My friend Archana, from Ahmedabad in Gujarat, and I went on this tour together.   We are both very interested in traditional Indian textiles but she is an expert, who has worked in the field all her life, including writing an acclaimed book called “Shifting Sands” on the textiles of Kutch.  She is now doing research into traditional yarn production, natural dyeing and hand loom weaving for another book by travelling to different parts of India where these traditions still exist.  She met Anna-Louise, another expert on Indian textiles, especially those of Assam and Meghalaya, North East India, at a conference in Calcutta in late 2017. Anna-Louise was not only an expert in the textile field and the region, with excellent contacts, but also demonstrated flexibility, skill and patience in the complicated process of designing and agreeing an itinerary with us that suited our wants and needs.  It was clear that Champak and Anna Louise had been working very closely together behind the scenes in organising and finalising our itinerary. The tour itself from beginning to end in every detail could not have been better managed.   Champak was driver, guide and organiser..   He was always one step ahead, anticipating our every need and dealing with any unexpected logistic problems so that we were hardly even aware that there was a problem.   Caring is something that comes naturally to Champak.  

Sue Mace & Archana Shah (January 2018)