ODIA POETRY JHULA · A STORY IN CLOTH
Some things carry
more than words.
A familiar book. An unfinished poem.
A little of home, wherever we go.
A cloth shoulder bag for books, notes and the small things we carry. Inspired by Odisha’s colours and craft traditions, made for readers, writers and everyday wanderers.
A LITTLE OF HOME
Some roads lead back
to a familiar voice.
Rain on the veranda. A book with softened corners.
Someone reading aloud in the next room.
ବିଶ୍ୱ ଦେଖ ମଧୁମୟରେ ଜୀବନ !Gangadhar Meher · Read the poem
A book beside the door.
Before the day grows busy, she takes down a book. Her name on the first page, written years ago. A pressed leaf, still keeping its place. Rain darkens the courtyard; a remembered line returns.
She slips the book into her Jhula.
A little of that morning goes with her.
Home, between two pages.
In another city, he waits for a bus, a book open in his hand. An Odia word rises from the page. For a moment there is the veranda again: wet earth, the clink of a teacup, someone calling him inside.
The road is unfamiliar.
The voice is home.
One more line before we go.
By evening, there is a table, two cups and time for one more poem. She reads; he listens. A memory becomes a story. Someone writes a line in the margin to keep it for morning.
The Jhulas rest beside their chairs.
There is always room for another story.
A book for the road.
A page for what returns.
A little of Odisha, close to the heart.
This is the Jhula we imagine: cloth that softens with use, a broad sling over the shoulder, room for a book and the beginnings of a poem. With a sari, a panjabi, or jeans and yesterday’s favourite tee—something familiar to carry into a new day.
Its borders take inspiration from Odisha’s weaving, painting and stitched-cloth traditions. We hope to bring readers, writers and local makers together, with paid work and proper credit for the people who make each piece possible.
THE POETRY KIT
One thread.
Six companions.
The same border finds another page.
The same colour keeps a pen company.
The proposed Poetry Kit brings together a Jhula, an A5 cloth notebook, a refillable pen, a bookmark, a pen sleeve and an Odia poetry book. The bag’s colour and border carry through its cloth companions.
Eighteen designs are shown with matching kit studies. The two Pattachitra variations show the bag and border only. The poetry book will be selected before production.
THE COLLECTION · 20 CHOICES
Find the one that feels like you.
Which one would you carry? Choose 1–5 stars on any design to show how likely you are to buy it. Your choices save automatically. You can also mark one favourite. Send any comments using the form below.
We are choosing designs to sample. These are concepts, with materials, fit and price still to be confirmed; choosing stars does not place an order.
01–12 · CLOTH & CRAFT · MATCHING KIT STUDIES
01 · Core collection
Poet’s Classic
For a familiar poem, and the next blank page.
Golden cloth and a red geometric border continue through the notebook, bookmark and pen sleeve.
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A soft rectangular body with a restrained horizontal border and matching sling. The original quiet favourite.
Cloth direction: Natural tussar direction
02 · Core collection
Khadi Classic
A quiet morning, folded into ivory.
Ivory cloth, golden facing and a charcoal-led border bring restraint to all three textile companions.
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An understated everyday combination: pale cloth, golden facing and a charcoal-led lower border.
Cloth direction: Khadi with tussar accents
03 · Core collection
Heritage Drape
An old rhythm, with room for a new voice.
Golden cloth and a dark patterned edge echo the draped Jhula across the notebook, bookmark and sleeve.
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The soft opening dips at the centre. Patterned side bands continue into the sling and frame the plain cloth.
Cloth direction: Tussar with patterned side bands
04 · Core collection
Earth Drape
The colour of earth, the light of home.
Ivory and warm gold meet a red edge; the notebook repeats the two-part cloth composition.
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A lower tussar panel, a subtle line of stitching and brick-red edging give this draped form its identity.
Cloth direction: Ivory khadi and golden tussar
05 · Core collection
Quiet Ink
A little silence. A line in red.
Pale cloth and charcoal framing carry one restrained red accent through the coordinated set.
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An asymmetric woven accent brings a small flash of colour to the flowing, dark-edged silhouette.
Cloth direction: Pale tussar and charcoal khadi
06 · Core collection
Madder Poet
For words that arrive with warmth.
A red notebook, golden accents and a narrow patterned edge answer the bag’s warm red body.
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A warm red body, golden facing and sling, and a narrow vertical accent. Madder describes the colour direction; the dye is not yet specified.
Cloth direction: Red khadi with tussar accents
07 · Puri
Coastal Appliqué
A flower at the edge of the sea.
Golden cloth, flower forms and a blue-wave accent travel onto the notebook, bookmark and sleeve.
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A Puri-district impression drawing on Pipili’s sewn-cloth tradition. The sea-coloured line is an original coastal accent; execution needs a local artisan sample.
