Fabric of India

The tour begins on Wednesday 19 November at Kolkata airport, with individual transfers to the Taj Bengal Hotel, Kolkata.

The tour ends on Friday 5 December at Mumbai Airport, arriving in time for evening departures.

Upon your arrival in Kolkata, you will be greeted and taken to your hotel. As flights usually arrive late in the evening, you’ll have the chance to meet your tour leader and fellow travellers in the following morning. Overnight Kolkata

We meet in the lobby of our hotel this morning and make our introductions, before taking a walking tour through the old colonial heart of this great city. Our tour takes us past St John’s Church, Dalhousie Square, the old East India Company’s Writers’ Building and Government House. We then visit the wonderful Rangeen Weavers’ Studio and Study Centre to witness some of India’s best weavers and block printers at work. After a welcome lunch together in a local restaurant, we spend the afternoon at a centre for Kantha, the ancient art of using old saris to make new ones using the simple running stitch. Known as the “stitch painters of Bengal” these artisans have resurrected a unique and almost lost art. The evening is at leisure. Overnight Kolkata (B, L)

Kolkata’s history is a rich blend that encompasses the stories of the Muslims, Armenians, Portuguese, French, Danish, English and Chinese, who have all contributed to the city’s great past and vibrant present. After exploring its most interesting areas this morning, we enjoy lunch in a local restaurant before spending the afternoon visiting local design studios where you can purchase some exquisite garments or textiles. The remainder of the day is free to wander the local area and perhaps visit the Indian Museum. For those wanting to venture further, you may wish to take the slightly longer walk to the extraordinary South Park St Cemetery. Overnight Kolkata (B, L)

This morning we travel by coach for the three to four hour journey to Shantiniketan, a town famed for its rich artistic and cultural heritage as well as its university, founded by the family of poet and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. In the afternoon we will visit the wonderful Saturday market at Bolpur to meet the rural artisans and grass roots craftspeople showcasing their own produce, arts and crafts: musical instruments, wood carvings, jewellery made of terracotta or seed and beautiful Kantha embroidered sarees and scarves. Dinner this evening is in a local restaurant. Overnight Shantiniketan (B, D)

We begin the day with a visit to the natural dye studio of Papri Basak. Here you will also be able to see block batik – essentially “writing in wax” – and its multiple dyeing and application processes. After enjoying lunch together in a local restaurant, the afternoon is spent at the Viswabharati University campus, which was set up by Tagore. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries this place was the heart of Bengal’s rich literary, historical and artistic renaissance – and is still today a magnet for artists, writers and philosophers. A short walk then takes us back to the hotel, where there is time to freshen up and relax before we meet again this evening for dinner. Overnight Shantiniketan (B, L, D)

Today we continue our travels to Bishnupur, which served as the capital of the great Malla dynasty for over one thousand years. The Malla rulers were Vaishnavites (devotees of the Hindu god Vishnu) who endeavoured to build a city with great archaeological strength and deep cultural values. On arrival we explore the breath-taking terracotta temples that were built in the 17th and 18th centuries with locally quarried laterite stones. The well-preserved front fasciae of the temples are richly ornamented with terracotta tiles illustrating mythical stories from the sacred texts. Bishnupur is also the centre of Baluchari, one of India’s most iconic weaving traditions. After lunch in a local restaurant, we see examples of this classic style, with stories from Hindu mythology woven into the pallu (end piece) of each sari. We end the day with dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight Bishnupur (B, L, D)

Driving through lush Bengal countryside, where we may see weavers drying their fabrics by the side of the road (having starched them with “saboo” to make them crisp), our destination is Krishnanagar. We stop en route for lunch before visiting the village of Fulia, where weavers create the famous Jamdani Weaving Tangail jacquard and excel at beautiful jamdani fine muslin work. Here we will observe the full story of “tant” – from yarn to dyeing, colouring, drying and finally weaving into the finest sarees. Continuing to our hotel in Krishnanagar, there is time to freshen up before dinner together this evening. Overnight Krishnanagar (B, L, D)

Returning to Kolkata today, we visit Kalna this morning for a very special visit to see the work of Jyotish Debnath, a jamdani muslin weaver who is reviving the old art of super-fine muslin weaving. A fifth-generation weaver, whose grandfather came to Kalna in 1939, Jyotish started with cotton and muslin weaving, gradually moving into ‘jamdani’, and has been weaving for more than 35 years. Our time here includes a visit of his home to see some of the finest pieces from Jyotish’s family collection and view the muslin jamdani weaving looms lovingly restored by the family. We then enjoy lunch together before continuing the journey back to Kolkata. Overnight Kolkata (B, L)

This morning, before heading to the airport for the flight to Ahmedabad, we will take the time to visit the studio of Ajit Kumar Das, the famed natural dye artist. His exquisite paintings on cloth, using all natural dyes, are unique and we will have a chance to watch his process and see a collection of his work. After enjoying lunch together in a local restaurant, we then cross the great subcontinent to Ahmedabad in the far western state of Gujarat, Mahatma Gandhi’s home state. Ahmedabad is one of the fastest growing cities in India. It is a city with a vibrant living culture and has many classic examples of the provincial style of architecture developed under Sultan Ahmed Shah dating back to 1411 CE. The city is artistically rich – from centuries-old mosques and mausoleums to cutting-edge contemporary design. The evening is at leisure. Overnight Ahmedabad (B, L)

