On the face of it, it might not seem like Lata Sharma and Shobha Valmiki have much in common. Working in different craft collectives, Sharma lives in the Kullu Valley of Himachal Pradesh, where winter blankets the region in snow and summer carpets it in kaleidoscopic wildflowers. Valmiki resides 850 kilometres away in Bhikamkor, a Rajasthani village on the fringes of the Thar desert.
Sharma is approaching fifty while Valmiki is in her mid-thirties. While you’re likely to find Sharma layered in snug hand-knit shawls and sweaters, Valmiki prefers breathable cotton saris with a pallu lightly covering her head. Yet these two women, who have never met each other, are united by an invisible sisterhood.
For nearly a decade, they have worked with all-women collectives that ensure sustainability not only in materials and techniques but also in empowering craftswomen, enabling them to leverage generational skills to earn a living in a space that was a male bastion for centuries. Valmiki is the embroidery manager at Saheli Women, an artisans’ collective headquartered in her village two hours from Jodhpur. By providing secure income for its local women and reviving traditional embroideries , Saheli has grown to become a beacon of intentional co-creation.
“When we started in 2015, women couldn’t put their children through school,” says its founder Madhu Vaishnav, whose husband’s family hails from the village. She’s calling from London, where she’s about to launch their lin.