54,270 Stitches | 350 Hours

His arid eyes probe
The blistering desert sand
Seeking a dewy oasis
In swathes of wasted land

Wicked illusions galore
Dusty Devils spin,
Glistening beads of sweat
Sting a hungry splintered skin

Sadistic desert seas
Unabated in their slaughter
Throw morsels of hope
A mirage thirsts water

Inspired by the cultural heritage of India’s western belt, BANJARA is the latest addition to Puja Bhakoo’s ‘Courting the Thar’ line of handcrafted tapestries.

Year of Creation: 2018

Medium: Petit Point/Needle Point Embroidery

Size: 22.5”x31”

Materials used: 4 ply woollen yarn/single mesh canvas/hand-embroidery needle

Source of Inspiration: A photograph of an unidentified Rajasthani man on the Internet

Note: No graph or stencil has been used in the creation of this tapestry