Each thread has a story to tell…

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, our world has slowed down. With lesser humans on the streets & lesser industrial production, emissions have reduced. Dolphins & deer are being spotted in the cities, nature’s reclaiming its territory.
We started similar process few years back & stopped our encroachment in some spaces inside our farm. Couple of years down the line we are seeing newer forms and beings taking life, reclaiming the land, that we often overlook or never give space to exist without human interference.
We have already started building our relationships with these beautiful creatures & with these bands we hope that they connect with you too… 🙂

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Each thread has a story to tell… SB401: Amarbel (Cuscuta)

It is a type of vine that feeds off other host plants, therefore, is also known as a parasite vine. Though treated as a pest by humans in most of the places it’s found, it has some great uses in traditional medicine. Cuscuta plant is used for treating constipation, the liver, spleen diseases, diarrhoea, inflammation, etc.

Though its local name “Amarbel” means the immortal climber, now that it’s been labelled as an enemy by the human species, its prospects of remaining immortal seems to be hanging by a thread, literally…

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Each thread has a story to tell…SB402: Weed Flower

“One organism’s weed is another organism’s flower.” Like some human communities, weeds too have been at the receiving end of human hatred. Increasing weedicide use & the resultant eco-system collapses, diseases & deformities are some of the indicators of the extent of this hatred. But this hatred has made us forget that weeds have their own importance on this earth. Some organisms need them for food & medicine, while some need them for shelter while some landscapes depend on them to protect its topography by arresting soil erosion. Let’s work towards building a special bond with these species and move towards a hate-free eco-system as well as society.

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Each thread has a story to tell…SB403: Weed Flower

“One organism’s weed is another organism’s flower.” Like some human communities, weeds too have been at the receiving end of human hatred. Increasing weedicide use & the resultant eco-system collapses, diseases & deformities are some of the indicators of the extent of this hatred. But this hatred has made us forget that weeds have their own importance on this earth. Some organisms need them for food & medicine, while some need them for shelter while some landscapes depend on them to protect its topography by arresting soil erosion. Let’s work towards building a special bond with these species and move towards a hate-free eco-system as well as society.

SB403: Weed flower (Green)

Seeds: Spinach, Amaranthus, Purslane, Basil.
Design inspiration: Grasses growing, flowering & fruiting scattered throughout our farm.

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Each thread has a story to tell…SB451: Weed Flower

“One organism’s weed is another organism’s flower.” Like some human communities, weeds too have been at the receiving end of human hatred. Increasing weedicide use & the resultant eco-system collapses, diseases & deformities are some of the indicators of the extent of this hatred. But this hatred has made us forget that weeds have their own importance on this earth. Some organisms need them for food & medicine, while some need them for shelter while some landscapes depend on them to protect its topography by arresting soil erosion. Let’s work towards building a special bond with these species and move towards a hate-free eco-system as well as society.

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Each thread has a story to tell…SB452: Multi- layer

There is fairly enough evidence now to say that ecosystems are inherently multi-layered, symbiotic & mutualistic. This got further verified when we could see all the species cropping up in undisturbed spaces in our farm, doing so not in an individualistic manner, but in a multi-layered way. This is a big learning for us all as we are moving towards more mono-culturist approaches in terms of developmental, social & natural paradigms. This band is made from a similar multi- layered, symbiotic & mutualistic weave of threads that are individual bands but interconnected with a beauty that makes them whole.

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Each thread has a story to tell…SB453: Mutualism

There is fairly enough evidence now to say that ecosystems are inherently multi-layered, symbiotic & mutualistic. This got further verified when we could see all the species cropping up in undisturbed spaces in our farm, doing so not in an individualistic manner, but in a multi-layered way. This is a big learning for us all as we are moving towards more mono-culturist approaches in terms of developmental, social & natural paradigms. This band is made from a similar multi- layered, symbiotic & mutualistic weave of threads that are individual bands but interconnected with a beauty that makes them whole.

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Each thread has a story to tell… SB454 : Water

Evidence shows that first life on earth emerged in water. It was much before the first mammals were born, before the dinosaurs roamed the earth & even before oxygen became part of our atmosphere; yet not until water started forming on earth. Surely, water is not just for humans alone. It isn’t a property that anyone can own & consume at their whim. We dug a pond in our farm to arrest soil erosion & catch the overflowing rainfall. After consuming it all & drying it up before summer for the first couple of years to water our crops, last year we realised that it needs to be saved for other non-humans so that their summer becomes bearable. As a result, we could see many beings coming around the pond to make it their home or a pit stop. This fish is one such being that popped-up on its own as a pleasant surprise!

