Susmita Yadav
India
Jhini Jhini Bini Chadariya II, 2022
Embroidery and drawing on cotton

Jhini Jhini Bini Chadariya II is an excerpt from Dak (calling) conceptualized and curated by Baishali Ghosh. The project was photographed and archived by Amit Viswakarma and Rituparna Roy. Susmita Yadav’s series of jhini jhini bini chadariya (quilting of the intimate stories, based on a 15th-century poem of Kabir) weaves the Bhojpuri women’s tales connected with the sound of cooking, and washing utensils, giggles, and grieving. In her work, she recreates the kadhai-bunai process to recall her experience of growing up with women family members such as mai-mausi-didi-chachi-dadi (mother, sister, aunt, and grandma). The window corners in her work indicate their sharing, belonging, and knowing through gossip. The windows in her work are access to their networking and chit-chat.