On the occasion of International Museum Day, which is celebrated globally on May 18, Delhi’s handloom lovers, designers, and bureaucrats came together at the National Crafts Museum & Hastkala Academy for the unveiling of “ Ajrakh: The Blue Gold”, a new exhibition celebrating one of India’s most intricate textile traditions.
The exhibition was inaugurated by Development Commissioners Amrit Raj (Handicrafts) and M Beena (Handlooms) alongside Fashion Design Council of India Chairman Sunil Sethi. Curated over a year by members of FDCI, the exhibition explores Ajrakh beyond its traditional roots, giving the centuries-old craft a fresh, contemporary edge. Across the expanse of khadi, attendees were pleased to find unexpected surprises in the textiles: converging schools of fish and a sprinkle of glitter stole the show.
Speaking at the launch, Amrit Raj said the museum makes it a practice to introduce fresh exhibits every few months. “We like to stay current, accessible. We want younger audiences and emerging artisans to see this as a living, breathing creative space.” And M Beena described the exhibition as “a convergence of art, artisans, and designers,” explaining that the recurring fish motifs symbolised that idea of connection. “We wanted to show people handlooms as art,” she said. “Yes, you can wear it, but it goes beyond that.”
There were textiles by artisans and garments by designers, including Shelly Jyoti, Anju Modi, Khalid Amin Khatri, Divya Sheth, Sonia Jetley, and works by Rajesh Pratap Singh. While some pieces stayed true to Ajrakh’s disciplined geometric language, others pushed the craft into more playful territory.
