Initially I had titled my
research paper as: Challenges and learning opportunities for Himroo of Aurangabad.
As I was refining the paper further, the title felt more like an essay and less
like a title. So I changed it to Himroo: A Soul Clenched
Why such a title? It is
inspired from one of Pablo Neruda’s poem called Clenched Soul. Because I
believe when circumstances give you a clenched feeling, or when you clench your
teeth, it is time to fight back for yourself and make a significant change
against the unpleasant circumstances you have been facing. Currently this is
what Himroo of Aurangabad is facing – some unpleasant circumstances.
Himroo became a part of my
life since 2007 when I was studying post graduate program in NID. For past 11
years it was an on and off relationship with Himroo which began as a craft
documentation project, then a photo shoot project, a craft publication project
and so on. In November 2018, with a clenched soul I decided to end this
relationship by presenting a design research paper at INSIGHT 2018 –
A Design Research Symposium at NID, Ahmedabad.
Indeed a clenched soul of
Himroo and a clenched soul of myself form two different metaphors here. But
life is that way – sometimes quite hopeful and not always determined. I go with what Rumi
says, “Be like a tree and let the dead leaves drop.”
The research paper will be part of a publication by NID soon.
Sharing few images and slides of my presentation here.
I began and concluded the presentation with images of women Himroo weavers as they are the only hope for the craft to survive and sustain further.
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