British textile historian Jenny Housego lays bare her idyllic childhood, aspirations and struggles in her recent e-book, A Woven Life, co-authored by journalist Maya Mirchandani. By Sakshi Sharma
My mission in life is not merely to survive,
but to thrive;
and to do so with some passion,
some compassion,
some humour,
and some style.
These lines by Maya Angelou pretty much sum up British textile historian, Jenny Housego’s recently released e-book, A Woven Life. Layered and candid, it is an ordinary memoir of Housego, who as a child in countryside England thought she would grow up to be a spy but life had other plans for her. Along with journalist, researcher and teacher, Maya Mirchandani, she lays bare her idyllic childhood in the aftermath of the second World War; her aspirations of being in the arts and then as a researcher at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
“Life unfolds in mysterious ways. In the course of one of my earliest jobs at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, I was transferred to the textile department even though I had been interested in ceramics and pottery. I had no interest in textiles since I was a student of Christian art. Today, I realise that this was not just a godsend opportunity, but also perhaps destiny showing me the way. As I walked through the museum’s textile galleries, I was transported to lands and cultures I knew nothing of. I had wanted adventure. I wanted to travel and see the world, and suddenly I had found a doorway to lead me to it all,” she quotes in her book.
Brought to the world of Asian textiles, art and museums, she has over the last five decades travelled across Asia to document traditional, local, and nomadic weaving and handcrafted textiles. She says that her life is an exciting story and she enjoyed it thoroughly with its own ups and downs. Perhaps, the reason why Housego wanted to tell it to the world! “I lived in many different countries and each place has had a profound impact on me. The people I met and the places I travelled to gave me rich experiences to share,” adds she.
The book also talks about her struggles of falling in and out of love, a broken marriage and parenting.
How does it feel to lay yourself bare in front of people you didn’t even know or maybe more so, those who supposedly knew you? Well, Housego promptly answers, “I felt anxious.” She goes on to add a few more points but her British accent makes it tough for me to understand what she is saying over the call. Her friend, Asaf, intervenes and smoothens the semantics. But he makes sure that he apprises me of the fact that Housego had suffered a stroke long back. But she is a survivor. “A stroke might have inhibited my movement but certainly not my spirit! However, my memory, sometimes, is not what it used to be, and so in order to fill in some gaps, I relied on a host of my family and friends to piece some of my life together,” she interjects and makes her point, though, gently.
Recently, in an interview, Maya said that Housego’s anxiety about what the world might think of her when the story is out makes her real and so relatable. “Yes, I feel Housego is a truly remarkable woman. Resilient and reticent at the same time. Vulnerable, yet incredibly brave. She is witty, extremely talented and prioritises family and personal relationships. Her personality is one that seeks both unity and perfection and she has to struggle especially after her stroke and a turbulent personal journey to reconcile all these various pulls and pressures. To tell one’s own story, to write a memoir and yet keep that delicate balance of relationships intact even as she dissects them in her words was what made me say that,” says Maya.
She had her own set of interests while co-authoring the biography. Maya goes on to add that she came to help Housego put her thoughts to pen and paper, help her distill what she felt would appeal to a general reader, and what would be a valuable contribution to the understanding of the Indian textile journey. She says, “It was interesting that so many people behind some of our great textile brands have been foreigners/expats... so it was curiosity more than anything about what brought them here, what attracted them to our textile tradition and how they found a language to communicate with our craftspeople. Art is universal and people like Housego are living proof of that.”
As someone who has reported from Kashmir and been a student of the history of Iran and Afghanistan too, Maya was fascinated by her journey. Housego was witness to some landmark moments in history — the extravagant dinner in Persepolis for example, that turned much of Iran against the Shah. “In Kashmir, I found it remarkable that a woman shook off fear, even foreboding and went back to work when her son was kidnapped by militants in 1994 at the height of the insurgency... so naturally, it was an appealing story. The opportunity to weave political history with a textile journey was compelling,” says Maya.
Housego had a strong connect with Kashmir. The author of Tribal Rugs: An Introduction to the Weaving of the Tribes of Iran, and of Bridal Durries of India, says that she finds watching the craftsmen and women in Kashmir adopt her enthusiasm and give their ideas thrilling. She quotes in her book, “It is in Kashmir that the threads of fabric I first encountered at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London came together in majestic weaves and embroideries, allowing me to revive, create and innovate.”
During her over three decades in India, Housego has worked with weavers and embroiderers to forge new ways of combining traditional craftsmanship with contemporary designs. Co-founder of Shades of India and Kashmir loom, Housego feels that cloth has its own way of telling stories. It has always fascinated her. “Each thread carries a history. Each shade of each colour evokes a different emotion. And together, each type of fabric — cotton or muslin, silk or satin, organza or lace, and especially wool — opens up different worlds of mystery, spirituality, livelihood and wanderlust,” she says. However, when asked about her challenges as a businesswoman, she laughs and says, “I am not good with expression. I can only count my fingers. How can I be a businesswoman?”
One wonders what does the future of the written word look like since we are swamped by digital entertainment, especially in these trying times? We are even devoid of the pleasure of walking into a bookstore and scanning hundreds of books lining the shelves. Well, Housego has a tendency to find a silver lining in situations. She says that they are still going to be read because there are a lot of things you cannot watch. Personally, she feels, in India people read a lot of books. However, contrary to her, Maya says, “The written word has also gone digital. After all, A Woven Life, was first released as an e-book due to the lockdown. Moreover, broadly, irrespective of formats as long as there is a good story to be told or written, there will always be someone to read it.”
She shares that her growing up years influenced her writing as she read many books. When asked to recall a few, she names War and peace (Leo Tolstoy) followed by a laugh as she couldn’t remember more.
However, she recalls various authors she loves to read, namely, Julian Barnes, Vikram Seth, Amitav Ghosh, Pankaj Mishra, Jounalist Karan Thapar, VS Naipaul and many other Indian authors. Though she isn’t able to recall any of their books, she says, “I love Indian authors.”
When you ask a woman, who has seen decades, some anecdotes from her chequered life, you expect many to come through as Housego has already written a book on some of them. But to the contrary, I could sense her trying hard to recall one. She says, “There are many. I can’t recall one. I love going around and visiting textile monuments.” A historian by profession, Housego lists some of her favourites — Orchha and Sanchi Stupa in Madhya Pradesh, and Hampi in Karnataka and many others.
“I love going around India and I love mountains. I also love going to Kashmir or watching anything being woven beautifully, for I know it is a gift which is given to only a few,” says she.
(The book will be published by Roli Books.)
Photo: Elle magazine
