NIFT students unravel Pachhedi's richness
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Ahmedabad: Pachhedi, a multipurpose garment that can be used to cover both the upper and lower body, has been immortalised by several Gujarati idioms such as 'Pachhedi tetli sod taanvi' (One must stretch depending on how long their sheet is meaning that expenses should consider the resources available).
However, the garment has few takers among both artisans and customers, shows a study by students of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Gandhinagar.
The students visited Untadi, Parali and Shiyani villages in Surendranagar district and worked closely with the weavers, guided by NIFT Gandhinagar faculty members Shubhangi Yadav, Rupali Pandit, and Sumita Agrawal.
The documentation indicated that Pachhedi emerged around the 14th-15th century CE in Gujarat as a form of bedspread and evolved into a culturally significant garment for both draping and use as a lower garment by the pastoral communities . Lavanya Bhandari, one of the students who worked on the documentation, said that it is woven on fly-shuttle pit looms using tools such as khataro, toar, and phani. "We found that the majority of weavers are now old, and the younger generation shows little interest in continuing the craft due to low earnings and limited market access.
However, many artisans are committed to preserving the heritage," she said.
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Prof Sameer Sood, director of NIFT Gandhinagar, said, "We are working closely with the next generation of artisans to ensure survival of age-old crafts."
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