The Nama family is a core of traditional hand-block printers and natural dyers from a small village in the heart of Rajasthan. Though deceased the patriarch of this family, Raghunath, is to me a grand source of inspiration in ecological textile works. Together with his wife Kalavati Devi, they cofounded their Studio as an institution to fuse traditional and contemporary craft specifically focused on processes in hand-block pigment & screen-printing, “Dabu” mud-resist and natural dyeing on fibers. Much of this knowledge is inherent to these descendents of the "Chippa" (block print) community of Rajasthan.
Kalavati & Raghunath
In his early years Raghunath Nama became a researcher at National Institute of Hand Printed Textiles in Jaipur. His design efforts procured many subtle and profound colors in natural vegetable dyes on a wide range of fabrics. He also worked as a professor in Chandigarh teaching many his craft. To this day, his wife Kalavati and three talented sons, Damodar, Krishna Kumar and Praveen carry on in his spirit of experimentation and innovation.
It is fortunate that they continues to flourish in these times when Artisans all over India are leaving their indigenous crafts behind. Today a traditional creative livelihood without evolution can no longer provide a sustainable existence in the face of modernity. Due to Ragunath and family’s earnest ability to experiment and implement with their craft, a new paradigm has emerged and hopefully will inspire other Artisans to follow suit. It is with joy that I support this family through our work at AtelierOM and look forward to a long relationship of spirited collaboration and projects with them.
THE FAMILY:
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| VIVAND & THAROSH |
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| PRAVEEN |
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| DAMODAR & JISHNU |
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| KRISHNA KUMAR |
