"
/>
Chanakya Celebrates Goddesses in the Everyday and a 40-Year Milestone
Chanakya International, the renowned textile and embroidery house, marks its 40th anniversary without indulging in nostalgia. Founded by Vinod Shah, the establishment has chosen to celebrate this remarkable milestone by showcasing innovative works rather than revamping past collections. Alongside its ongoing School of Craft, also celebrating a decade, Chanakya has organized a series of exhibitions spread across three venues in Mumbai.
Contemporary Celebrations of Timeless Inspiration
At its Byculla atelier, fiber art mingles with heritage as a 9th-century stone statue of Varahi, a boar-headed goddess, stands in an enclosure known as Kunj. This figure, belonging to the Shah family, has become a significant source of inspiration for Karishma Swali, Shah’s daughter and the creative director of Chanakya International. Swali recalls a pivotal moment nearly two decades ago when cataloging family antiquities led her to discover Indus seals depicting seven female figures, the Saptamatrikas or Seven Mothers. This historic find has profoundly influenced her artistic vision.
Fibre falls from ceiling to floor around a 9th-century stone Varahi | Photo Credit: Ryan Martis
Women as the Central Figures
The theme of femininity and empowerment resonates throughout the exhibitions. At the workshop, Garden of Gestures features an installation of seven goddesses crafted from red raffia, highlighting the transmission of skills through generations of artisanship. The exhibition at the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, entitled En Route, diverges to celebrate real-life women: six travelers and the skilled hands that once fashioned the world’s globes, inviting visitors to ponder the journeys of knowledge and culture. Meanwhile, Belong at Experimenter in Colaba reintroduces the goddesses in a more stripped-down format, using plain fibers to explore the elements of what we carry with us.
A Legacy of Craftsmanship
When Shah founded Chanakya in 1986, his vision was to bring the finest Indian craftsmanship to a global audience. Swali reminisces about their first foray into the international market, recalling how, with their brother Nehal, they approached 400 fashion houses with just four suitcases of swatches. The only early success was a partnership with the renowned Italian brand Fendi. This humble beginning has blossomed into a respected enterprise over the decades.
As the current guardian of Chanakya’s legacy, Shah, now 83, admits to feeling both pride and concern for his daughter’s relentless drive. “He wants me to rest,” Swali laughs, reflecting on her father’s worries for her well-being. Yet, she counterbalances this with her own ambition: “I feel an urgency to learn more, to learn quickly.”
An Artful Exploration of Feminine Strength
Garden of Gestures is designed as a series of groves, echoing themes from ancient texts that detail the learning process in crafts. Visitors first enter Upvan, a vibrant garden representing stages of craft learning filled with traditional tools, natural dyes, and fabric studies. At the heart of the exhibition lies the Saptamatrikas, an imposing red arc of figures crafted from date-palm raffia, dyed with madder root, bamboo, and cotton cord—each piece meticulously fashioned by hand.
The individual forms reflect a fusion of elegance and strength, with each goddess embodying distinct attributes: Vaishnavi’s skirt emphasizes vastness, while Maheshvari adopts an architectural stance. Notably, Brahmi stands tall at 2.6 meters, a testament to both artistic ingenuity and reverence for feminine power. Swali’s designs encourage the artisans to channel their energies into the creations, reinforcing her belief that “women are long-limbed” and capable of carrying immense burdens, literally and figuratively.
Installation view of Upvan at the Garden of Gestures | Photo Credit: Ryan Martis
Twenty-five artisans participated in crafting the Saptamatrikas, led by experts like veteran murti maker Jethu Bhai and crochet specialist Abdul Hanif Jamadar. Each artisan shared their insights and learned about the symbolism of the goddesses during the creative process, forging a connection between the traditional narratives and contemporary artistry.
Honoring the City Through Textiles
Five minutes from the atelier, the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum hosts En Route, where a breathtaking, freestanding embroidered map of Mumbai inspires visitors. The artwork incorporates seven layers of thread, tracing the city’s journey from its origins as Heptanesia through various historical milestones. Swali worked closely with museum officials to develop this representation, echoing Mumbai’s welcoming spirit and its capacity to absorb various cultures and histories.
An embroidered freestanding map of Mumbai | Photo Credit: Ryan Martis
The museum also displays works created with Fendi’s Maria Grazia Chiuri, showcasing Chanakya’s embroidery techniques and the spirit of collaboration that has defined much of its story. Chiuri has played a pivotal role in introducing Indian craftsmanship to the global stage during her tenure with major fashion brands.
Exploring Histories of Women Travelers
Swali’s partnership with Chiuri extended into their work with the Vatican Apostolic Library, where they unearthed stories of 19th-century women travelers, leading to the creation of panels that narrate their journeys. The work celebrates not only the contributions of women in exploration but also illustrates how their narratives have been historically overshadowed.
Linen and hemp panels, held together with kantha, that trace the journeys of six women travelers | Photo Credit: Ryan Martis
In response to discovering disfigured embroidered globes crafted by women, who were often unpaid and lacked proper training, Chanakya created two original globes: Antrik Vishwa (inner universe) features the creative touch of artisans from regions they may never physically visit, while Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family) intersperses real continents with textile traditions from across India. As one artisan aptly noted, “I may never leave India, but my hands will travel the world.”
Refined Approaches to Goddess Representation
As the exhibitions progressed to Experimenter in Colaba, the goddesses appeared in a more austere presentation in Belong, accentuating the natural textures of materials like jute, coconut, and banana fiber. With fewer embellishments, the figures serve as symbols of resilience, their forms likened to stambhs or pillars, visible signs of the strength and nurturing qualities that embody the divine feminine.
Goddesses handwoven from jute, coconut and banana fibre at Belong | Photo Credit: Chanakya International and Experimenter
The exhibition further explores the representations of the Saptamatrikas, with Brahmi at the center and Narasimhis framing her. Swali considers the significance of these figures—asserting a connection between the artisan women and the goddesses they create. “We are them, right? And they are us,” she states, blurring distinctions between myth and reality.
Chanakya’s exhibitions—Garden of Gestures at Chanakya Ateliers (open until September 30), En Route at Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum (until October 20), and Belong at Experimenter, Colaba (until October 17)—invite every participant to reflect on the goddesses in their lives and the legacies of craft that continue to inspire creativity for generations to come.
