Hand block-printed on textile, this limited-edition artists' book consists of a sequence of folding panels, designed to invoke pre-modern - particularly Asian - traditions of bookmaking. At the same time, the panels recall and recreate a Mata-Ni-Pachedi - the ritual 'Cloth of the Mother Goddess' - and tell the story of its origins. The textile book is accompanied by a film on the artist and his art tradition. The tactility of the book, invoking the labour and craft that have gone into its creation, is offset by the digital documentary which brings in context and history; together, the juxtaposition of the two approaches expands the frontiers of the book form, while deepening the viewer's enjoyment and understanding of the art tradition. The images featured in the book have been painted by Jagdish Chitara, who belongs to the Waghari community of artisans from Gujarat in western India. Poor and marginalised, they paint and block-print votive textiles for other so-called outcaste communities, equally disenfranchised in the Hindu caste hierarchy. Worshippers who are barred from entering temples offer a painted image of their particular guardian goddess to herself, in the form of a textile shrine. This poignant tradition, deemed low, in fact, expresses a sublime conception of the power of art: gifting a piece of creation to the creator is considered the highest form of worship. This is a notion of transcendence that appears to stretch across cultures and times.

Bertie the Bus wants to race, and Thomas happily takes up the challenge. Bertie takes an early lead, but a patient Thomas proves there are advantages to riding on tracks instead of roads. Beginning readers will delight in this charming adaptation of the classic Thomas the Tank Engine story Thomas and Bertie. From the Trade Paperback edition.

An adaptation of an Indonesian folk tale about Kanchil the mouse deer and Pelan the snail.

A visual ode to trees rendered by tribal artists from India, in a handsome handcrafted edition.

This book will lead us knowing about the textiles which are getting extinct. Indian Ancient Heritage and Culture is bring wiped out. And many of us are not aware about it. We have almost forgot to count on the fabrics which have helped us to build the tradition and culture. Even some of these are sustainable and are protecting environment. But we are so much involved in being fashionable that we forgot some of these beautiful pieces. Purva Buch is very simple and modish Fashion Designer who is willing to save the environment so she focuses on developing the Sustainable Brand. She is the Founder of “ Ranki Designs – A Sustainable Label”. She is the proud faculty of INIFD. She was shortlisted for “India Runway Week Season” which is now merged with Lakme Fashion Week. She has very excellent sense of creativity in fashion. This book of hers will make us know the various clothing which have set an example for many.

Textiles play a decisive role in history: attire not only indicates status, gender, ethnicity, and religion but illustrates how such boundaries are continuously being negotiated, shifted, and recreated. Fashionable Traditions captures the complex reality of Asian handmade textile production and consumption. From traditionalist discourse and cultural authenticity to fashion and market trends, the contributors to this collection demonstrate the multilayered influence of often contradictory forces. In-depth, ethnographic case studies reveal the entangled relationships between local artisans, external interventions, and consumers, while acknowledging the broader frameworks in which such relationships are situated. Together these stories offer a vivid account of the socio-economic, political, and cultural dynamics in various parts of Asia and emphasize that fashion is neither a Western prerogative nor do its roots reside solely in the West.