07
Anyone who thinks of Ganesh thinks of
patience, kindness, unconditional help and
sharing, deep knowledge of weaving and a
capacity for supporting anyone who came to
him in need.
Ganesh himself was probably often in need,
as a young child. He was one of five brothers
and four sisters born to a quiet man who
herded goats for a living and a woman so tiny
you could pick her up with one arm. That
woman, daughter of a very humble goldsmith,
produced nine children and six of them are
expert handloom weavers.
She herself was not born to weaving at all. But
she learnt the secrets of the loom to provide
for her family and to give them a source of
income. My association with Ganesh and his
mother began on a hot day in 1979. They
were both due to visit the
lingarchan
(the place
of worship for Hindus) of the Ahilya Fort in
Maheshwar, where we intended to clear some
space and install twelve new looms. These
looms were to be funded by the All India
Women’s Association, then headed by
Leela Mulgaonkar.
Ganesh and his mother were late and just as
we prepared to leave, they appeared. They
made their way carefully amongst the dust and
tangled vines which filled the long abandoned
space that was to become, and still is, the
REHWA Society.
