Desi Oon Festival: A Celebration of Wool, Crafts and Communities

The Desi Oon Festival – Fibre of our Past and Future, dedicated to India’s rich woolen heritage, returns for its 5th edition, promising an immersive experience into the world of Desi Oon. Scheduled to take place from 7th December to 11th December 2023, at the Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi, the festival is set to celebrate the crafts and communities associated with Desi Oon fibre and the diverse breeds nurtured by mobile livestock herding communities across India.

The Desi Oon Festival is an initiative of the Desi Oon Hub, facilitated by the Centre for Pastoralism (CfP). It is a collaborative effort involving organizations from pastoral landscapes across the country. These organizations work closely with shepherds, knitters, felters, spinners, and weavers to integrate indigenous wool into our lives, homes, and wardrobes.

The Desi Oon Festival will feature a captivating array of installations, workshops, and demonstrations showcasing the artistry of wool. Additionally, a curated selection of woolen products produced by a network of 20 partner organizations within the Desi Oon Hub will be available for purchase.

An informative section called Pastoral Voice will offer a unique insight into the adaptive strategies, traditional knowledge systems, and the challenges faced by pastoralists in today’s rapidly changing times. An Industry Innovation and R&D section will showcase groundbreaking applications of indigenous wool, including its use as thermal insulation material in buildings, sound insulation, packaging, and grow bags. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore proof-of-concepts and prototypes that are currently in various stages of development. An artistic installation and interactive space will help the visitors to directly experience the remarkable properties of India’s sheep wool.

The central theme of this year’s festival is “Waking up to the Wealth in Wool”, which underscores the importance of recognizing the inherent value present in wool. A dedicated section of the festival will shine a spotlight on Desi Oon Hub members who are at the forefront of innovating, reviving, or building systems inspired by and in collaboration with the wool culture communities across India.

About Desi Oon Hub
Desi Oon Hub is a collaborative of organizations from across the country’s pastoral landscapes that work with shepherds, knitters, felters, spinners, and weavers to bring indigenous wool into our lives, homes, and wardrobes. The Hub is growing as a space for action, research, experimentation, and learning, and for educating the public about the richness of the fibre through promotional campaigns and events. Together, an energetic group of civil society organizations, research institutions, rural communities, government agencies, technologists, entrepreneurs, designers, and interested citizens are building a nourishing ecosystem for Desi Oon-Hamara Apna.  The Hub is facilitated by the Centre for Pastoralism (CfP). As part of a range of initiatives on pastoralism, CfP has been working on wool-based livelihoods since 2018 and has been partnering with noted grassroots organizations that engage with local wool economies across pastoralist geographies.