Ashirwad

A slow drive through congested Kolkata suburbs brought us to a peaceful village which is home to Margaret Devadason who runs a small group called Ashirwad. They make a small number of Christmas ornaments for Villages. There are 12 women who work in their homes and gather once a week for product finishing, quality control and packaging. They obviously have a good time when they're together as they were laughing and having a great time in the back room of Margaret's very pleasant house. While we were there they were working on blue/white star garlands for Villages US as well as some interesting boxes decorated with broken glass bangles which are ubiquitous here.

We had another good lunch including puris (which we hadn't had yet) and assorted curries. Our driver found a faster route back to the hotel and now we're planning a last few hours of shopping / resting / attempting to cram everything into seriously overloaded suitcases, in preparation for a very early morning tomorrow. We have to leave the hotel around 4:45am for a 7am flight to Delhi, where we'll be meeting with people from Noah's Ark in the afternoon.

CRC

An excellent day today - some still suffering but all well enough to participate. We split into 2 groups, with some of us going to a leather producer and some going to a silk producer. Both groups reported having an excellent time. It was particularly enjoyable to take a drive to a small village without fear of death! We were in modern minivans with seatbelts (the first we've seen!) and AC; the journey took us across the Ganges onto a large highway, then onto progressively smaller country roads, finally winding our way through a small village.

I went to the silk producer and it was fascinating to see the various stages of production. They purchase woven raw silk from producers in the northern part of the state so they can assure us that it is fair trade. The silk is boiled in very hot water for some time before being cleaned and dyed. We saw in detail the screen printing process, with many different designs and colours being applied in sequence. We also saw block printing which is a lot more labour-intensive. Finished items are wrapped in a huge bundle then steamed for a considerable time to set the colours. Finally, smaller bundles are pounded with wooden hammers for an hour to restore the lustre of the silk. Carolyn and I tried this and can report that it is very hard work - we could barely lift the hammers!

On returning to Kolkata we met all the staff at the CRC offices and viewed a short film about their operations. We (or at least those of us able to eat) enjoyed possibly the best lunch so far, at the lovely home of our hosts Walia and Irani, then there was some energetic shopping in CRC's fabric room!

We're back at the hotel with crowds of men gathered outside the lobby window (and many other windows along the way) - India are playing Australia in an important cricket match and there is great excitement as the match nears the final overs.

Tonight some of us may try to take in a Bollywood movie, others will continue to try to rest up in preparation for the busy days ahead of us once we get to Delhi.

Sasha / MKS

An interesting day, but unfortunately many of the group are suffering from various forms of intestinal upset ... we've returned to the hotel early to rest and hopefully recover.

We briefly visited Sasha Handicrafts' office and sample room where we saw some wonderful new products. We also saw their textile operations where they make some lovely clothing for Italian fair trade outlets. We then headed out into the suburbs of Kolkata to visit two artisan groups.

The first was a group of approximately 40 mentally handicapped people, some of whom live there after being rejected by their parents. They make candles for Villages as well as batik and embroidery. We were warmly welcomed, each receiving a lit candle, and learned a lot about how these artisans feel a real sense of dignity and pride from being able to earn a living. We also saw their children's program where several mentally handicapped children are able to be cared for and receive an education. They also had a very simple but peaceful temple where all religions are respected and represented equally. The artisans gather there for prayer and meditation every day before starting work. A triangle of flowers on the floor, a rotating selection of holy books, and a burning flame created an atmosphere of peace that must be inspirational for those working there.

The second group produces the hanging chains of turtles, fish etc, that many of our stores sell. This was a short visit, but it was interesting to see the various items being stuffed with new cotton which is bought locally. They had prepared a huge lunch for us, but most were unable to eat much, unfortunately. They assured us that the artisans would be able to enjoy the food that we didn't eat.

After that we went to MKS, who oversee about 28 producer groups made up of 1800 artisans. We purchase a wide range of items from them, including miniature soapstone animals, clothes brushes, instruments, leather purses etc. Most of their production takes place in rural areas, but there was a leatherwork shop nearby where we saw assorted coin purses and wallets being assembled for Villages Canada.

Hopefully I'll be able to give more details on all these artisans in a future post...

Great Day in Kolkata

We had a good time with Sasha Handicrafts today - just visited their lovely store where we all purchased a lot more stuff to try to cram into our suitcases! We also learned a lot about how they operate and look forward to seeing their offices and travelling to the edge of the city to meet some producers tomorrow.

 

After an excellent lunch we were taken on a very informative city tour on which we saw the Victoria Memorial and the Ganges River, explored an area where potters create Hindu figures which are plunged into the Ganges on special occasions, and a Jain Temple which was quite marvellous.

 

Sorry for the lack of pictures and detailed updates, but I can't do much on these hotel computers. I'll try to find a place where I can do more detailed work...

--
Ten Thousand Villages
371 Richmond Road & 1174 Bank Street, Ottawa - http://www.alternativetrade.com
~~ Shop fair trade - Your purchase makes a difference ~~

In Kolkata

A short and pleasant flight on Indian Airlines bought us to Kolkata this morning. We arrived at the Y to find the conditions somewhat unpleasant, so eventually moved to a real hotel - The Samilton - which is considerably nicer though less convenient for shops & services.

The best news is that the traffic here is MUCH calmer than Dhaka! That made us all happy...

Tomorrow we have a leisurely start to the day with a visit to Sasha Handicrafts, then we may get a city tour in the afternoon.