Her clothes do not conform to a season. Neither do they conform to usual ideas of gender. Or for that matter to the idea of the material.

Sanjukta makes clothes, including saris, mainly out of gamchha. They stand out as much for their vibrant colours as for their versatility. They can be worn in many ways – and anyone can wear them. Women as well as men. Even the saris.

“Since some time I have been working on the gender non-conformity for the stitched garment, sari, dhoti, lungi, as well as other clothes,” says Sanjukta.

“I think after women started wearing pants, trousers, or ‘men’s clothing’, it was only a matter of time for people to get used to see them in those clothes. And now pants are not considered ‘cross dressing’ or even androgynous. Then why does a piece of fabric without stitches or structure have a gender stamp on it? Or why can’t a dress or skirt appear in a man’s wardrobe?” she asks.

She thinks the West is to blame for this too.

“The differentiation in clothing comes from the West. Asia, Japan, the Middle East or India, or Africa, did not have this gender differentiation in its traditions. The men also wore make-up, jewellery,” says Sanjukta.

The gender, she says, is notin the sari, but in how one looks at it.

She wants the traditional gamchha, the beautiful, complex handloom textile made in Bengal, Orissa, Assam and other places in India, and used primarily as a “body-wipe”, to be saved from competition with mill-made products. Other than gamchha, Sanjukta uses lungi and khadi to make her clothes.

Another word of caution from her: “Do not be afraid of colours.”