To the beat of the loom | Rima Kallingal’s Neythe – Dance of the Weaves debuts

To the beat of the loom | Rima Kallingal’s Neythe – Dance of the Weaves debuts

Actor-dancer Rima Kallingal is in her element when we meet at the Fine Arts Hall in Kochi, Kerala. She is “happily tired” for she and seven members from her dance company, Mamangam, have been practising daily for the past two months for their maiden show, Neythe—Dance of the Weaves. The 35-minute Indian contemporary dance production, […]

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vinay murali from chendamangalam is one of the few luthiers in the country who handcrafts violins

vinay murali from chendamangalam is one of the few luthiers in the country who handcrafts violins

Tucked away in a quiet part of Chendamangalam near Kochi in Kerala, is a tiny, barely-100 square foot workshop. Its longest wall is lined with tools and violins in various stages of production. The work table is littered with scales, tapes, and other measuring tools besides brass planers of multiple sizes, a container of glue […]

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With Yūga, designer Parul Gupta is designing gender-neutral apparel with Chendamangalam weaves

With Yūga, designer Parul Gupta is designing gender-neutral apparel with Chendamangalam weaves

A snapshot from Kiru Keshiki | Photo Credit: Anirudh Salu A couple of years ago, the Chendamangalam Handloom Weavers’ Cooperative Societies in Kerala’s Ernakulam district were grappling with yarn and dye shortages, and poor sales. This was after weavers lost their livelihood to the 2018 floods. Over the years, designers such as Sreejith Jeevan, and […]

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Kerala-based Jesudas Puthamana makes 13 kinds of personalised Japanese kitchen knives

Kerala-based Jesudas Puthamana makes 13 kinds of personalised Japanese kitchen knives

Hankotsu, usuba, nakiri… Jesudas Puthumana of Chendamangalam, Kerala, makes 13 kinds of personalised Japanese kitchen knives Hankotsu, usuba, nakiri… Jesudas Puthumana of Chendamangalam, Kerala, makes 13 kinds of personalised Japanese kitchen knives Nirvana 2019, the house Jesudas Puthmana built on Valiya Pazhampilly Thuruth — one of the tiny islands that dot the Periyar and make […]

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