Originally reported and written in May 2023, this story has been republished as part of our archival content.

In a small hamlet in Karnataka’s Baichwad village, a group of women sit around a breathtaking quilt, working hard to design and sew patterns that are both vibrant and intricate. The art they etch is symbolic to their very identity, and nothing about them, or this quilt, is ordinary, says Anitha N, who has been closely associated with the Siddi community since 2015. 

The Siddi community, who live in parts of coastal Karnataka, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh, arrived on the subcontinent centuries ago. Brought here by the Arabs, Portuguese, and British — some for slavery, while some arrived as free people to take up occupations like merchants and sailors — they are descendants of East Africa’s Bantu community. 

Anitha, 50, says it was an interesting play of fate that led her to this community in 2015. The Bengaluru-born art historian recounts her journey to The Better India. 

‘The day I started my journey’

After completing her Master’s degree in Art History in 1999, Anitha found herself drawn to everything that fell under the ambit of heritage and culture. Wanting to delve in deeper, she began paying frequent visits to the Ninasam Theatre Institute in Karnataka’s Shimoga district, where a friend of hers was studying. 

“I would love going there and clicking pictures of the productions,” she shares. Anitha would spend the rest of her time exploring ethnic communities and their crafts to get a better understanding. 

Meanwhile, in 2015, her friend sent her an invitation to his wedding with a woman from the Siddi community, asking Anitha to come spend a few days in Analesara village to partake in the festivities. This became her introduction to their lives. 

“They got married in the forest, and our group of friends stayed here for three days. We celebrated outdoors and it was a fun experience,” she says, adding that this also helped her bond with her friend’s family, and with the community as a whole. 

“I would meet the family........

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