
Overview
Indian textiles are a fascinating medium to engage with history while understanding contemporary shifts in society, the economy, and culture at large. This ten-part online series, featuring illustrated presentations, lectures and panel discussions, traces the transregional histories, material dimensions and market dynamics of these textiles. It also examines their influence on contemporary art, aesthetics, and architecture. As the first formal offering of its kind, the series brings together leading scholars, curators, researchers, makers, and entrepreneurs to present a rare blend of academic and practice-based insights into textile design, making, and afterlives.

About the Presenter
This lecture series is designed to provide enriching learning opportunities for everyone, from beginners to experts, regardless of prior knowledge. Weekly lectures will be held online via Zoom, and will be accessible to learners from across the world.
RegisterTotal Sessions
10
Dates
July 5 –
September 6, 2025
Cost
Free
Platform
Live on Zoom
Outcome
Certificate of Attendance
Prerequisites
None
Sessions
Date (2025)
Guest Speakers
1. Introduction
05 July
-
2. Considering Fibre
12 July
Meena Menon, Uzramma
3. Historical Overview: 9th to 18th Centuries
19 July
Rosemary Crill
4. Colonial-Period References & Rethinking Pedagogies
26 July
Dr Ritu Sethi
5. Towards Recent Histories: 1947 to Now
02 August
-
6. A New Renaissance?
09 August
Deepika Shah, Hemang Agrawal, Dr Radhikaraje Gaekwad, Sharan Apparao
7. Making and Practices I: Indian Fashion — Discussing a New Paradigm
16 August
David Abraham, Jigmat Couture, Kallol Datta, Manish Arora
8. Making and Practices II: On Weaving — Conversation with Monika Correa
23 August
Monika Correa, Pradeep Dalal
9. Making and Practices III: On Ajrakh — Conversation with Ismail Khatri
30 August
Dr Ismail Khatri, Ami Shroff
10. Indian Textiles in the World
06 September
Peter Lee, Shwetasree Majumder, Uthra Rajgopal
Part I
Five lectures and illustrated presentations, tracing the historical trajectory of Indian textiles.

01Introduction
5th July, 2025 | 5:00 pm IST
By Mayank Mansingh Kaul
How have Indian textile practices developed to their present form? What roles have scholarship, curation, collections, and museums played in shaping the formal perceptions of textiles today? This opening session explores these questions by tracing over a century of knowledge-building that has defined the field. It addresses critical gaps such as the complex positioning of textiles between art, design and craft; as well as the challenges of articulating these histories primarily in English. It also sets the framework for the forthcoming sessions.
By Mayank Mansingh Kaul

02Considering Fibre
12th July, 2025 | 5:00 pm IST
By Mayank Mansingh Kaul with Meena Menon and Uzramma
The story of India’s textiles begins with the fibres that have shaped its past and present. Handspun cotton from the Indian subcontinent once dominated global markets, and its legacy reflects the intertwined impact of colonial and post-independence policies. In this session, we trace the incredible history of cotton, and lesser-known perspectives on silk, wool, pashmina, and other natural fibres — revealing their vibrant cultural and economic significance across the region.
By Mayank Mansingh Kaul with Meena Menon and Uzramma

03Historical Overview: 9th to 18th centuries
19th July, 2025 | 5:00 pm IST
By Mayank Mansingh Kaul with Rosemary Crill
Indian cloth has been at the centre of cultural exchange for centuries, carrying with it stories of taste and transformation. This session offers an overview of Indian textiles from the 9th to the 18th centuries, including trade textiles and those made for local courts. It covers textile traditions such as chintz and kalamkari, samite and lampas, as well as the Kashmir shawl. By examining how their popularity grew through commercial networks between India and the world, we learn how elite patronage enabled the highest forms of artistic expression and craftsmanship within the region.
By Mayank Mansingh Kaul with Rosemary Crill

04Colonial-Period References & Rethinking Pedagogies
26th July, 2025 | 5:00 pm IST
By Mayank Mansingh Kaul with Dr Ritu Sethi
What can the colonial archive reveal about Indian fabrics — and what does it obscure? This session explores how British imperial records, from Thomas Wardle’s silk volumes to The Great Exhibition inventories, shaped early studies of Indian textiles. Originally compiled to further the empire’s interests, these archives now offer insights into how Indian textiles were viewed, categorised and altered in the colonial imagination. Juxtaposing these with court records and vernacular sources, this session proposes new and critical ways of researching and teaching Indian textile histories today.
By Mayank Mansingh Kaul with Dr Ritu Sethi

05Towards Recent Histories: 1947 to Now
2nd August, 2025 | 5:00 pm IST
By Mayank Mansingh Kaul
What prompted India to develop its own unique fashion language after 1947? This session traces how the post-independence revival of handlooms, which were deeply tied to the freedom struggle, influenced textile design and production. It explores how early economic policies and foreign relations fostered a ‘non-aligned’ fashion aesthetic, and delves into the inception of pioneering designer labels and brands in the decades that followed. By pursuing these developments — from institutional frameworks to iconic makers — we revisit the key shifts in India’s contemporary textile history.
By Mayank Mansingh Kaul
Part II
Panels and discussions moderated by the presenter, with practitioners from diverse regions and backgrounds offering first-hand insights on their creative processes and material considerations.

