroidering. In Assam weaving is a common practice in every household. Different tribal communities practice different variety of weaving that is handed down from generation to generation.

In Hyderabad too I discovered various weaving practices. When I met weavers from Pochampally or Gadwal or Mangalgiri I felt the same happiness. Now I am working on Textile Art, where textile is the medium of expression. It's not only about recognising the traditional media, but also to give them a wider spectrum by showcasing in a contemporary way. That's why I love to work on different mediums of textile," She says.

"I do work on weaving and natural colour making. With these home prepared colours I do painting on cloth as well as on paper. I take workshops in weaving and natural colour making. When I go to different schools to teach weaving, I make sure that children know our heritage of handloom and textile practices.

In small frames I teach tapestry and on table looms, I teach to make designs while weaving a piece of cloth. With the Crafts Council of Telangana, I got opportunities to meet different weavers from various parts of India and I know their styles of weaving," She shares. She is conducting an 'Art and appreciation workshop' at Daira Art Gallery on 13 July from 11 am to 12.30 pm.