Gulab Bai

The virtue of work was born in Gulab Bai’s hands. Her slim fingers, like threads of zari, would always be seen in motion either building a maze of crochet with her much treasured needles or translating the geometric ideas in her head into different ‘mandana’ designs on the veranda. Naina Jain grew up in the adoring presence of Gulab Bai, and she had never seen her grandmother’s hands still or her feet tired. She was perpetually in a state of movement. She sheathed her body in light Kota Doria Sarees before the sun rays touched her skin. These cotton sarees woven with pure zari soon became recognised as Gulab Bai’s go to style. She diminished the idea of dressing for an occasion and replaced it with her signature fashion sense. She graced weddings and the celebrations of loved ones, wearing her simple Kota Doria drape and an aura so charismatic that it was hard to miss her. This deeply influenced her favourite granddaughter, Naina, who adapted beloved Gulab Bai’s aesthetic sense into her own love for textiles. On her engagement day, Naina Jain wore a striking, red kota doria sari, an epitome of the bond she shared with her grandmother.

Gulab Bai was a woman who lived through her craft and passed it on to her daughters and granddaughters like her proud heritage. Our range of Kota Doria Sarees is more than an ode to this lovely lady. Every weave that makes up this collection is a pure labour of the love that Naina feels for her grandmother, who unknowingly sowed the seeds of the textile craft in Naina Jain.