I discovered the art of rafoo out of necessity when I moved to Mumbai at the age of 33. Some of my old shirts, ones that had kept me good company and become old friends, were fraying and needed salvaging. In fear of causing more damage with my needle, I decided to take them to the rafoogars of Byculla, where the experts could lend a skilled hand.
Right from my first encounter with a rafoogar, I knew this was an extremely fine technique. The thread of a fabric, in this case a moth-eaten cashmere shawl, was pulled and threaded onto a needle to darn with the same thread. The result is a finished job that makes the fix look like a part of the fabric. It doesn't feel alien, it just blends in.
For the shoot, I took out this old friend, and even so many years later it was still impossible to locate the rafoo. We had to hold it against the light to find the thread, like a beauty spot on a well-loved piece of cloth.
A typical rafoogar has cupboard-sized workshops lined up in a row. In these five-foot-wide and three-foot-deep boxes that are the size of a writing desk, men are at work throughout the day. When you see them engaging in their craft, they are in a meditative state, nothing and no one around can distract them. It's just synchronised hands, needles touching cloth, and the repetition of their craft at work.
This story is from the September 2022 edition of VOGUE India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 2022 edition of VOGUE India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Breathe In, Breathe Out
A powerful tool to help you master your nervous system or another biohacking buzzword? SIMONE DHONDY explores the inhalations and exhalations of breathwork
Red Pill, Blue Pill
India's nutraceutical industry is booming thanks to advanced technology, distrust of the medical system and rising vanity. With multivitamins becoming purer and more effective, NIDHI GUPTA finds out if supplements have become the new serum
Sign of the times
No longer do you need to have an answer to, \"What is the significance of this?\" when people point to your new tattoo. ARMAN KHAN discovers that everything is on the table when you get inked temporarily
Return to form
Watching the world's most elite athletes deliver the best performances of their careers rekindled SONAKSHI SHARMA's own love for sports
Dimple, All Day
YOU MAY HAVE WATCHED HER ON THE BIG SCREEN FOR OVER FIVE DECADES, BUT DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF ASSUMING THAT YOU KNOW DIMPLE KAPADIA.
MUSIC, TAKE CONTROL
As someone who had always sought safety in numbers, ALIZA FATMA often wondered what her own company would feel like. The answer arrived unexpectedly when she attended her first-ever music festival, one of the largest in the world, all alone
Let it grow
When we think of hardworking farmers toiling in India's scorching heat, we often think of men, the sweat on their brow, the sinews in their arms. JYOTI KUMARI speaks to four women who are championing the invisible female labour that keeps these fields running
YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE
When armless archer Sheetal Devi set her sights on the Paralympic Games this year, she knew she had a tough journey ahead of her. Luckily, her mother was with her every step of the way.
Beauty and the feast
The appeal of Indian weddings has always been in a sprawling spread. For additional bragging rights, Aditi Dugar recommends going beyond designer tablecloths and monogrammed napkins.
Sweet serendipity
From a scavenger hunt-inspired proposal to a Moroccan-themed baraat, Malvika Raj and Armaan Rai's love story prioritised playfulness throughout their blended celebrations.
