They say home is not a place, it’s a feeling; and, we’ve all grown to understand this idea with new depth after all the months in lockdown. Think about what you learned about finding little comforts, spending more time with your folk, simplicity and everyday joy. For us, that beautiful at-home mood is captured perfectly in these adorable kurtas made from Jaipur handblock printed handwoven cotton.
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The Rithihi collection is a celebration of handmade beauty; But, did you know that we house a curation of beautiful machine-made wool shawls too? These shawls were so lovely that they came to be among our Rithihi collection of handcrafted things, as remarkably beautiful pieces made by machine—absolute exceptions.
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Growth is not a battle to be hurried, but a slow walk down the road from home.
We’re musing on the idea of growth, especially at times like this, when things seem to have been brought to a halt. Looking at plantlife—living things that are synonymous with the idea of growth, despite being rooted in one place—we realise that it’s about simply working at something slowly, while staying in focus. This plant at the Rithihi store tells us to channel our energy and resources, as they come, without losing sense of that wonderfully warm sunlit spot where we want to be.
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Nature is probably our greatest inspiration in life. We have always been moved by its colourful exuberance, honesty, and perseverance to simply be. At times when this incredible source of inspiration seems violated, hurt, or beaten by our thoughtlessness, it almost seems as if we are at the brink of losing an extraordinary treasure. But, then again, looking back at what we know about the history of our world, we remember that nature has always persisted and survived forces much greater than us humans; We remember that she is endless, ageless, and perpetual. But, us? We are fleeting, and standing on sands that crumble as we race and rage in our hopeless scramble to grab a little bit more.
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The noon sun on the water shone golden bright,
as the silver river draped over earthly brown bodies
and went searching for the ocean in lovely crooked lines.
Consider the flower that comes alive in the sun with all its colour, despite what the news says. Consider the tree that grows its roots through the concrete walls, no matter how hostile the world has been made. Consider the river that flows glistening regardless of what heartless hands have trashed in its waters… Consider them, and their resilient beauty that simply refuses to fade. The hopeful intensity with which nature continues to colour, unfurl and conduct herself is enough to encourage us for tomorrow, even in the bleakest hour.
The promise of hope, the spirited beauty of nature, and its raw impulse to survive against all odds—Anavila’s Dhanak collection says it all.
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This beautiful linen portrait of a woman, which is currently housed at the Cleveland Museum of Art, is thought to be from Egypt and goes as far back as c.138. It’s a funeral portrait, also known as a mummy portrait. Such portraits were drawn and hung up on walls while the subjects were still alive. When someone passed away, their portrait was taken down, cut out of the frame, and trimmed to fit the deceased’s mummy. This particular one was drawn on linen using the encaustic painting method and gives us a glimpse of what ordinary folk art may have been like all those centuries ago. We find it truly beautiful. But, what impresses us about this is the durability of the material; how, long after the people, their faces, names, bodily remains, and even memories have vanished from the face of the Earth, this incredible material continues to live on. This is the magic of linen.
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The beautiful colour of the natural linen yarn puts us in the mind of long fields ending with beautiful blue skies, and a poem by Jarred Carter;
Scattered among bundles of flax in the rain,
pinned under the water by smooth stones, broken,
spun, wound, and gathered in the bright skeins,
of blond thread—like bronze or silk, I gained
knowledge of the old ways still unspoken,
scattered among bundles of flax. …”
Linen is one of those fabrics that embody the Rithihi view of beauty so perfectly. The beauty of linen is something that runs through and through, going beyond the experience on your skin and eyes, to one that brings a lesson of strength and resilience; of prevailing against adversity, and growing graceful with the stains and scars that life leaves you with. That’s why our love for linen runs deep.
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Every now and then, comes a time of special significance—when you want to gather all the goodness in the world and project it to someone; when you want to direct a river of peace; when you want to look, feel, and channel trust, and courage; when you want to assure loyalty with the certainty of the sky and the ocean, there’s only one colour. Only blue.
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