RI. Ritu kumar

| via @ritu.ritukumar The story of fabric and innovation is also a story of politics and power. One of the most fascinating parts of my study of fabric has been unwinding these threads of connection. Who would think that the ubiquitous block-printed cottons that abound in Indian summers even today are the result of a pragmatically-maintained period of peace in 17th to early 19th century Jaipur?The ancient kingdom of Amber was ruled by the Kachchawahas, a warrior clan which ruled for six centuries.Their magnificent complexes of palaces and battlements were designed to be impregnable to the enemy. Even as they warred with the Marathas and other Rajput clans, their battles were fought outside their own domain. Later, in the face of a formidable enemy in the form of Akbar, Raja Bharmal made a historic alliance to strategically protect his domain and continue his ancestral line by marrying his daughter, Jodha Bai, to Akbar.This strategic peace-keeping continued into the 19th century, when Jaipur had established strong links with the British.Even under the Treaty of Subsidiary Alliance, the Maharaja at the time developed a close rapport with the British resident and this led to further technological innovations from the West being brought to Jaipuri karkhanas.The textile crafts of the region thus became increasingly sophisticated and with the assured patronage of a maharaja, the karkhanas were able to refine their designs and techniques. Along with migrations of artist communities to Rajasthan because of political upheaval in other regions, this made for a time of great innovation in textile-production.Block-printing is one such example.It’s the practice of printing cloth with wooden blocks which often have floral or animal motifs carved into them. Dipped in natural dyes, artisans print the wooden blocks onto cloth with remarkable precision. Passed along for generations, today’s block printers are descended from 17th or 18th century artisans who practised the same technique. Even the patterns are reminiscent of block printing in previous centuries #RKArchives

| Via @ritu.ritukumar Sushmita Sen’s Miss Universe PhotoshootIn 1993, I struck a deal with the@missindiaorg team to design clothes for the contestants.In 1994, @sushmitasen47 won the Miss India title and went on to win the Miss Universe title in the US. This was a historic moment and one that I was delighted to be part of. As part of my deal with Miss India to create clothes for the contestants, I was tasked with creating her wardrobe as she toured the US and I started sending her suits made out of bandhani and zardozi, kurta-paijamas and saris that were all received really well.When she landed in Delhi after the tour I got a frantic call to come to the Taj Palace. On reaching I learned that the team had scheduled a shoot outside the Taj Mahal the next day but the clothes they got sent were shorts and t-shirts - too skimpy to be worn outside a mausoleum! So, at night we opened up the store and located a pink sari and quickly altered a blouse. We also got hold of some other key pieces and within hours we were ready for the shoot. The shoot turned out to be hectic and poor Sushmita even fainted at one point but the images were worth our toils. To date, I think of her in that pink sari wearing a crown and the UP Police personnel around us clapping with pride! These images were splashed all over the country’s leading publications with credits to us and, more importantly, to the weavers. #RKArchives #missindia #sushmitasen #rkarchives