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Each thread has a story to tell…SB455 : Soil

Soil is by far the most biologically diverse part of earth. It takes the work of zillions of beetles, springtails, mites, worms, spiders, ants, nematodes, fungi, bacteria & other biological as well as non-biological factors for a period of 3000 years to create 1 cm of fertile soil. Yet it is one of the most under-rated & exploited part of our eco-system. Almost all human activities begin with destroying the soil microbiome; be it tillage for farming or construction work or mining. This band represents the live worms in the protected, tillage-free & sowing-free spaces of our farm. These beings are a constant reminder for us to gradually take the next step forward to move from a chemical- free farm to a tillage-free farm one day…

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Each thread has a story to tell…SB501 : Titeeri

These are ground birds found mainly in the Indian sub-continent. Though commonly found, its other relatives in the same genus, like the River Lapwing or the Sociable Lapwing, are already under threat. Traditionally in some cultures, nesting location for laying of eggs of Red-wattled lapwing are believed to be an indicator of rainfall pattern. Laying of eggs on high-ground or banks of streams or dry beds of streams are supposed to be forewarning of good, normal & delayed/low rainfall respectively. Acknowledging the reality of climate change, it’s more important than ever that we form alliances with such non-human beings to adapt to this reality.

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Each thread has a story to tell…SB506 : Camouflage

Dysdercus cingulatus, the cotton stainer, is infamous as a common farming pest attacking & leaving the cotton-boll with stains. Whole world is focussed on how to terminate it. But they, like any other insect, are a vital part of our ecosystem, playing an important role in the food chain.

A recent study suggests that 40% of all insect species are in decline & could die out in the coming decades. This band is made from cotton that grew in harmonious cohabitation with this bug. It clearly shows that the only stain that this cotton yarn is having is not that from this innocent Dysdercus, but rather the one inflicted by humans on whole eco-system.

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Each thread has a story to tell…SB506 : Camouflage

Love in a puff or the Balloon Vine (Cardiospermum halicacabum) can be found growing in wild or sometimes on the undisturbed borders of farms and houses. With food habits shifting to industrially grown farm produce, it’s disappearing not just from our food, but also from our memories and eco-system. If not for its multiple nutritive & health benefits, like anti-arthritic, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, etc., let’s conserve & spread it for the beauty & love it spreads with its heart- printed seeds that it carries in its puff. Open up the organic hand- woven cloth puff of this band to find this “love” inside.

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Each thread has a story to tell…SB506 : Camouflage

Butterflies have been roaming this earth since 53 million years before the first humans took their first steps. Yet, humans are today the biggest threat to their population. With rapid habitat loss due to human activities like urbanisation & industrialisation, use of pesticides & weedicides, pollution, many of butterfly species, which are highly essential to our planet, are on the verge of extinction today. Caring for our elders is a cultural aspect that we Indians boast of. Let’s walk the talk by protecting these beings who are 53 million years elder to us…

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Each thread has a story to tell…SB506 : Camouflage

There is fairly enough evidence now to say that ecosystems are inherently multi-layered, symbiotic & mutualistic. This got further verified when we could see all the species cropping up in undisturbed spaces in our farm, doing so not in an individualistic manner, but in a multi-layered way. This is a big learning for us all as we are moving towards more mono-culturist approaches in terms of developmental, social & natural paradigms. This band is made from a similar multi- layered, symbiotic & mutualistic weave of threads that are individual bands but interconnected with a beauty that makes them whole.

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Each thread has a story to tell…SB506 : Camouflage

Camouflage is the ability to disguise oneself in its surroundings. It’s generally known that many animals, reptiles & birds use this ability for their survival, but leaving some spaces to exist without human interference showed us that even plants use this strategy to blend in. For example, Bhos (Sorghum halepense) was found growing in our undisturbed, untilled post-harvest sorghum field. It looks identical to sorghum and many times escapes weeding. Despite having its own uses & benefits, it’s heavily sprayed with herbicides throughout the world resulting in some variants of this grass today becoming resistant to the common herbicide glyphosate in Argentina & the United States. This myopic self-centred world-view of humans makes us wonder whether today’s “development” is really progress or camouflaged- self-destruction…

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