Every
time an old man dies it is as if a library has burnt down –
An African saying
Noor Mohammed Haji Ahmed Gamthiwala or simply Ahmed bhai as he was popularly known was
a gifted connoisseur of craft traditions, a creative and successful businessman
with a compassionate camaraderie with printers, dyers and weavers whose
creations he sold to the world. Having known him as an encyclopedic repository of
knowledge and insights on textile traditions of Gujarat and their makers, the
news of his having succumbed to a cardiac arrest was bone chilling and sent
shivers down my body. For some moments did not quite know how to face up to
this morning trepidation aggravated with numbing thoughts of having lost the
company of a radiant presence that had profoundly influenced the manner in
which one understood, shopped, talked, wrote about handicraft traditions and
products. And, more significantly, how one worked with craftspeople for their
dignity and improved quality of life. 
To
recuperate from the terrible news of his sudden demise, mind plunged in desperation
to reach out to the recesses of memory about several meetings with him over all
these years. The imposing gates of Teen Darwaja continue to serve as an entry to
the crowded market complex and street shops of the old city of Ahemdabad. What
is striking about the hustle and bustle of these busy market roads, where men and
women children from different communities jostle with each other, is their
ability to woo you with fragrances of past periods particularly of the colonial
times when the market place grew and the older medieval times when the grand
monuments, that give the space its soulful reverberation were made. 
From
exquisite tessellations of
Persian motifs on stone jalis which illumine the walls of this medieval monument
of Ahmed Shah’s tomb emerges Ahmed bhai with his characteristic smile and
warmth greeting you into the tiny shop called Gamthiwala. Who could imagine
that this tiny shop tucked away in one corner of the gate of the Badshah ka
Hajira Complex would be a ‘happening traditional textile point’, the mecca of lovers
and buyers of traditional textiles. Gamthiwala shop can be barely seen as it is
the last among the row of tiny glittering shops lined on both sides of the street
that lead to the Badshah ka Hajira built in 1440 A.D. Grand monument of
the fifteenth century famous Gujarat style of Indo Islamic architecture is the
resting place of the founder of Ahmedabad, Sultan Ahmedshah and his sons. The lit
of shehnai and nagara from the naubat khana on the parapet
above the gates of the complex transports
one many centuries back in time. Indeed this music was ordained by no less than
Badshah Ahmed Shah himself to punctuate the passage of time. The family of Amir
Sheikh and Sheru Sheikh has been playing this music for over six centuries at
the tomb of Badshah ka Hazira.
Ahmed bhai had amazing story telling abilities and could engross you for hours with his thick descriptions of crafts and their makers, a wide repertoire ranging from queer anecdotes, tales of creativity and improvisation to empathetic reflections on lives of craftspeople and their traditions. “Ilm roshni hai (knowledge is light) as he often used to say and would go on to unroll yardage of different textiles, colours and patterns and with his beaming face and intimate poignant style begin expounding on mashru weaving, block printing traditions, resist printing and mordant dyeing techniques of Kutch.
.bmp)
His
aesthetics flowered in companionship of block printers of Jamalpur and Pithapur,
bandhani, ajrak printers from Ajrakpur, Dhamaka, Bhuj in Kutch and mashru
weavers from Patan and was further honed by a keen study of the changing tastes
and preferences of the market that grew around handicrafts not only in Gujarat
but even in other parts of India. .bmp)
“Mujhme
seekhne ki talab thi, baat shauk ki hai” (I had the keenness to learn, it is all a matter of interest) as he once said at the end of a long conversation, tells you about this man who has left his firm imprint on the textures and patterns of vibrant textiles of Gujarat.Ahmed bhai’s life long engagement with hand crafted textiles was a rich journey of creative entrepreneurship contributing to the famous handicraft market of Gujarat, of passionate zeal to contribute to knowledge generation about crafts and design. And a robust reminder of the rich contribution of musilms in in contributing to sustaining diverse textile traditions of Gujarat.
Photo Credits and References:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/shweta_w/4514664672/
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/undying-love-for-music-in-their-veins/1/179297.html
Ahmedbhai Gamthiwala: Sustaining Marvels of Textile Traditions through creative entrepreneurship, Swasti Singh Ghai, Dsigned, NID, Ahmedabad, 2009
