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Trunk Show: 
Chai and Chachh (Tea and Buttermilk): Back to the Beginning
June 18, 2022 

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Kachchh and Kala Cotton 

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The White Desert (Rann of Kuhchh)

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  • Stunning landscapes

  • Rich and vibrant tradition and culture

  • People are warm and hospitable

  • Hotbed of crafts and craft traditions

  • Pastoral and Farming communities 

  • Ethnic diversity (migrant communities from Central Asia, Afghanistan, etc.)

  • Very distinctive character

  • Prone to earthquakes 

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Kuchchh is an ancient land

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Roots of indigenous cotton date back to the Indus Valley Civilization

 

  • Remains of Indus Valley Civilization excavated in the 195os/1960s in Kuchchh

  • Evidence of dyed documented by travelers and explrers on Meditarranean trade routes

  • Kuchchh was once fertile

  • Annual rainfall in Kuchchh is about 350 mm (2013 data)

  • The kala cotton crop depends entirely on this rainfall

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  • Kala Cotton is not new

  • It is a type of short-staple cotton native to Asia and Africa

  • But use of indigenous cotton diminished during colonization 

  • After the 2001 earthquake, efforts to revive it began (a variety of American cotton was used until then, plus some local genetically modified varieties)

  • It is pest-resistant and rain-fed

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