The Culture Central

As published in Tehelka Magazine, Volume 9 Issue 35, Dated August 27, 2012. Reports Tehelka jouranist Prakhar Jain.

Reddit.com is a rare website that we visit everyday, many times a day. We love Reddit alien (mascot) so much. His name is Snoo and he is so cute. You can find general FAQs about Snoo here. One day we had this crazy idea to make this alien Desi style using Batik printing technique. And after printing and treating it, we realized it looked so cute. So we had to share it with you. We are sharing a step-by-step tutorial on how to make a Reddit 404 pillow cover.

Organic cotton fabrics are printed using vegetable dyes and the colors obtained from organic means. Chemicals can fade the color and can also make the fabric weak. In this post, we are telling you some easy and efficient ways of treating your organic cotton fabrics at home for the first time before you start using them. 

Ever wondered why the organic cotton fabrics and dresses that you bought from an Indian seller won't stay the same wash after wash? Well, it all depends on how you take care of your organic clothes and fabrics. All organic fabrics are made using the fibers and colors obtained from organic means such as plants, minerals etc. What if I told you the red floral pattern on your Kalamkari skirt was printed using rust and tamarind paste?

After Diwali, Holi is the biggest festival in North India. Weeks before Holi, families plan for shopping, renovation of the house, dinner, lunch and breakfast menu and also for paying a visit to relatives and friends. In many cities of north India, such as Vrindavan, Banaras and Kanpur, Holi is a fortnight long festival. It starts about a a week before Dhulendi and ends with Ganga Mela (a festival very specific to the state of Uttar Pradesh).

In other parts of North India its a two days long celebration. First night of Holi is the celebration of End of the Evil. Families gather around the fire in circle and offer Sugarcane, Green Gram and other seasonal crops to the fire. People also throw Gulaal - colorful podwer, Gujia - Sweets and Pop-corns in the fire. The reason behind this is mostly unknown. According to the Hindu mythology, the fire is considered holy and everything becomes pure after going through fire. Throwing food items in fire could be a symbolic act to make the food items pure and free from any evil till next Holi celebrations. 

We know how much you admire that vintage pure silk shawl and the dress that you bought from an online shop. And we know that you would go to any extent to preserve those hand woven raw silk pieces. So on the Culture Central, we are starting a new series on fabric care. In this series we’ll not only cover the tips and trick on how to take care of fabrics but we’ll give you some insightful knowledge about taking care of specialty fabrics, cleaning, preserving and reclaiming the old fabrics and everything else about fabric care.

We love handmade and we admire everything that is made using organic materials.We were browsing the internet and we came across this talented paper artist Gunjan Aylawadi from Sydney, Australia.

Many people wonder why vegetable dyed fabrics and other items are more beautiful, popular and costlier than the regular products available in the market today.  The reason is that it takes long time and great effort to prepare vegetable dyes. All vegetable colors are made using minerals, leaves, flowers and bark of various trees.