On Sustainability and beyond…

What is Sustainability?

Sustainability seems to be the buzz word we see everywhere these days. But how serious are we about it? We must acknowledge that Sustainability is a lifestyle shift  and not just a #trend . It cannot be a one time act, its a mindset that needs to be inculcated in our everyday, right from what we eat to what we wear and carry to how we indulge ourselves.

Being a designer, I am often told it comes easily to me as I can think creatively about this. To be honest, yes I do thank my creative instincts but at the same time I have seen the most creative and privileged of people having the least sense of responsibility towards our society and environment and vice versa.

Professionally, working in the craft sector has enriched me with a lot of natural experiences which help me get closer to this lifestyle. Sharing some little initiatives that we can all do to imbibe and influence our families and friends towards a sustainable lifestyle. Recycling, reusing and reducing things around us is the best way we can inch closer to a bigger goal.

In my house one can find all kinds of mundane things converted into something desirable. Here is how anyone can bring some little changes in their daily life and turn around discarded stuff.

Pic 1.

A bunch of wire frames that I found lying around a welding shop as waste, all rusted. Checked with the shop guy, got it little fixed and got it home for about 200 bucks! It kept lying for a while alongwith a host of other things in my collection of ‘to do’! It was when I thought of adding some greens at my workshop, this popped up, cleaned it, painted and got some wall pots. The other one found a place in my balcony. And here is how it looks now!

The birdhouse and the wall shelf in the second pic is also made from the left over wood from our house woodwork. After every woodwork of the house there is so much waste that goes in dump. For me that’s simply treasure! We can use these to make so many things like Pot stands, small work tables, sitting stools, bird houses.

My family has literally been fed up of me collecting these scrap stuff from everywhere, tree trunks fallen by the roadside, bamboo, metal scraps, laminates wasted after woodworks, leaves and flowers just anything! I just pick them up, not really sure what to do with it at that point of time.

Pic 2.

 

This corner uses all the waste stuff from my earlier house. The bamboo used earlier as a partition in the open garden had got discoloured and spoilt at base. It kept lying as waste for a long time and found its new abode here, cleaned, trimmed and painted. The old broken shoe rack converted into a plant stand. Waste ply and laminates make a pot stand simply by attaching a base bush, easily available and super easy to fix. Luckily I get too much sun in my balcony but wanted a semi shade for some of my plants. This seemed to work at no extra cost using all recycled stuff.

Pic 3.

Coco shells make an amazing home for succulent plants. Can be installed anywhere and everywhere. Just drill 2 holes, wire it to any area with back support and plant. Succulents are the easiest plants to grow and nurture.

 

Pic 4

Composting. It is one of the best practices one can start anytime and anywhere with very little effort. Start it young for your kids, make them understand the dynamics around it and they will grow with that thought becoming action.

Giving our kids a little doze of nature every now and then makes a deep change in the long run. Going for nature walks,trekking a cliff or sitting by the beach or by a park is always a good break from the fast lives we live today. Start small but start young!

Pic 5

A sitting bench with base as coconut tree trunks which I picked from roadside!  These were cut for road widening all around. The  top from another waste from a timber shop, termite eaten . Cured them both, sanded and some varnish and paint…tada! Done and dusted. Had these even in the open garden area but that got eaten from inside by termites because of the direct contact with soil, though that also lasted for 2 years.

Journals Of Madhubani

The experience and journey in Madhubani is so overwhelming that I tend to just go on at times. But will try to put it all together into an interesting piece of read for everyone! And trust me it would be something you will definitely not find in Google or Wikipedia 🙂

If you are an art lover your very first step into the village and you will fall in love with the beauty around you, mud houses painted with local imagery, the greenery, the simplicity, all of it. Don’t drive, walk through. Each house, whether a brick one or a muddy one has a painted story on the outside. A peek inside the houses and you will find all their life rituals and festivals documented on the walls. Its a treat to the eye of a craft lover.

The people around would be happy to welcome you and explain what the paintings mean quite enthusiastically and narrate it in detail. I bet that is why people in villages know mythological stories so well…its part of their everyday life and work which gets passed on from generation to generation! There is so much thought, so much passion. The stories did strike a chord from my childhood days when my Naani used to narrate these stories and I would listen to her in complete awwww…and thats how I remember them too.

Watch some of these beautiful narrations from the best of the artists in the village and I bet you will fall in love with it too!!You can watch it here…. Studio Moya channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvDAruT4Pq0uIY7XSpSnMFw/

Interestingly, a lot of these artisans are either State awardees or National awardees, and have travelled all over the world but that hasn’t changed much in their lifestyle or their daily chores. The houses are still muddy, floors cow dung washed and the simplicity is remarkable.

My first trip to this village was way back in summer 2014, a totally unplanned trip with no agenda but just understanding the art from the artisans themselves. I am so glad that I went inspite of all odds, have only looked back at it with gratitude after that.

