Reviving India’s extinct cotton strains, grassroots models reshaping future

India once nurtured phuti karpas, a native cotton strain so delicate that it was used to weave ‘baft-hawa’ or ‘woven air’ the prized Dhaka muslin. Though now extinct, phuti karpas symbolises a lost era when India’s indigenous cotton varieties supported local livelihoods through fibreshed systems deeply embedded in ecological and cultural contexts.

Colonial exploitation and industrialisation replaced these decentralized models with monocultures and genetically modified cotton like Bt compromising resilience for yield. But the global push for sustainable fashion is sparking a revival of native strains better suited to regional climates and requiring fewer chemical inputs.

In Gujarat’s Kutch district, Khamir, an NGO, revived kala cotton after the 2001 earthquake. This drought-resistant variety, once abandoned, is now central to a thriving local economy of farmers, spinners, and weavers. Artisans have transformed kala cotton into high-value textiles with global appeal. In Punjab’s Malwa region, Kheti Virasat Mission is working to reintroduce desi kapaa amidst a mounting agrarian crisis.

Through the Trinjan initiative, it connects cotton farming with traditional women-led spinning practices, training a new generation of artisans and re-establishing the seed-to-sew ecosystem. These grassroots efforts aren’t just about nostalgia they present climate-resilient, community-driven alternatives to industrial cotton. As fashion brands seek regenerative sourcing, India’s indigenous cotton offers both heritage and hope for a more ethical textile economy.