Meet Rupa, who is an extremely hands-on mother, besides being a talented homemaker. She greets me with a warm smile every afternoon, as she brings delicious home cooked food for her husband Deepak. Lunchtime is fun, as we all share simple meals and chat, taking turns to play with the little fellow, Raj. She always packs extra for the crew, and her "Dal Parontha" is my all-time favourite! 

The oldest of the three siblings, Bachchu joined us a decade ago as my first printer, when I just had one block table in my backyard. He is a master artisan, who is a huge part of my body of work. In fact, he was the one who inspired me to go to Paris with my designs. He is fun-loving, meticulous and loves experimenting with new designs and blocks ever so often, that it’s almost exhausting to match up to his creative stimulus. 

“Salaam alaikum!” says Mohammad Ali who is an avid fan of Bollywood music with all the latest gadgets in place. When he tells me that our workshop is his Mecca and kindness his religion, I know that we must’ve done something right to have him walk by our side on this entrepreneurial journey! A master block printer who is the oldest amongst the lot, is slightly moody, but loves telling stories. A perfectionist at printing, his alignment is effortless and he never fails to go that extra mile when it comes to his work. 

The third out of four siblings, three embraced into our family, Pankaj is our go to person for everything. If you happen to visit our workshop, you can hear everyone calling out for ‘Pankaj’ relentlessly. He is a hands on dyer, helps Masterji, the printers and makes fabulous Masala chai (Tea brewed with aromatic spices)! I call him ‘The Little Tornado’, since he always has his hands full. Even during lunch break, you can catch him drying out some base cotton fabric used for printing or running errands. Recently, he just tied the knot in his village Bidopur and as he took his vows witnessed by the entire tribe, my heart swelled as I saw my little boy now become a man! I still remember his mother handing him over to me years ago, urging me take good care of him, as I felt the huge responsibility to shape him and give him a meaningful life. Today, as weaving the Ahimsa into our everyday lives gives us a sense of purpose, we can’t wait till his bride Rajni joins our family and feels the same connect with these ‘Threads of Thought’. All, while I bear the burden of welcoming her fourth into our inner circle once again!

Today, a hand-carved wooden block is valued as a piece of art, worthy of display on its own. Manoo bhai, is a proud member of the entire community of block makers, who is engaged in this very special craft for over twenty years. He uses simple tools to cut and carve the wood, and ensures that the block forms a perfect repeat when used on a length of fabric. Each block has inbuilt guides that enables the printer to achieve accuracy during printing. Teak, being strong and resistant to water, is the wood of choice for making blocks. Bhai crafts around 50 odd blocks every month, from the narrow by-lanes of a little workshop, in a charming town called Srerampore in Bengal. He quips that I am his only client who sends him natural leaves to make blocks, and after a decade long journey of being together, he now understands my fascination with fauna!