Mala & Pradeep Sinha’s Bodhi is back in Chennai after more than a decade!

Mala & Pradeep Sinha is a name to reckon with when it comes to block print, screen print, dyeing, embroideries, appliqué work and patchwork on saris. The label Bodhi, based in Vadodara, Gujarat; was established by Mala Sinha in the year 1983, three years after she graduated from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. The small enterprise with a team of highly skilled printers and dyers and a dedicated group of women, who embroider from their homes — is a popular choice within the corridors of power in the country. A favourite with bureaucrats like Sheila Dixit, among many others, the label returns to the city after almost a decade and we catch up with Mala to find out more.

“I’m visiting the city with many capsule collections, a piece from here and a piece from there. These are collections that came out as a response to the pandemic and the lockdowns. Some of the pieces are based on the narrative of a young girl who cycled from Gurgaon to Bihar to help her ailing father during the lockdown. Another set is based on the fact that animals got back the world that they deserved and owned during the lockdown, while the other takes inspiration from the fact that masks are now a part of our identity. I used block printing as a method to translate these ideas onto textile,” explains the veteran designer who is a visiting faculty at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad and Indian Institute of Crafts & Design, Jaipur.

Tussar saris form a large part of this collection and have been procured from different tussar cultivating regions and from weaver clusters across the country with whom Bodhi has enjoyed a long, sustained and a productive association. A small collection of high-end saris has been worked on with hand embroidery and others feature plain running stitch that simply follows the patterns already stamped on the surface using varied wooden blocks.

“I also have colour-block saris and stoles, painted saris and saris with kasuti work from North Karnataka recreated in block print. There’s also a Devi collection that pays tribute to Goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati in muted and understated colours. I’ve focused on earthy tones, indigos and blacks; in silks from Bihar and Chhattisgarh, mugas and karvati kathis from Vidarbha, beyond a wide range of tussars,” adds Mala, who is also an active member of the Fair Trade Organisation. The collection will also feature the capsule Bodhi Reborn, an upcycled collection of tiny envelopes, pouches and bags.

INR 16,900 onwards. January 4 to 10. At Amethyst.

romal@newindianexpress.com
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