WORKSHOPS WITH VANKAR DINESH VISHRAM - SPRING 2026
Vankar Dinesh Vishram weaving on a traditional Bhujodi Pit Loom in the Kachchh Desert in India
Bhujodi Weaving Workshop
29. & 30. April 2026 | 10:00 - 17:00 | 180€
This course is for experienced weavers and will be held at the Haus der Handweberei in Sindelfingen. The course is in English and Hindi and will be translated to German.
Contact: info@haus-der-handweberei.de or 07031 803906
More info soon.
A student learns the Bhujodi inlay techniques and traditional motifs at Shamji's workshop in 2024
Spinning Workshop
1. May 2026 | 10:00 - 17:00 | 90€
This course will explore handspinning with traditional Indian Peti Charkhas and Takhli spindles. Students will spin indigenous Kala cotton from the Kachchh desert, and learn to make punis. No experience necessary.
Contact: info@haus-der-handweberei.de or 07031 803906
Traditional indian Charkhas and extra spindles, Takhli Spindles, Looms and Kala Cotton Fibre will be available for sale at the workshops.
Handwoven textiles hang to dry in the courtyard at Shamji and Dinesh's family home in Bhujodi.
Bhujodi village in the Kachchh district of Gujarat, India, is renowned for its vibrant weaving traditions. For more than 500 years, the Vankar weaving community has produced handwoven textiles that reflect the rich cultural heritage of the region. Almost every home in the village houses a loom, sustaining a living craft tradition that has been passed down through generations.
Vankar Shamji Vishram weaving on a traditional Bhujodi Pit Loom in the Kachchh Desert in India
Our connection to Bhujodi began in 2018, when we first visited the village and met master weaver Shamji Vishram and his brother Dinesh whose work has played an important role in preserving and revitalizing traditional weaving in the region. Building on the legacy of his father, Shamji and Dinesh work closely with weaving and dyeing families to produce textiles using indigenous materials such as Kala cotton and local wool, often dyed with natural dyes like indigo and lac.
A shawl woven with Bhujodi motifs in indigenous kala Cotton, dyed with natural indigo and madder root.
Naturally dyed yarns on display at the Vishram homestead in Bhujodi, India.
In 2024, we were honoured to welcome Shamji to Germany for a series of beginner and advanced workshops, presentations, and demonstrations. These took place at the Haus der Handweberei in Sindelfingen, at the University of Tübingen, and in our brick-and-mortar shop BOTHO. The events offered participants a rare opportunity to learn directly from a master weaver from Bhujodi and to experience the traditions of spinning and weaving from Kachchh firsthand.
Vankar Shamji Vishram teaches students at the Haus der Handweberei in Sindelfingen in 2024.
We are delighted to welcome Dinesh Vishram, Shamji's brother and fellow master artisan, who will lead a new series of weaving and spinning workshops this Spring. Coming from the same lineage of skilled weavers, Dinesh brings deep knowledge of Bhujodi textile traditions, including weaving on the traditional pit loom and spinning cotton on the charkha (spinning wheel) and takhli.
Vankar Dinesh Vishram weaving on one of the portable table top looms used in the international weaving workshops.
Participants will gain insight into the processes behind Bhujodi textiles—from spinning yarn to weaving techniques such as the characteristic extra-weft inlay patterns that resemble embroidery. The workshops will also explore the role of indigenous fibers and the collaborative craft ecosystem in Kachchh, where spinning, dyeing, weaving, and finishing are shared across the community.
Through demonstrations and hands-on learning, Dinesh will share stories of his family’s weaving heritage and the ongoing efforts to sustain these craft traditions while adapting them for contemporary design.
