The legacy of the sujni has whittled down to the looms of its last two weavers, who have found a comforting nest in a heritage building where Bharuch’s distinctive cubist woven quilt craft stays warm
Updated On: 2023-07-25 11:34 AM IST
Compiled by : Editor
The Sujni Co-operative Society in Bharuch comprises the last two weavers—Rafeeqbhai and Muzakirbhai Sujniwalla—who know the craft. Pics/Vicky Joshi
The building lay unused for 40 years before it was restored by the ladies of the local Inner Wheel club. It is now a training-cum-production centre for sujni craft
Niravkumar Sanchaniya, a Mahatma Gandhi National Fellow who helms Project ROSHNI (Revival of Sujani and Neoteric Inclusion of Artists)
The intricate patterns of the sujni come from arranging a combination of squares and rectangles, each in a different colour. The building, built in 1926, used to house Bal Mandir nursery that Pilloo Ginwalla attended
This twilight of the craft started with the restoration of the building that served as the Bal Mandir nursery where Pilloo and her husband incidentally studied. It was built in 1926 and comes under the aegis of the Seth Jeejeebhoy Dadabhoy Charity. It lay decrepit for 40 years before the ladies of Bharuch’s Inner Wheel club made its conservation a passion project in 2010.
