Sarong to Sari: 100 Years of Tagore’s Batik Legacy
January 21, 2027 - March 31, 2027
A 100-Year Celebration: Proposal for 2027
A century after Rabindranath Tagore’s pivotal encounter with Indonesian culture, Weavers Studio Resource Centre presents a timely opportunity to revitalise his vision of collaborative ties across South and Southeast Asia. More than a historical reflection, this centenary will provide a platform to reimagine cultural cooperation for our contemporary world. At the heart of our proposed commemorative programmes lies the batik technique, which, after its introduction to Santiniketan from Java in 1927, evolved into a distinctive Bengali textile tradition.
Today, batik remains perhaps the most tangible and enduring expression of Tagore’s Pan-Asian cultural exchange vision. These programmes will bring together batik practitioners from across the region, while simultaneously reintroducing wider audiences to Tagore’s belief in art and cultural participation as a vehicle for meaningful dialogue between diverse communities.
The initiative envisions participation from batik artists from West Bengal and Indonesia as its cornerstone. This core group would be enriched by practitioners from other areas where vibrant batik traditions also flourish.
The cultural exchange would be further enhanced by performances from Central Javanese dancers, whose art form captivated Tagore a century ago. This multidisciplinary approach honours the comprehensive nature of Tagore’s original vision, where various art forms collectively create bridges of understanding.
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It gives us great pleasure to invite you to the inaugural events of Sarong to Sari, a cultural exchange celebrating a century of artistic and educational connections between India and Indonesia through the shared language of batik.
The project brings together an exhibition of historic and contemporary textiles from Santiniketan and Indonesia, alongside conversations, demonstrations and encounters with artists, scholars, designers and practitioners from both traditions.
The inaugural evening will be held on 21 January 2027 at Kolkata Centre for Creativity, and will include the opening of the exhibition, the launch of the accompanying catalogue, and an evening of performance and cultural presentations.
The programme will continue through March with an engaging series of exhibitions, talks, films, music, theatre, dance, fashion presentations, artist demonstrations and guided walkthroughs.
A key part of the programme is the two-day international symposium: Batik as Form, Performance, and Asian Consciousness. Held on 22nd and 23rd January 2027, it will bring together scholars, artists, musicians, textile practitioners, designers and performers for two days of conversations and cultural exchange.
To know more and reserve your seat, please visit: https://www.
Please find attached the Save the Date and the detailed inaugural itinerary for your reference.
We look forward to welcoming you to Sarong to Sari and to sharing this special India–Indonesia cultural journey with you.
Warmly,
Darshan Mekani Shah
Founder Trustee
Weavers Studio Resource Centre (WSRC)
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Weavers Studio Resource Centre – Weaving Past into Present
Weavers Studio Resource Centre is a not-for-profit Trust that fosters appreciation for the arts, supports master craft persons, and creates a textile knowledge bank for future generations. Established in 2007, for almost two decades, we have been unravelling textile traditions, preserving academia, and weaving it into contemporary understanding. WSRC documents lost textile traditions, focusing on techniques, designs, and aesthetics. We have recorded multiple old designs from Santipur (1920-1970), Fulia (erstwhile Tangail) and more and traced weaver migrations post-Bengal partition. Our archive houses 1,500+ rare textiles from India, Southeast Asia, Japan and Africa with a 2500+ volume library on textile heritage.
