I am a Shred of Fabric Turned into Makutu

Surekha, Parveen, Haleema, Hasan & Aalam’s eyes are intensely focused on their latest tasks. Surekha is twisting the fabric into neat little roses. Haleema is stringing the beads into the silken string; Parveen is rolling & stitching the fabric strings. Hasan & Aalam are stitching the text on the talismans. That’s team NOMAD working on the MAKATU fabric jewelry collection. As the team labors to meet the launch deadline, the life of the thread takes a course of its own wherein the journey & destination of the fabric maybe decided by the designer but the road it takes is surely decided by the kaarigar. As the needle goes up & down the fabric held tightly in the grip of the expert hands, the thread leaves behind a trail & patterns emerge. “Masatani”, “Befikr” & “Awara” declare the badges; proud proclamation of the wanderer spirit, in keeping with the soul of NOMAD. As the veteran karigar does the ‘turpai’ around the tiny talisman, like the center of forehead during meditation, the talisman becomes the center of attention AND his whole world in the moment.

The gaze is averted momentarily, to pick up a ghungroo or a bead that is to be weaved into the fabric & the focus intensifies yet again. When the task at hand is so minute in detail, it calls for the stoppage of all banter that typically resonates across the workshop. Blue, black, red, yellow, turquoise; the colors offer consolation from the quietness that is looming over the studio walls. This is the moment when everyone is connected deeply not just to the thread, but also with oneself! The completeness of existence, without validation from others… And this, is the MAKUTU moment!