A virtual introduction to our amazing team of artisans: Mixing Dye with Brilliant Banu.
Banu is our expert dye master, with three decades of skilled experience in mixing dyes. Before Banu joined our team in 1993, she was a homemaker from rural Tamil Nadu, with no education or textile experience.
She was trained by our founder Mrs Lakshmi, and proved to be an extremely quickly learner. If there was a degree in colour mixing, Banu would have a PhD! She is our go-to person for all operational and team management issues.
Banu’s husband is a lab manager at a local college. She is very proud of her college-educated sons, both of whom are working in corporate jobs. In her downtime, Banu loves to try new recipes, especially rice dishes.
She enjoys working on contemporary projects and techniques - while also trying new recipes, especially rice dishes.
She feels Tharangini is her extended family, and would love to see Tharangini grow and reach new markets. Especially since she enjoys working on contemporary projects and techniques. Banu also is the one who leads student workshops for design colleges. It would make her happy to see the next-generation of designers using artisan fabrics to enhance their collections.
As for challenges, certain dyes are very temperamental and sensitive to weather, especially during the Monsoon season. Hues of Grey and Beige are complex and takes many days to set a particular dye.
Banu wishes for Tharangini to celebrate its 100th anniversary in the future, as it has supported and allowed many families to thrive, including hers. There are rarely any conflicts among the team, and all of the artisans in Tharangini look up to Banu’s leadership and feel blessed to have her on the team.