tags:: #India #author #textiles --- LOKesh Ghai is an Indian textile artist who has exhibited internationally, researcher, and academician in the study of craft. Presently, he is in the Himalayan foothills where he is a professor in the Design Institute of UPES University in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. He considers craft is intrinsic to daily life in India. Shops selling khadi or cotton cloth, cobblers, and sellers of garlands, and other offerings are found on every street. His mother is an inspiration with her embroidery and mending and her sari collection that includes cloth from all over India. Inspirational books include *Threads of Identity* by Judy Frater and the novel *The Namesake* by Jhumpa Lahiri. Both books dwell on identity. The first publication is ethnographic, but it does not attempt to categorize textiles that many publications try to do. LOkesh spent many years in Gujarat conducting research and collaborating with crafts makers. The novel is about finding one’s identity as a second-generation immigrant. What does the protagonist make of himself in a new place? LOkesh is currently contributing to a book on chintz, which will allow for an Indian perspective on this subject. He stays busy teaching and preparing for the next craft storytelling event for [Garland magazine](https://garlandmag.com).