Hyderabad: Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma on Friday inaugurated "Tales Below the Heels" — a three-day national seminar and exhibition on the footwear heritage of India — at the Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) campus in Hyderabad.
Jointly organised by the Pleach India Foundation and the FDDI, the event brought together scholars, designers, students, artisans, and heritage enthusiasts to celebrate India's footwear traditions in an academic yet immersive setting.
The Governor described the event as "well thought-out and beautifully presented". He said the initiative was an "out-of-the-box" approach to heritage documentation, noting how conventional scholarships have often focused on the iconography of sculptures and monuments while overlooking the very footwear these historical figures wore.
"We study the posture, ornaments, and the symbolism of our sculptures, but we rarely pause to notice what lies below the heels," he remarked. "This exhibition fills that gap and brings to light a dimension of our cultural heritage that has been hidden in plain sight," he said.
Recognising the event's potential to reach wider audiences, Dev Varma strongly recommended that "Tales Below the Heels" be developed into a travelling exhibition, enabling people across the country to engage with India's footwear heritage and the stories embedded in these everyday yet extraordinary objects.
Senior Pleach India Foundation and FDDI representatives also addressed the gathering, underlining how footwear, ranging from sacred padukas to regional jutti and Kolhapuris, embodied regional artistry, identity and ritual value, and continues to influence global design conversations.
The event's exhibition segment showcases historic and contemporary footwear traditions from across India, alongside curated narratives, archival visuals, and interpretive texts.
The platform also spotlights traditional artisans whose craftsmanship sustains living footwear traditions and introduces visitors to innovative design responses inspired by indigenous forms.