There’s a quiet satisfaction on Karthik Vaidyanathan’s face as he watches visitors pause, smile and reach out to touch the whimsical characters that fill Sabha’s hall. Around him, giraffes in pearls, dreamy pandas and gentle crocodiles seem to come alive, their bright colours and soft curves telling stories of craft, imagination and care. With The Snugglewalas: Storytellers of Handmade India, Varnam Craft Collective’s founder-principal designer unveils his most ambitious showcase yet.
For over 14 years, Vaidyanathan has been reimagining Channapatna’s 200-year-old toy craft. But this time, he has created an entire universe. “I came from a background in radio, music and the world of entertainment before I found my way into the field of craft. Storytelling has always been at the heart of how I approach design. The Snugglewalas has been a dream since the beginning, to create a family of toys with human-like personalities who tell stories of craft. That little seed of an idea finally blossomed this year,” he says.
Each character feels familiar, from Miss Neckles, the poised giraffe with Audrey Hepburn’s grace, to Sir Woolsworth, the black sheep who dares to be different. “Anyone who spends time with the Snugglewalas’ family will likely see a bit of themselves, a friend or a loved one in one of these characters. That, to me, is the real magic. It feels deeply personal, no matter who you are,” he smiles. The exhibit brings together 12 craft clusters from across India, from Kashmir’s naqqashi enamel art and crewel embroidery to Rajasthan’s block prints and Tamil Nadu’s Lambadi embroidery, each reimagined through the Snugglewalas’ stories. “Our crafts and artisans are incredibly adaptable. They just need a little nudge and a dash of passion to make them shine,” he says. “Design is only as good as its brief, and when the brief is born from a story, it gains soul.”
At the heart of this project lies collaboration. Vaidyanathan credits both artisans and a group of young design interns who helped bring the characters to life. “True creativity thrives when you create a playground filled with ideas, imagination and passion. We have always believed in showing young designers the bigger picture and giving them ownership, and that joy is visible in every piece.”
More than an exhibit, The Snugglewalas feels like a movement, a hopeful, handmade future where storytelling and design meet with empathy. “Every handmade object already carries a story. My role is to give it a contemporary language so more people can listen,” says Vaidyanathan.
As the characters prepare to travel to Hyderabad in November after the city show, he looks ahead with quiet optimism. “Hopefully, this is just the beginning, a way to make Indian craft more accessible, relatable and relevant to a whole new generation. When storytelling is done with empathy, it does not dilute the handmade, it amplifies its voice,” he shares, as more characters and stories from the collective take shape behind the scenes, with a few playful surprises waiting to unfold in the next chapter.
(The whimsical world of The Snugglewalas will be on display at Sabha, Kamaraj Road until October 25)
