As you hold any fabric that has been crafted by artisans across India, gaze at the motifs printed on it. There is a story behind each one of them. While one legend says that a bamboo pen ‘kalam’ was used to come up with the chintz motif pattern, another tells of how the paisley print came into being as people observed the swaying branches of the kairi tree.

The narrative thread that you are about to read is woven of such legacies that exist behind some popular motifs.

If you have ever had a chance to stroll through the markets of France’s Provence, you would have seen a fabric print that dominates the rest. Inspired by nature, these prints go by the name les indiennes, which in English translates to ‘the Indians’.

Legend has it that the Armenians started importing the fabric from India to Marseille and soon the then King Louis XIV took a........

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