New Delhi, Aug. 29 -- For years, we have spoken of Indian textiles and craft in the language of preservation as though they were fragile traditions that needed to be protected behind museum glass. I believe we have been asking the wrong question all along. The problem was never just survival; it was also relevance.

Something has changed in recent years, so gradually that most of us barely noticed: everyone became a curator. The word once belonged to editors and museum directors. Now we curate everything, from what we wear and the cafes we photograph to the lamp in our living room and how a meal is plated. Social media did not just turn us into influencers. It turned us into storytellers, image-makers and arbiters of taste.

As a result, ...