aakhri padhaav

The Design Story

aakhri padhaav

Aakhri Padhaav
This rug is a lucky Manchaha for our weavers, Somnath and Jivan, who created it in Central Ajmer Jail. This is their "bail out" rug, as completing it coincided with receiving their bail orders—the news that every inmate eagerly awaits each day. Somnath’s journey has been challenging, but he attributes his resilience to weaving. He spent seven years in jail, dedicating two of those years to weaving Manchahas. Before being transferred to Ajmer Jail, he worked in the food preparation department (langar) at a different facility. Once at Ajmer, he yearned for something new and was drawn to carpet making in the jail workshop. This was his first time ever interacting with weaving, and for 21 continuous months, he poured his heart into it. During his time in the workshop, Somnath became friends with Jivan, and they chose each other as weaving partners. Together, they worked on all their carpets until the final rug which they named, “Aakhri Padhaav” (The Last Level). Somnath grew emotional as he spoke about his last creation, stating, “The loom made living in jail less painful.” This particular rug is special because it was created by the duo after a creative design workshop led by the Manchaha team in jail. Participants were tasked with making collages using different patchwork designs. Somnath crafted a beautiful crisscross composition and decided to recreate it on his Manchaha alongside Jivan. They designed four different sides for the rug: east, west, north, and south. The friends fully invested themselves into this project, carefully planning each pattern to create a beautiful piece. After completing this rug, both Somnath and Jivan received their bail orders a few months apart. They cleared their final stages in jail and are now ready to embark on new lives. Somnath plans to return to driving vehicles, while Jivan will go back to his hometown of Bhopal. They poured their hearts into this work and hope to carry their passion forward if life gives them another chance, perhaps unlocking a new level in the game of life.

Somnath