Weaving Memories: Stories of Solidarity and Oppression (2) by Ishita Girme

Through the making of these quilts one can witness the transfer of culture from one

generation to the other. The practice of up-cycling sarees, rather aajichi saree into a

Godhadi comes to be deemed as a sustainable way of living as well.

This practice of making quilts has been revived and has come into light here as a

niche aesthetic that is now being appreciated by the upper class. In actuality, the art

and practice of quilt making has always been prevalent in middle class households.

Women in middle class households always engaged themselves in the art of quilt

making so as to preserve material resources and to make innovative use of

whatever available resources, in this case old sarees.

There are various benefits of using the Godhadi as well, for people with respiratory

disease it helps ward off dust and makes the blanket more breathable

For the longest time, Godhadi were a marker of low class in Maharashtra.

Individuals from the Wadar community learnt the art of quilt making as they

weren’t allowed to do any other work. These women from the community went

from door to door, asking households if they wanted quilts stitched.

I recall an incident when I was a kid where two aajis would always come around

summertime saying “Godhadi shivun gheichi ka tumhala” to all the residents of

societies in my neighborhood. These aajis would ask for different types of fabrics

and carry different types of needles with them.

Since women from a particular caste engaged in this occupation, upper caste

individuals thought that Godhadi making was a practice that is pertinent only

amongst the lower caste.

Recently, the art of quilt making has made it’s way back in the popular discourse

around lifestyle. Now, the quilt is seen as a rustic and traditional object that marks

it’s niche distinctness in upper class households.

This distinctness then becomes an object of being true to one’s tradition and

bringing back the revivalist notion of quilt making. Quilt making is also now seen

as being sustainable and is now popularly regarded as a relevant social issue that is

making the rounds. So this new found sustainability was the very thing that upper

caste individuals looked down upon but ironically now becomes a practice that

often upper caste individuals end up propagating.

One can witness the Godhadi being displayed in exhibitions and art galleries as an

object of admiration, these art galleries that display the quilt are markers of upper

class identity.

Now-a-days many NGOs try to employ women that make and are trying to

visibilize the art so that the Godhadi women are paid well. In this case, it also

matters who the employers are and what is the narrative that they are trying to

build upon. Many organizations now try to build upon platforms that challenge the

orthodox norms of the economy of creativity and create equal opportunities and

financial independence for less privileged communities through their own

knowledge, skills, and experiences.

The beautiful soft, warm goddhadis are more than just mere blankets but

repositories of love and memories.

For women, the art of quilt making becomes a space for leisure, production of art

and a source of solidarity. The Godhadi then becomes a marker of tradition that is

passed down generations, it speaks of intricate stories that are crafted by love.