Cloth direction: Tussar with proposed appliqué
08 · Katak
Silver Lines
Fine lines for thoughts worth keeping.
Charcoal cloth and pale floral linework shape the matching stationery; these are textile interpretations, not silverwork.
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Fine stitched linework interprets Katak’s Tarakasi vocabulary. It is a textile proposal, not silver filigree or a claim of metal content.
Cloth direction: Charcoal khadi, tussar and embroidery
09 · Western Odisha
Bandha
A woven rhythm, a page of your own.
An ivory ground with red, black and cream patterned accents connects the bag with its cloth companions.
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A first Sambalpur–Bargarh-focused study. A real yarn-dyed handloom panel and its weaver must be selected before making provenance claims.
Cloth direction: Ivory khadi with proposed Bandha cloth
10 · Puri
Painted Garden
Let a small garden travel with you.
Warm red cloth and a floral border bring the garden motif to the notebook, bookmark and sleeve.
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An original floral-border idea inspired by Raghurajpur’s Pattachitra tradition. Paint flexibility, colourfastness and the artisan’s design need sampling.
Cloth direction: Red khadi, tussar and a painted-panel concept
11 · Katak
Ivory Filigree
Light cloth. A thought spoken softly.
Ivory and grey linework create a gentle, coordinated set with quieter surfaces and a fine floral edge.
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A softer, pale counterpart to Silver Lines. Filigree-inspired threadwork sits across the lower edge; no actual silverwork is implied.
Cloth direction: Ivory khadi with proposed embroidery
12 · Western Odisha
Pasapali Edge
A bright rhythm for the road ahead.
Red cloth and a black-and-ivory checker direction frame the notebook and repeat in the bookmark and sleeve.
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A Sambalpur–Bargarh-focused impression with patterned side bands. Western Odisha has many traditions; this is one starting point, not a claim to represent them all.
Cloth direction: Khadi with proposed Bandha borders
13–18 · EVERYDAY COMPANIONS
A place for the things
you keep close.
Ivory and indigo, open tops and folded flaps. Six bag shapes and surface treatments, each shown with its matching Poetry Kit.
13 · Everyday companions
Khadi × Odisha Weave
Ivory cloth and a red patterned flap, with the same border carried along the sling and notebook.
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14 · Everyday companions
Library Jhula
A roomy ivory satchel with two wooden buttons, a bordered flap and an inner divider for books and notes.
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15 · Everyday companions
Indigo Poet
Deep indigo cloth with a red patterned edge. A quiet contrast, repeated across the matching set.
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16 · Everyday companions
Everyday Khadi
An upright ivory bag with a simple button closure, a patterned sling and a red band near the hem.
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17 · Everyday companions
Bordered Flap & Notebook
A softly rounded ivory flap, a wooden button and a red border shared with the cloth notebook.
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18 · Everyday companions
Minimal Line & Notebook
Fine vertical lines, dark dots and one red accent on ivory cloth. The notebook echoes the bag’s spare pattern.
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19–20 · PATTACHITRA BORDERS
A little garden.
A familiar shoulder.
The ivory flap bag and the golden Poet’s Classic share a floral border inspired by Pattachitra. Terracotta, ivory and dark outlines bring a garden to the hem, flap and sling. These two studies show the bags without matching kits.
19 · Pattachitra-inspired
Ivory Flap — Pattachitra
Ivory cloth, a softly rounded flap and a wooden button. Terracotta flowers and curling vines trace the flap edge and shoulder strap.
20 · Pattachitra-inspired
Poet’s Classic — Pattachitra
The familiar golden Poet’s Classic, with its open top and wooden-button closure. A flowering border runs near the hem and continues along the sling.
EVERYDAY POETIC ATTIRE
A sari. A kurta.
Whatever feels like you.
The same collection belongs to whoever chooses it. Soft cloth and a familiar book can find their place in an ordinary day.
A WORD FROM YOU
What would you
carry with you?
A favourite colour. A remembered border.
A little change that would make it yours.
Tell us what you would keep or change. This form sends your note and any comments you have written beside individual designs.
Materials, measurements and craft inspiration
These are contemporary design studies. Tussar, khadi, woven borders, embroidery and painted details describe proposed directions; fabrics and making techniques will be agreed with makers through sampling.
Puri directions draw on Pipili appliqué and Raghurajpur painting. Katak linework translates Tarakasi into proposed embroidery, not silver. Western Odisha studies start with Sambalpur–Bargarh weaving references and do not represent every regional tradition.
The sling target is 90 cm along the exposed strap between its top attachment points, not the vertical drop. Other illustrated dimensions are provisional. Bag-only and kit views are design interpretations; final shape, construction, colourfastness and comfort will be checked on physical samples. Maker partnerships, the poetry-book selection and prices remain to be agreed.
Craft background: Odisha Tourism · Sambalpur district profile.