If you have browsed UmedMart's PENO range and found yourself staring at words like kavdi, latkan, dharpatti and fundka, you are not alone. These are the Banjara community's own names for specific pieces, and they rarely get translated on a product page. This guide decodes the vocabulary, so you can tell a choker from a collar piece and a Mashroo potli from a Zonna bag before you buy.
Who makes the PENO range
PENO is made by Sevalal SHG, a self-help group of women artisans in Beed district, Marathwada. The group takes its name from Sant Sevalal Maharaj, the saint most revered in Banjara tradition — which tells you something about who is behind the needle. The Banjara (also called Lambani or Lambadi, and Gor in their own speech) are a historically nomadic community spread across Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Rajasthan, and their embroidery is one of India's most recognisable folk textile traditions.
What makes Banjara work look like Banjara work
Four things, usually all at once:
- Patchwork and appliqué — small pieces of contrasting cloth stitched down in bands and geometric blocks.
- Mirror work — small round mirrors held in place with a ring of stitching.
- Kavdi (cowrie shells) — the small cream-coloured shells edged along a border or clustered at the end of a hanging.
- Coins and metal — in this range, German silver coin elements. (German silver is a copper-nickel-zinc alloy; there is no actual silver in it, which is worth knowing before you compare prices with silver jewellery.)
Dense, tightly packed colour is the point. Banjara embroidery was never designed to be subtle.
The vocabulary, decoded
UmedMart's listings use these terms without explaining them. Here is what each one refers to on the piece itself:
| Term | What it means on the piece |
|---|---|
| Kavdi | Cowrie shells, used as edging or as the weight at the end of a hanging. |
| Latkan | A hanging or dangling element — tassels, beaded strands, cords, shells. Anything that swings. |
| Fundka latkan | The tassel-style latkan — the pom-pom-like bunch rather than a flat strand. |
| Dharpatti | The range's name for its embroidered band pieces. "Don dharpatti" means the piece carries two such bands. |
| Trangale | A compact decorative accessory piece, made here with chain elements plus latkan. |
| Patch | A worked rectangular textile panel — the base that kavdi, beads or coins are then added to. |
| Mashroo | A satin-weave fabric with a silk warp and cotton weft: silk sheen on the outside, cotton against the skin. An old Indian weaving tradition, strongly associated with Gujarat. |
| Tussar | Wild silk with a naturally uneven, slubby texture and a warm gold cast. |
| Potli | The small gathered drawstring pouch — India's original evening bag. |
| Zonna | The range's name for its larger everyday carry bag, built for actual use rather than occasion-wear. |
Which piece for which occasion
If you want one neckpiece that does the work
Go for something with volume. The Collar Jewellery with Fundka Latkan sits around the neckline like a collar and is the loudest piece in the range. The J1 Kavdi Necklace is the classic cowrie-shell option. Pair either with a plain saree or kurta and let the jewellery carry the outfit — layering these over a busy print fights itself.
If you want a smaller everyday accent
The Trangale with Chain Latkan and the J Choker with German Silver Coin are the range's entry points. The J8 Mirror Jewellery and Nine Glass Jewellery lean on mirror and glass rather than shells, which reads slightly less folk and works better with western clothes.
If it is a wedding or a festival
The potli bags are the obvious pick. Three are made in Mashroo fabric, and one in silk. Be realistic about size before ordering: these are roughly 12–14 cm tall and 10 cm wide, going by the listed dimensions. That is phone-and-keys territory, not a handbag.
If you are dressing for a cultural programme or folk performance
The PENO Traditional Dress is the full hand-embroidered outfit, and it is stocked in ten sizes from 2XS to 5XL — unusually wide for handmade ethnic wear. The cotton version is the lighter, more wearable alternative. For men, there are two free-size embroidered jackets. The Cord Set comes in M to 5XL.
If you want Banjara work without wearing it
The Cushion Cover puts the embroidery on a sofa, and the File Folder is the quietly surprising one — a document organiser with Banjara detailing, and easily the most giftable desk object in the range. The Zonna Bag is the everyday carry option.
A word about price
At the time of writing, the range runs from roughly ₹1,150 for a small accessory to about ₹45,000 for the fully hand-embroidered Traditional Dress. That spread reflects how much hand embroidery is on the piece — a fully worked garment is a different order of labour from a small accessory. If you have only ever bought machine-made "Banjara-style" pieces, the gap will look steep — it is the difference between printed imitation and actual handwork, and the money goes to the women in Beed who did it. Prices do change, so check the listing.
Caring for it
Mirrors, cowries and coins are all held on by thread, and thread is the weak point. A few habits that help:
- Keep pieces away from water, perfume, oils and hair spray. Put jewellery on last.
- Do not tug the latkans to straighten them — support the weight from underneath instead.
- Store each piece separately in a soft pouch or wrapped in cloth. Cowries and mirrors will catch on each other in a shared box, and that is how threads snap.
- For garments and the cushion cover: no harsh detergent, no hard rubbing, no long spells in direct sun. The colours are the whole point.
- A soft dry cloth is enough for routine cleaning.
Every piece is genuinely one of one
This is stated on every PENO listing and it is worth taking seriously: colour placement, mirror positions, cowrie spacing and stitch density vary from piece to piece. Your necklace will not be identical to the photograph. With handwork, that is the feature, not the flaw — but it does mean if you are buying two for a pair of sisters, they will not match.
The full PENO range sits within UmedMart's Mahalaxmi Saras collection alongside other SHG-made work from across Maharashtra. If you would like to know what a specific term on a listing means, do ask — we would rather explain it than have you guess.
Related reading: Warli, Gond, or Lippan? A Beginner's Guide to Maharashtra's Folk and Tribal Wall Art · What Is Rukhvat? Maharashtra's Traditional Wedding Gift Sets, Explained · What Is a Ghongadi? Maharashtra's Traditional Wool Blanket, Explained
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