Indian textile artist
Lalita Vakil is an Indian embroidery artist known for her contributions to the preservation and promotion of Chamba Rumal, a traditional form of handkerchief embroidery from Chamba district in Himachal Pradesh.
Vakil has been awarded Padma Shri in 2022 by the Government of India for her contributions in the field of arts.[1] She was also awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2018.[2]
Life
Vakil was married at the age of fifteen. It was her father-in-law who recognized her talent in creating designs for Chamba Rumal. He motivated her further to train local girls and women in this craft.[3]
Career
Since the past fifty years, Vakil has been working for the promotion and preservation of Chamba Rumal.[4] She has traveled extensively in India and abroad to exhibit her works and conduct workshops for this form of traditional embroidery.[2]
Vakil has often experimented with the designs of the Chamba Rumal. She was the first woman to introduce silk in the embroidery to create larger pieces of the handkerchief.[3] Moreover, she has also developed designs for saris, shawls, dupattas and stoles along with creation of multi-panel sets.[5]
