Government-run emporiums

After breakfast (no eggs on the buffet, so I just had a banana and a coffee), I walked over to Connaught Place to visit a whole street of government-run emporiums, each one representing the textiles and handicrafts of a different state of India. Online, it said that they opened at 10am. When I got there at 9.50, I discovered that they don't open until 11! So, I used my unexpected free time to have a second breakfast/early lunch. I had a delucious tomato and onion uttapam that set me up for the rest of the day.

When the shops opened, I retraced my steps. I went to Khadi first, a shop selling the hand-spun and woven natural fibre cloth promoted by Mahatma Gandhi as a symbol of the homeland in the struggle for Indian independence from the British. The term is used throughout the Indian subcontinent. The first piece of the hand-woven cloth was made in the Sabarmati Ashram of Gandhi in 1917. The coarseness of the cloth led Gandhi to call it khadi. The cloth is made from cotton, but it may also include silk or wool, which are all spun into yarn on a charkha. It is a versatile fabric that remains cool in summer and warm in winter. To improve its appearance, khadi is sometimes starched to give it a stiffer feel. I've been looking for khadi all over India as a suitable fabric for doing sashiko on, so when I was faced with a whole shopful of it, I couldn't resist! I ended up buying 8 metres of it in shades of blue and purple. It was only £1.50/metre!

I didn't go in all of the shops, but I did visit Gujarat ahead of my November trip, and I did go into tge Rajasthan outlet. There, I bought four block-printed cotton stoles, the type I had refrained from buying all the time I was in Rajasthan 😄.

Later, I wandered back to the hotel, taking photos of street art along the way. I just made it back before the heavens opened and there was an almighty storm!Read more