CHENNAI:I don’t know when my love for yarns and textiles began…I have loved it from as long as I can remember,” says Jagada Rajappa, as we begin our conversation with the handlooms expert who will be in the city for a yarn club talk at Apparao Galleries. Jagada, who was born and raised in Mumbai, says she was exposed to good quality fabrics and textiles in her childhood. “I’ve always been fascinated with good textiles. When you see someone wearing an amazing piece of cloth, aren't you curious about the make and the fabric used? It was the same for me,” she shares.
She realised that handlooms was her true calling when she visited Kalakshetra in 1961. “I was instantly drawn to the saris on display,” says Jagada, who held her first exhibition in Bombay in the late 60s, showcasing saris from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. “It was a very small exhibition. I decided I would do more exhibitions only after learning more about textiles,” she explains.
Jagada has travelled all over Tamil Nadu in search of the perfect yarn. “Of all the places I have visited, Kanchipuram is my favourite.” She visited several museums, read books and attended workshops to learn more about handlooms in India, even getting acquainted with the process of natural dyeing. Her interaction with traditional weavers changed her perspective of not only textiles but also life. “I knew that I had to do a grassroots interaction with weavers to know their experience while creating a piece of cloth. You can never learn that from a book. Eventually, I began weaving as well!”
From learning the nuances of adjusting pit looms to choosing dyes and designs, she learnt it all, gradually evolving into a handloom technology expert. After 2001, she stopped holding exhibitions completely and started conducting workshops, also providing market support to weavers in the meantime. “When I started out, not many were into handloom revival...it was dying out and the process was very tough. But today, many youngsters and designers are coming forward to lend a hand,” she shares.
Having spent over three decades exploring weaves, Jagada is excited about the talk she is going to give. “Textiles are a vast topic. I will explore the effects of natural dyes on weaves. However, dyes, design, colour and fabric are all important elements of the weaving process; so I cannot just talk about one element alone,” she says.
Jagada Rajappa will be talking on ‘Textures in Textiles Weaves, Yarns & Dyes’ at Apparao Galleries, Nungambakkam, today from 4pm onwards. For details, call: 2833 2226