Sally Holkar

Sally Holkar, known formally as Shalini Devi Holkar, has spent nearly fifty years helping the weavers of Maheshwar keep their craft alive and make a living from it. In 2025 she was named for the Padma Shri in the field of trade and industry, from Madhya Pradesh ^[1].

From Stanford to Maheshwar

Holkar was born on 11 August 1945 in the United States and studied at Stanford University ^[2]. After marrying into the Holkar royal family of Indore, she came to know the centuries-old Maheshwari weaving tradition, and set out to revive it ^[2].

REHWA

In 1978 she co-founded the REHWA Society in Maheshwar, which has trained hundreds of weavers, introduced new designs while keeping traditional techniques, and opened markets in India and abroad ^[2]. It has helped women weavers become financially independent, and supported weavers with housing, schooling and health care ^[2]. She also set up the Devi Ahilyabai Bal Jyoti School for weavers’ children ^[2].

Women Weave and the Handloom School

In 2003 she founded the Women Weave Charitable Trust, which brings women from non-weaving families into handloom, especially hand-spun khadi in contemporary designs ^[2]. In 2015 it started the Handloom School, which teaches young weavers design and business skills so they can run their own enterprises ^[2].