Today begins with a visit to Sabarmati Ashram – Gandhi’s home for 13 years. It was from here that Gandhi launched the famous 1930 Salt March in defiance of British law. The complex includes the cottage where Gandhi lived as well as a museum with three galleries designed by Charles Correa. The afternoon is spent visiting one of the finest textile museums in India, if not the world. The Calico Museum of Textiles houses an outstanding collection of Indian fabrics and hand-crafted textiles spanning five centuries. The Museum has become a major reference centre for craftspeople and for the Indian machine-textile industry. This evening we enjoy dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight Ahmedabad (B, D)

Our destination today is Dasada, once the capital of Gujarat for around 600 years. Enroute we visit Patan, famous for its complex and now rare double ikat patola weaving. Patola saris are some of the finest handwoven saris produced in India and are famous for the great precision and clarity of their patterns. After lunch together, we continue to Rani Ki Vav – an intricately constructed stepwell situated near Patan. Rani Ki Vav was built as a memorial to an 11th-century king and was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 2014. Arriving in Dasada in the late afternoon, we enjoy a relaxing evening at our hotel with dinner together in a nearby restaurant. Overnight Dasada (B, L, D)

Today is at leisure in Dasada, where you may wish to spend the day exploring the small local hamlets within walking distance of our hotel, and home to a handful of local artisans. However, this former princely state also borders the Little Rann of Kutch, a saline desert sanctuary with superb wildlife viewing opportunities, and you may wish to head out on one of the exciting cross-desert jeep safaris on offer (approx. two-hour return trip). A geographically unique landform, these white salty sands are home to colourful villages that sit along the edge of the desert. Overnight Dasada (B)

This morning we commence our six-hour journey to Bhuj, travelling through the district of Kutch – a semi-arid desert area that is home to a large number of indigenous communities. A river system was shared between Kutch, Sindh and Rajasthan, and hence it has long absorbed cultures from the north, west, and east. Kutchi motifs can be traced to the ancient Harappan civilization, yet its craft is developing and growing with the innovative and entrepreneurial drive of its modern and spirited artists. Lunch is enjoyed enroute and the final stages of this interesting drive to Bhuj take us within sight of the Great Rann of Kutch, a vast plain of salt flats which extends into Pakistan. After checking in to our hotel, there is time to relax and freshen up before dinner in a nearby restaurant. Overnight Bhuj (B, L, D)

Today we make our way to Ajrakhpur to visit a community of Ajrakh traditional block printers, who still practice one of the oldest forms of block printing on textiles in India. Here we will also meet with Dr Ismail Mohammad Khatri, a world- famous master of the traditional Ajrakh block printing process, continuing a craft that can be traced back nine generations in his family. His sons Sufiyan and Juned now also continue the legacy. Lunch is enjoyed in town before returning to our hotel in Bhuj, with an afternoon at leisure. Dinner tonight is in a local restaurant. Overnight Bhuj (B, L, D)

Our excursion today explores the Banni villages, including Dhordo – a tiny village located in northern Kachch. It is home to the Mutwa, whose intricate mirror-studded embroidery has been widely praised, represented in international museum collections and featured in numerous exhibitions and publications. The Banni are renowned for the most exquisite mirror work, a technique which is learnt from an early age. After lunch together, we return to Bhuj to spend the afternoon wandering the market – famous for embroidered and handicrafts material. We end the day with dinner together in a nearby restaurant. Overnight Bhuj (B, L, D)

This morning we head to the village of Bhujodi to visit Shamji and his family of weavers. Bhujodi is a major centre for woven cotton and woollen textiles, and Shamji is arguably its most famous resident who oversees Vankar Vishram Valji Weaving – a multi-generational weaving and dyeing business. We then visit the Khamir Craft Centre, a platform for the crafts, heritage and cultural ecology of the region. After enjoying lunch here, we see the indigenous black cotton weaving that has been revived with the persistent effort of Khamir. Tonight we enjoy a farewell dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight Bhuj (B, L, D)

This morning we depart by coach to the local airport for our flight to Mumbai. Arriving in the late morning, we have time to exit the airport and enjoy lunch in a local restaurant, before returning to the airport for late evening departures. (B, L)

The accommodation for this tour has been very carefully selected and booked well in advance. However, the vagaries of the booking/business system in India means that sometimes (rarely) we must offer an alternative hotel. Be assured it will be of equal standard to the one envisaged.

• Kolkata, Taj Bengal (4 nights)

• Shantiniketan, Udichi Regency (2 nights)

• Bishnupur, WBTDC Hotel (1 night)

• Krishnanagar, Hotel Haveli (1 night)

• Ahmedabad, Lemon Tree Premier (2 nights)

• Dasada, Rann Riders (2 night)

• Bhuj, Kutch Safari Lodge (4 nights)