DEATH OF BOOTI

Kiran Khan is a fibre artist, craft intervention expert, and academician (since 1996). Her work centers on craft sustainability, capacity building, and the power of the hand—believing craft can foster social change and hold therapeutic value. Through fibre-based critical inquiries, Khan explores materiality, language, and storytelling. She particularly draws from the Kashmiri boteh, echoing the history of Kashmiri shawls—symbols of love, dedication, and excellence (Ames, 2004). Her practice traces the booti’s journey through Mughal patronage, political upheavals, and its eventual decline with the rise of the Jacquard loom. In doing so, her work revives narratives of resilience, history, and cultural memory embedded in textiles.