During my diplomatic assignment in Indonesia two decades ago, I was fascinated by the extraordinary range and styles of the country’s famed textiles, in particular its colourful “Ikats”. I soon became aware of the intimate affinities between the textile traditions of India and Indonesia and this led to a very successful exhibition of old and contemporary textiles of the two countries, entitled “Woven Magic,” curated by one of India’s best-known experts on the subject, Jasleen Dhamija. But it is not only Indonesia where Indian textiles were popular over centuries. They became an integral part of the global spice trade, with
Disclaimer: These are personal views of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of www.business-standard.com or the Business Standard newspaper
