A Deep Admiration for India’s Handcrafted Textiles
I am sure you have heard the story about Chandaa-Chakor?
In Indian folklore, there is a beautiful story about the Chakor bird and the moon, Chandaa.
The Chakor spends the night looking at the moon, fascinated by its beauty and dedicated to its soothing light.
That beautiful relationship and admiration lie at the heart of Chakor.
Spend enough time around handcrafted textiles—watching Bandhani being tied knot by knot, seeing Ajrakh emerge layer by layer, or sitting beside a loom as a weave slowly takes shape—and you start seeing them differently.
They carry time.
They carry skill.
They carry patience.
And they carry the emotions, stories, and lives of the people who create them.
Perhaps that's why they feel different when we wear them.
The more you study and observe the process, the more the cloth and technique begins to reveal itself.
That curiosity and admiration for craft is what led to Chakor.
And that is where the name Chakor comes from—the bird known for its unwavering gaze at the moon. In much the same way, Chakor looks upon India’s traditional textiles with a deep admiration and respect, drawn not only to their beauty but also to the knowledge, patience, and craftsmanship that live within them.
A familiar beginning
Chakor’s link with craft has its roots in Jamnagar, a city where Bandhani has long been part of everyday life. I remember walking through its streets, with colourful textiles spilling out of shops on either side. That image has stayed with me — the colours, the bustle, and the sheer familiarity of Bandhani everywhere I looked.
For many Khatri families and communities, the craft is not merely an art form but a livelihood that has maintained through centuries. In such places, textiles are not distant objects—they exist all around you, silently becoming part of the everyday landscape.
Gradually, familiarity gave way to curiosity about the people, the processes, and the traditions behind the textile.
How that curiosity transformed into keen interest and years of learning—and eventually Chakor, is a longer and rather interesting story… perhaps one for another time—a story we’ll share soon.
Looking beyond the fabric
When we first see a textile, we notice its colour, its pattern, and the way it drapes.
But once you begin understanding the craft, techniques and processes, you begin to see something else - the hands behind it.
Take Bandhani, for instance. Each tiny dot is created by tying the fabric tightly with thread before it is dyed. A single saree can contain lakhs of these dots and each one tied patiently by hand over weeks, and often months.
Or for Ajrakh, where patterns emerge through multiple stages of block printing and dyeing, each layer carefully aligned before the next is added, over days of work.
And then there are the handloom weaves — textures that grow slowly on a loom, formed with wrap and weft, creating its own distinct identity.
These processes cannot be rushed. They are built layer by layer relying on skill, experience, rhythm, and patience.
After seeing the processes firsthand, that textile stops being just a product. It is no longer just a surface of colours and patterns... It becomes a reflection of the people and traditional techniques that shaped it.
The Journey of Chakor
From this admiration for handmade textiles, when Chakor began in 2016, there was no elaborate plan for the brand. There was simply a desire to build something around the crafts I had known, worked with and continued to learn from since my college days.
Since then, Chakor has built relationships with artisan communities across several craft regions of India.
While Jamnagar remains an important centre for Bandhani, and the craft continues to be practised there, our own work with Bandhani today is with artisan communities in Kutch.
Chakor now works closely with artisans and weavers in places such as Kutch, Rajkot, Chanderi, Bengal, and Chhattisgarh, bringing together some of India’s most cherished textile traditions — from the intricate dots of Bandhani and the rhythmic block printing of Ajrakh, to the textured weaves of Bhujodi, the precision of Patola, the richness of Tussar silk, and the sheer elegance of Chanderi.
These handcrafted textiles find expression through sarees, dupattas, and fabrics for kurta sets, allowing the craft to be experienced in everyday wardrobes while still honouring the traditions they come from.
Every region has its own rhythm of making, its own materials, and special stories that are embedded in its textile.
At Chakor, our role is simply to work with these traditions respectfully, designing with intention allowing the craft to remain at the center of everything we create.
The timeless elegance of the saree
Among all garments, the saree holds a special place in India’s textile culture — and in the wardrobes of every home.
Even in homes where textiles are not studied or spoken about in detail, a saree often carries a strong familiar presence. It may be the one that someone grew up seeing — worn by a mother, a grandmother, or during everyday moments and special occasions.
I’m sure you’ve seen it too, and perhaps felt the same way. In time, a saree becomes more than a garment — it becomes a part of memory that is engraved deep.
It is the simplest form of clothing — a length of fabric that transforms the way it is draped.
And, yet within those six yards lives the work of so many hands: the dyer, the printer, the weaver, the artisan who patiently crafts the textile.
Every handmade saree retains the memory of the craft that created it.
And when someone drapes that saree, the material begins another portion of its journey – going through new spaces, new moments, and new lives.
When craft finds its wearer
We often return to the story of the Chakor bird and the moon.
When Chakor is the admirer — the one who continues to look at these crafts with fascination and respect — then the person who wears these textiles becomes the moon itself.
She carries their beauty forward.
Whether it's through a saree, a dupatta, or a piece of fabric formed into everyday clothing, the craft continues to live on through her.
And in doing so, she becomes part of the story.
Perhaps that is the enduring circle of Chakor — admiration for craft, and the people who continue to carry it forward.
Like the Chakor gazing at Chandaa, our devotion to India’s handcrafted textiles remains simple and constant.
And if, through Chakor, these crafts find a place in your wardrobe, then this story continues with you.
- Nikita Mehta
About the Author
Nikita — Co-Founder, CHAKOR
Nikita has been working with Indian crafts and textiles since her college days in 2002. Her work has taken her into craft communities and textile regions across India, learning from artisans, weavers and the traditions they continue to practice.
In 2016, she co-founded CHAKOR, bringing together her long-standing engagement with handcrafted textiles and her belief that traditional crafts continue to have a place in contemporary life.
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