06A New Renaissance?
9th August, 2025 | 5:00 pm IST
By Mayank Mansingh Kaul with Deepika Shah, Hemang Agrawal, Dr Radhikaraje Gaekwad, and Sharan Apparao
Are we in the midst of a new renaissance for Indian textiles? Recent years have witnessed a surge in visibility for Indian textiles globally: we’ve seen an exponential rise in textile exhibitions, press interest on textile practitioners, and social media engagement with the subject. This session discusses emerging trends in the industry, the market and in academia, while capturing insights from experts mapping this change in the online space.
By Mayank Mansingh Kaul with Deepika Shah, Hemang Agrawal, Dr Radhikaraje Gaekwad, and Sharan Apparao

07Indian Fashion — Discussing a New Paradigm
16th August, 2025 | 5:00 pm IST
By Mayank Mansingh Kaul with David Abraham, Jigmat Couture, Kallol Datta, and Manish Arora
The global fashion industry is premised on seasonal changes in trends. Indian writers and designers have consistently raised concerns about its tendency to homogenise aesthetics and style, and to force a certain uniformity in retail formats. In this panel, we ask if a uniquely Indian attitude towards clothing is essential in sustaining the country’s varied textile traditions.
By Mayank Mansingh Kaul with David Abraham, Jigmat Couture, Kallol Datta, and Manish Arora

08On Weaving — Conversation with Monika Correa
23rd August, 2025 | 5:00 pm IST
By Mayank Mansingh Kaul with Monika Correa and Pradeep Dalal
Renowned artist Monika Correa is known for her distinctive style of handweaving tapestries, with her work forming a part of major collections in India and abroad. Her creative journey reflects wider cultural developments in independent India and the significant rise of natural fibres and fabric as a medium of contemporary art. In this session, Correa joins artist and writer Pradeep Dalal to discuss her practice, early influences, and current interests; and to reflect on evolving systems of patronage and showcase.
By Mayank Mansingh Kaul with Monika Correa and Pradeep Dalal

09On Ajrakh — Conversation with Dr Ismail Khatri
30th August, 2025 | 5:00 pm IST
By Mayank Mansingh Kaul with Dr Ismail Khatri and Ami Shroff
Textile traditions have constantly innovated with design and its applications, for millennia. The practice of Dr Ismail Khatri — a leading exponent of Ajrakh — represents such dynamic aspects of handmade and hand-patterned Indian fabrics. In this session, he discusses his approach to art, entrepreneurship, mentorship, and education, while reflecting on the broader changes that have occurred in the Kutch region of Gujarat. He will be in conversation with Ami Shroff, a close collaborator at the Living and Learning Design Centre in Ajrakhpur, a pioneering organisation co-founded by Khatri.
By Mayank Mansingh Kaul with Dr Ismail Khatri and Ami Shroff

10Indian Textiles in the World
6th September, 2025 | 5:00 pm IST
By Mayank Mansingh Kaul with Peter Lee, Shwetasree Majumder, and Uthra Rajgopal
Some of the most exceptional examples of historical Indian textiles sit in museums and collections across the world — from the West to other parts of Asia. For over a century, these institutions have enabled scholarship and consistently sustained global interest in them. Such efforts are now joined by a new generation of researchers, collectors and creatives. In this concluding session, we examine key questions of identity, authorship and curation, which guide — among other urgent concerns — debates around fair trade, labour rights, sustainability, and Geographical Indicators.
By Mayank Mansingh Kaul with Peter Lee, Shwetasree Majumder, and Uthra Rajgopal
Meet the Guest Speakers

MANISH ARORA
A leading Indian designer, Manish Arora’s vibrant pink and gold designs have been worn on international runways and by global celebrities including Katy Perry, Rihanna and Aishwarya Rai. The first Indian to show at Paris Fashion Week and enter Chambre Syndicale du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers, Arora was the former creative director of Paco Rabanne. In 2016, he received the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur. Recently, he designed ABBA’s virtual tour costumes.

PETER LEE
Lee is an independent art and heritage consultant and the Founding Curator of the National University of Singapore's NUS Baba House – a historical house museum. He has curated exhibitions on Southeast Asian material culture since 1998 across Singapore and Japan. His current exhibition, Batik Nyonyas: Three Generations of Art and Entrepreneurship, 1890-1980, is now on show at the Peranakan Museum in Singapore. Lee hosts Channel News Asia’s history documentary, Mark of Empire. He also manages a family collection of textiles and 19th century photography.

UZRAMMA
With over 30 years of experience in handloom weaving and natural dyeing, Uzramma founded Dastkar Andhra (1995) and the Dastkar Andhra Marketing Association (2001) to support cotton handloom from Andhra and Telangana. In 2004, she established the Malkha Trust to promote decentralized cotton yarn production. She is the co-author of A Frayed History: The Journey of Cotton in India (OUP, 2017).
Contact Information
If you have any inquiries or need assistance, please contact Amitha Murugesh, Project Lead (Learning) at MAP Academy, by writing to hellomapacademy@map-india.org