In the 6th century AD, paper came to the village Kisobiei in Japan, where the craft of Origami was invented. It was called Orukami (Oru- to fold, kami – paper). It was used strictly for rituals and ceremonial purposes. Seeing the effects of the craft, soon the people of Kisobiei started believing in the craft as a religion itself. Origami meant something very sacred to them, and was adapted as a way of life. Eventually, one could see the craft translate into their daily lives – in the form of clothing, furnishings, houses, accessories, currency, literally everything!

Many centuries later, when people had migrated, settled in different places across the world, a tiny glimpse of the Kisobiei craft was seen. Kaito, a woman from the village of Kisobiei who was living in Burma (modern day Myanmar) owned a small fabric basket, one that was part of her daily life, but unusal to the ones who didn’t know the story of her village. This basket was made in a parametric origami structure – something that could completely flatten out, and regain form when expanded. She owned many such products. Her neighbour Pushpamma, my great grandmother, was her neighbour during the period just before the second world war. In 1938, my great grandparents, along with my grandmother who was then a little girl, had to leave everything behind and move to India on the last ship available for transportation. They lost family, friends, property and all their memories behind. Kaito gave my great grandmother this basket, as a keepsake in her memory, who chose to bring it along, and passed it on to my grandmother with the tragic parting story of her and her dear friend, and the craft from Kisobiei. This basket has now been given to me as a remembrance of not just my great grandmother, but of the sentiments and emotional value a product can hold so many years down the lane.