Mud, Mirror and Thread - Folk Traditions of Rural India

From the fabric embroidery & mirror art from Gujarat (Kutch and Saurashtra), Banjara embroidery, Mud wall decorations of Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, Kolam patterns of Tamil Nadu and Terracotta art from all over India. This book covers it all accompanied with beautiful colour photographs.

This book celebrates the diversity of the vast subcontinent by examining little known folk traditions of village and nomad peoples. Drawing upon the traditions of India's half million villages, it helps comprehend the inner logic behind the almost numberless acts of Hindu devotion that occur each day, many of which involve the adornment of homes and alters and the creation of clay vessels and images. They show how, in traditions of embroidery and dress, we can read the complicated ethnic and caste relationships that characterize the societal matrix of the rural peoples.

Consequently, the India presented here is village rather than city, local and regional rather than national, peaceful rather than chaotic, spiritual rather than sensational, and despite the vast changes taking place, essentially timeless. The essays in this book are based on field research by leading experts Nora Fisher, Judy Frater, Stephen Huyler, Jyotindra and Vijaya Nagarajan.

Hardcover Edition

ISBN: 9780944142912