SUNROOM TRAVELS: An Homage to India with Anaak
In the name of looking forward to trips ahead, we asked one of our biggest sources of travel inspiration — Marissa Maximo, founder of Sunroom favorite ANAAK — to share a bit more about one of her most beloved places. Below, a travelogue in homage to India, where she has been visiting for over 20 years.
"A special place to me is India. I have been traveling there for over 20 years and lived months at a time in my own little apartment on the outskirts of Delhi. Each time I travel there, it somehow always feels like the first. It is a place wildly unique from the north to south, the east to the west. There is no other place like it and miss it very much since I have been unable to travel this past year..."
"I have chosen a few of my most favorite places to highlight..."
"I have chosen a few of my most favorite places to highlight..."
"Rajasthan is located on the northwestern side of India. Rajasthan literally means “The Land of Kings.” Prior to the British colonization and era of Maharajas, kings and royal families brought artisans of all skills from painting, wood carving, marble works, textiles to jewelry to the area. Since then, it has remained an area rich of the most traditional crafts in one area."
Jaipur
"Jaipur is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is known as the Pink City. The Maharaj Sawai Ram Singh had the city painted in terra cotta pink in 1876 to welcome and impress Prince Albert during his visit to India."
Tikam Chand
"Using his grandfather’s 150-year-plus Zeiss camera, Tikam will take your photograph and develop it on the pavement as he has done for a lifetime.
Outside of shop 120, Hawa Mahal Rd. Tikam. Mobile: 98280 72800. Open daily 1pm-5pm."
Anokhi Museum, Store and Cafe
Anokhi Museum, Store and Cafe
"Being a huge textile lover, the Anokhi Museum is by far my favorite place in Jaipur. Anokhi are the founding fathers of the modern block-printing industry in Jaipur and this is their flagship store, museum, and kiosk. There is an incredible archive and exhibition on the history of block-printing, as well as demonstrations with an artisan carving a woodblock and another printing a small swatch of fabric for you to take as a souvenir! It is also a lovely place for lunch outside in front of museum."
"Every nook and cranny of India is inspiring to me – the colors, textures, smell, people, traditions, and colors – and backdrop for most all of Anaaks’ collections."
Bagru
"One hour’s drive outside Jaipur, it is a well worth drive to leave the tourist area of Jaipur to a small village called Bagru. It is a block-printing village. You can simply walk the narrow winding dirt roads and see block-printing, carving, printing, indigo dyeing, and fabric drying wherever there is open space. Even the homes or beautifully decorated in the most modest ways."
