Pankaj Tripathi launches handloom venture to promote weaving traditions
What's the story
National Award-winning actor Pankaj Tripathi has launched a new handloom venture named Tulo, in partnership with stylist Vineet Chauhan. The initiative aims to promote India's weaving traditions and support local artisans. Tripathi said his journeys across India for various film projects exposed him to the beauty and diversity of the country. He told Mid-Day, "During a shoot in Chanderi, I noticed that handlooms were present in almost every household."
Mission
'It was part of the family's identity...'
He added, "Women would sit and work on sarees and fabric as part of their daily routine." "What struck me was that weaving wasn't treated as a separate profession; it was part of the family's identity and had been carried forward for generations." He also talked about Banaras, saying, "Whenever I had time there, I would walk through areas where weavers lived and worked."
Weaving heritage
'It made me think about how rare that process...'
Tripathi said, "Watching someone create such detailed fabric entirely by hand was incredible." "It made me think about how rare that process has become in a world where most things are produced by machines." Tripathi's conversations with Chauhan, a longtime stylist and fellow enthusiast of traditional Indian weaves, sparked the initiative. Meanwhile, Tripathi was last seen in a leading role in Metro...In Dino.