Rakesh Thakore

1You have been a designer in the field of Indian textiles and crafts for over four decades. How would you describe your journey into design, and what first drew you towards working with craft?

My journey into design began at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, where I was introduced to the richness and diversity of India's craft traditions. What drew me most towards craft was the intelligence embedded within it—the deep understanding of materials, techniques and processes that artisans have developed over generations.

My craft documentation project on the Telia Rumal of Chirala and my diploma project on the durries of Warangal became defining experiences. They taught me that design begins with listening and learning. Working alongside master craftsmen made me realise that innovation is most meaningful when it grows from tradition rather than replacing it. That philosophy has guided my work throughout my career.

2How did you first become involved with the Visvakarma exhibitions, and what opportunities and challenges did you see when it came to designing an exhibition that sought to present handloom traditions in a completely new way?

My involvement with the Visvakarma exhibitions grew directly from my work at NID. During my diploma project on the durries of Warangal, I worked under the guidance of a master craftsman at the Weavers' Service Centre. There I developed a deeper understanding of the ikat technique and introduced weft ikat into the Warangal durrie weaving tradition, creating a new direction for that craft.

This work came to the attention of Shri Martand Singh, who had already begun developing the Visvakarma exhibitions. He had heard about my work in handloom and invited me to join him as a Design Assistant after I graduated.

The opportunity was extraordinary. We were not simply creating exhibitions but presenting Indian handloom traditions in a completely new way. The challenge was to move beyond displaying beautiful textiles and instead communicate the creativity, technical mastery and cultural knowledge of the weaving communities. It required working directly with artisans across the country and creating exhibitions that were both visually compelling and intellectually engaging.

3You have often immersed yourself in learning the language of the loom before attempting to redesign it. How did this philosophy translate into the design of the Visvakarma exhibitions?

For me, understanding the loom always comes before designing with it. Unless you understand how a textile is made, why certain decisions are taken by the weaver and what the limitations and possibilities of the technique are, meaningful innovation is impossible.

That same philosophy shaped the Visvakarma exhibitions. Rather than treating textiles as decorative objects, we wanted visitors to understand the thinking, experimentation and extraordinary skill behind each piece. Every exhibition attempted to reveal the relationship between material, process, technique and design, allowing audiences to appreciate the textile as the result of knowledge accumulated over generations.

4The Visvakarma exhibitions are remembered not only for the textiles they presented, but also for the way they presented them. What aspects of the exhibition design and scenography do you think were most innovative?

One of the most innovative aspects was that the exhibition design itself became part of the storytelling. Textiles were not presented as museum artefacts behind glass, but in ways that highlighted their structure, scale, movement and intended use.

The scenography encouraged visitors to experience textiles as living objects connected to people, places and traditions. Lighting, spatial planning and the sequencing of displays all contributed to creating an immersive experience. It was an approach that was quite new at the time and helped audiences engage emotionally as well as intellectually with Indian textiles.

5Working closely with Shri Martand Singh over the course of the Visvakarma exhibitions meant engaging with a vision of design that reimagined the relationship between craft, design and research. How did this collaboration shape your own approach to exhibition design?

Working with Shri Martand Singh was one of the most formative experiences of my career. He believed that research, design and craftsmanship were inseparable. Every project began with rigorous study, documentation and dialogue with artisans before any design decisions were made.

He encouraged experimentation while maintaining complete respect for tradition. That approach deeply influenced my own practice. I learned that exhibition design should educate as much as inspire, and that the designer's role is to create meaningful connections between artisans, objects and audiences.

6While the Visvakarma exhibitions are remembered for reviving historic textiles, they are equally about creating new possibilities for living traditions. Looking back, in what ways do you think the exhibitions expanded the vocabulary of Indian textile design?

The exhibitions demonstrated that tradition is not static. Historic techniques could become the basis for contemporary innovation without losing their authenticity.

Many weaving communities explored new structures, materials, colours and applications while remaining rooted in their own technical traditions. This expanded the design vocabulary of Indian textiles and showed that craft could evolve through collaboration rather than imitation. The exhibitions gave artisans confidence to innovate and designers confidence to work from within traditional knowledge systems.

7Throughout the Visvakarma projects, you worked closely with weaving clusters around the country rather than designing from a distance. Was there any particularly striking conversation with a master weaver that you recall, or anything that fundamentally altered your own design thinking?

Rather than one single conversation, it was the cumulative experience of working with master weavers across India that transformed my thinking. I realised that every loom has its own language, and every artisan carries an extraordinary body of knowledge that cannot be found in books.

The greatest lesson was humility. Before proposing any change, I learned to observe, ask questions and understand why a technique had evolved in a particular way. Those interactions taught me that successful design is always a collaboration, never an imposition.

