Join Jan Duclos, a French national who has lived most of his life in India, and Laxmi Duclos, a member of the Banjara community and traditional embroiderer, as they guide us through an exhibition of Banjara embroidery.

Jan and Laxmi together run the Surya’s Lambhani Women Welfare Trust (Surya’s Garden) in Hampi, India. It is one of the most vital co-operatives working with Banjara embroidery today. The group works with local craftspeople to preserve traditional needlework skills and designs.

Well known for bold colours and a forceful design sense, the Banjara (sometimes called Lambhani or Lambada) are thought to be descended from the Roma who migrated through the mountains of Afghanistan and settled in the deserts of Rajasthan.

Since the 14th century, the Banjaras have gradually traveled down to the south. They worked for the Moghuls transporting provisions and trading goods, traveling with large herds of thousands of bullocks and carts, buying and selling sugar, salt, grain, and perfumes. Their habit of living in isolated groups away from others, which was a characteristic of their nomadic days, still persists.