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My Adventures ~ SERRAHNA to be a Queen
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Andrea Serrahn block printing India
August 29, 2020
Adventures Culture Fashion India SERRAHNA Travel

Block Printing

BLOCK PRINTING One of my projects involved block printing in India’s Bhuj desert region. I designed a trilogy of repeatable patterns, quite abstract and geometric, and found an elderly block carver (see picture to left) who was reputed to be the best in the region. This craftsman, who was in his 80s, carved my designs into mango wood so it would endure for years and sent me on my way to meet the printers. I...

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by Andrea Serrahn

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andrea@serrahna.com
5303 College Ave. Oakland, CA 94618

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Eternal Friendships

Andrea Serrahn and RanjuSolo Traveler

Traveling to India as a lone long blonde haired female has its challenges. I found that out early on during my first trip in 1990. I got too much unwanted attention, from the wrong kinds of people. Meeting other female travelers was what I was looking for; we are stronger and can find safety in numbers. Meeting a woman in India who owned her small textile boutique was ideal on many levels.

A Desert Oasis

Out in the far western reaches of India, where the ocean meets the desert meets Pakistan is a small town called Bhuj. It’s quaint village atmosphere with winding back alley ways lured me in year after year. It was there that I met my friend Ranju. An unmarried, educated textile junkie like myself, she ran her own boutique stocked chock a block with lovely regional artisan fabrics. She was the most hospitable woman I’ve ever met; always inviting me in for tea. Folks from around the world would flock to her shop, and we all hung out and became friends. When I lived in Bhuj during my year long Fulbright Scholarship, I shared lunch with Ranju every day. We traveled together, shared giggles, stories, passions for fashions rendered from such cloth.

Andrea Serrahn and Ranju End of an Era

After the devastating earthquake of 2001, I helped her by painting a sign on her entry way to attract customers. She was the only shopkeeper, women owned and operated. How rare to find an unmarried shopkeeper such as her, and all the visitors to Bhuj should know this woman, I felt. I considered her a good friend, always my Rock of Gibraltar. Sadly Ranju passed away some years ago. My trips will never be the same without my dear friend Ranju.