Tavaru - meaning ‘maternal home’ in Kannada - is where our story begins. Hailing from north Karnataka, founder and textile designer Geeta Patil was drawn to the honesty and depth of the little-known and fading 'Khowdi’ | ಖೌದಿ hand-quilting tradition once found in homes across the region.
Traditionally practiced by women to transform old fabrics into family quilts, for generations ‘Khowdi' was simply an everyday object, crafted by skilled women to serve a function. Made to be used, and not displayed or sold, its function was its focus, and in that, its artistry was overlooked.
But what was never seen as 'craft' in the traditional sense, was, in truth, a profound expression of skill, care, and tradition.
In its vibrant aesthetic and the intent — each piece held its maker’s story, stitched by women who, with limited means, created something lasting and meaningful with their hands.
Feeling compelled to shift the gaze — Geeta desired to restore honour to the invisible women artisans and their skill that had long been overlooked.
Tavaru is her vision to reframe the functional as beautiful, and to bring the Khowdi tradition — along with the women who sustain it — into a new light. It is her way of honouring their lineage: reviving a fading tradition not just as nostalgia, but as living craft — one that carries the past forward, reimagined for the future.
Beyond the brand — Tavaru is a collective space where women gather, as they have for generations, to share their craft and their stories. A space that offers them a way beyond the constraints of society and daily life, sharing inherited skills and lived experiences into a hand-stitched tapestry of tradition.
For Geeta, Tavaru is both a place and a philosophy.
True to its name, it is her way of extending the warmth and comfort of a maternal home to each woman artisan — and of sharing the heart and soul of their craft with the world.
GEETA PATIL
A graduate in Visual Arts from CAVA, Mysore, and a textile design post-graduate from NID, Ahmedabad, Geeta brings a deep, lifelong passion for Indian craft and its cultural roots. Her journey has been shaped by a deep reverence for the handmade and its place in everyday life.
Her work bridges revival and contemporary expression — always with the intent to honour craft, empower artisans, and create meaning through design. Recognised by craft pioneer Sally Holkar as “the future of craft," she has collaborated with leading organisations working with artisans at the grassroot level.
As a quiet continuation of her path and a journey back to her roots as she calls it, her initiatives Tavaru and Kubsa Handcrafted breathe new life into the traditional crafts and textiles of north Karnataka while supporting the communities behind them.
Rooted in cultural memory and her lived experience, reflecting both her refined aesthetic and a clear purpose: to create lasting impact for the artisan communities her work carries the story of her craft and the people who keep it alive.