About The Author

Shaina Shealy

Shaina Shealy grew up in Birmingham, AL and graduated from George Washington University in 2010 where she studied International Affairs and Fine Arts. She is currently living in India where she's volunteering at a grassroots development organization. She wears a small camera attached to a string around her neck and tells herself it's fashionable.

Posts by: Shaina Shealy
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An egg guy, an earthquake, and cross-cultural connection in India

On October 28, 2011 By

Soon after the earthquake in Japan, my neighbor came round on one of her check-ins.

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I am currently learning Bandhani and have been working on the same scarf for almost six months, slowly figuring out how to hold a thin thread between my thumb and index finger, and guide it with my pinky to tie knots around tiny bunches of fabric. The first time I tried tying, the tips of my fingers were numb after one hour, and I had only completed four dots. In the first step of Bandhani production, women tie small knots onto fabric with thin thread. After the knots are tied, the fabric is dipped in dye – the knotted threads protect the fabric underneath from retaining dye. When the dye has dried, the knots are ripped out, exposing small rings of undyed fabric. The above photo shows a scarf tied into knots before it is dyed. Bandhani dyers use a variety of dying techniques. My bandhani instructor, Jabbar, is a pioneer of natural dyes and travels the world to lead workshops about natural dyes.

Photo Essay: The artisans of Kutch, India

On October 10, 2011 By

But here in India, shopping is a loaded exploration.

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