8When you co-curated A Search in Five Directions at the Crafts Museum in 2018, many of the textiles first created for Visvakarma came together once again. What was it like to encounter these works after so many years?

Seeing those textiles again after several decades was deeply moving. They represented not only important design achievements but also memories of the artisans, researchers and designers who had worked together to create them.

For me, the lasting legacy of Visvakarma lies as much in its collaborative process as in the textiles themselves. The exhibitions created a new model of working where research, design and craftsmanship evolved together. That collaborative methodology continues to influence designers working with craft today.

9During the Visvakarma years, the emphasis was on cultural revival. After liberalisation, did the focus shift towards branding, exports and consumerism? How did you navigate that change in your designing career later?

The economic changes after liberalisation certainly shifted the conversation towards branding, international markets and consumer demand. Those changes created new opportunities but also new pressures.

Throughout my career, I have tried to maintain a balance. Commercial success is important because it sustains livelihoods, but it should never come at the cost of integrity or craftsmanship. My approach has always been to develop contemporary products that remain faithful to the knowledge, skills and values of the artisans who make them.

10How has the journey from Visvakarma to Abraham & Thakore been? Do your contemporary projects still carry something of the design philosophy you developed during the years working with Shri Martand Singh?

The journey from Visvakarma to Abraham & Thakore has been a natural progression rather than a departure. The values I developed while working with Shri Martand Singh continue to guide my work every day.

At Abraham & Thakore, we still begin with respect for materials, process and craftsmanship. We continue to believe in simplicity, clarity of design and innovation rooted in tradition rather than driven by fashion alone. The context may have changed, but the philosophy remains the same: understand deeply, collaborate respectfully and create contemporary design that honours India's extraordinary textile heritage.

11Could you please share a little about Shri Martand Singh with us?

Shri Martand Singh, whom we all affectionately called Mapu, was much more than a mentor to me – he was an extraordinary visionary who transformed the way many of us looked at Indian textiles. I was incredibly fortunate to work closely with him and to learn from him over many years.

Mapu had an insatiable curiosity and an immense love for travel. Together we journeyed through the length and breadth of India, often to remote villages and weaving centres that few people had ever visited. He believed that the finest ideas were to be found not in cities or studios, but on the looms of gifted artisans who had inherited generations of knowledge.

One of his most remarkable qualities was his emotional connection to textiles. He would become genuinely moved watching a design evolve – from the first concept on paper to the moment it emerged from the loom. For him, every woven textile represented not just technical mastery, but the imagination, patience and dignity of the craftsperson who created it.

He possessed an extraordinary ability to recognise talent. Whether meeting an experienced master weaver or a young artisan, he always encouraged experimentation while respecting tradition. His enthusiasm inspired confidence in craftspeople and challenged designers like me to think more deeply about the relationship between design, culture and craftsmanship.

Working with Mapu exposed me to some of the finest textile traditions in India. Those journeys, conversations and collaborations shaped my understanding of design far more profoundly than any classroom could have done.

The Visvakarma exhibitions reflected this vision. They travelled internationally and demonstrated that Indian textiles belonged among the world's greatest artistic traditions. I was privileged to contribute to several of these landmark exhibitions, including:

1982 – The Master Weavers, Royal College of Art, London, United Kingdom.

1984 – Rasa, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France, which presented a new interpretation and expanded vision of The Master Weavers.

1985 – Jaali and Earth and Sky, Moscow, USSR.

1985 – Costumes of Royal India, The Costume Institute, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

1985–86 – The Master Weavers toured major cities across the United States through the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES).

1988 – Costumes of Royal India, Seibu Museum and Hokkaido Museum, Japan.

1990 – Birds and Animals in Indian Textiles, Beijing, People's Republic of China.

2002- Khadi: Fabric of Freedom New Delhi, India.

2018 – A Search in Five Directions, Crafts Museum, New Delhi, a tribute to the life and vision of Shri Martand Singh.

Alongside his remarkable intellect, Mapu had an elegant personal style. He was almost always dressed in beautifully tailored pintucked kurtas with Aligarhi pyjamas, often in fine cotton or khadi. He draped himself in luxurious tussar silk shawls, of which he owned an enviable collection, and wore exquisitely woven khadi angavastrams with effortless grace. His appreciation for textiles extended naturally to the way he dressed – every garment reflected his deep respect for craftsmanship.

There was also a lighter side to him. He had a particular fondness for Andhra cuisine. The food was often so wonderfully spicy that it would make him perspire, yet he relished every meal with great delight. Those shared meals, journeys and conversations remain among my fondest memories of working with him.

Looking back, I realise that Mapu's greatest legacy was not simply the exhibitions he conceived, but the confidence he instilled in artisans and designers alike. He taught us to value research, travel with curiosity, listen with humility and recognise that the future of Indian textiles lies in understanding and celebrating the extraordinary knowledge of its craftspeople.