The Summer of Madhubani – A Project with Peter England

The Project with Peter England was a journey of sorts for me professionally and personally but came with an immense learning and a challenging fun assignment if I must say!?! We need many more of such initiatives if we really want to bring about a full circle sustainable development in craft sector.

The brief was to do a line of handpainted shirts with the Madhubani artisans but with modern interpretations that could connect with present day consumer.

Having worked in the corporate world for 5 years I definitely knew how fast things work from paper to reality in the shape of a wearable collection every 4-5 months. Attempting to turn around something like that in the artisan world where there are no timelines and each hand draws a different line was the biggest challenge of sorts.

This collection launched by the brand Peter England in SS 2016 was a one of its kind effort to connect crafts to mainstream fashion, something no brand of that stature had ever done. Whether it worked or it dint is secondary we must look into the processes that were built to achieve it and what more can be done to make more of such stories of craft.

The Beginning

We started with a 2 day workshop with the artisans. It was necessary to test waters if there was a possibility of converting a majorly painting form done on paper to a collection on fabric. Also the scope of designs that could be done or not. Traditional Madhubani forms are majorly mythological, flora and fauna sceneries etc. We needed something contemporary and wearable as menswear. We worked with over 50 artisans in Jitwarpur and the villages in and around Madhubani, experimenting on the patterns and motifs alongwith the PE design team and the master artisans. The workshop concluded successfully with a go ahead to the collection.

Next Step – The Setup

At the start of the project the first challenge was to device a system where the artisans could paint on running yardages effectively as they were used to working on painting sizes or at the max a 5.5 mtr saree.

Second was to achieve evenness and uniformity across the yardages and the third and most challenging was a commitment of timelines from the artisans!!

We built an infrastructure with long working tables (like those used in block printing) where yardages could be pinned and painted. 8 tables 20 artisans, mostly women, 1200 mtrs of fabric and 3 months to finish! We converted a house into a workshop for 3 months, painting true labour of love. While all seemed possible and organised, I very well knew that there is more to come!

 

Challenges Through the journey

It was a serious challenge to achieve evenness of designs with so many different hands working together! A lot of fabric got wasted initially, seemed like a never achievable task but we did sail through it with some hitches and glitches. In total we did 3 designs 400 mtrs each over a period of 5 months. We did get delayed in terms of timelines which were beyond control. Artisans and their work in villages are controlled by everything around them, be it weather, festivals, functions, marriages etc etc. Everything is important and you just can’t get away from it. They would not be guided by our corporate calendars where a product looses its essence if delivered way after the planned date in stores!

Working in the craft sector is a journey in itself, where each one has their own way of working and where there are no systems/processes to follow and you have to keep blending around. It does happen in the end but takes it own sweet time.

The Takeaways and Learnings

Only after completing this project did I realise that having a unique idea/concept is just the beginning of the story. To execute it and bring it to life the way it was imagined is actually the real deal. Whether the collection was successful or not there could be various answers/reasons to it but the journey of making it possible was definitely a victory of sorts and one of its kind. If we really want mainstream brands to connect with sustainable fashion these are the kind of challenges we must take and build them better and stronger.

I have always believed in pushing the limits, and this one was definitely one hell of IT!!

Whats with Womens Day!

So it was Women’s Day yesterday…well I am a woman and it was just another day apart from some random forwards and Happy Women’s Day wishes from friends and people whom I have not spoken to in ages! No I don’t mean to hurt any sentiments but seriously I feel our virtual reality has become so important and powerful that we forget our real lives…..

My friend: So what gift did you get today from your husband?

Me: Why should I get a gift today?

Friend: Its Womens Day! Aren’t you going out ? Nothing special?

Me: Blah! Blah!

No I don’t want any gift from my husband or from anyone I would just like them to be supportive and acknowledge all that I do…my husband to give me that hand when I am lost emotionally, give me a pat when I achieve the smallest of my goals, my friends to applaud my success and support me when I am in doubt and not shy away with their egos, my acquaintances to be little less judgemental (because you don’t know me!) and everyone else who passes by my life to give me respect because I AM A WOMAN….not just today but EVERYDAY.

The Laal Paad Narrative

A mark of tradition and good luck charm in Bengalis, Laal Paad sarees are a calling for new beginnings and joy. There are numerous places in and around Kolkata where these are woven mechanically or by hand. I chanced upon this small village near Kolkata, Chakda weaving this enchanting story in red and white. On a personal note, I had fallen in love at first sight (along with my Bengali beau!) with these beauties!

Destarching before printing

Some years ago during my random visit to the villages around Kolkata I came across this village where every house had a loom weaving only these Laal Paad shada saree. Most of these weavers were supplying it to the local shops in Kolkata, at very meager prices just to make their ends meet. Each of these sarees  take about 5-8 days if only one person is weaving, but generally it is the whole family doing it. With very poor returns, some of them had already moved to the city in search for better jobs and opportunities or moved to power looms for a faster turnout. Initially it was a challenge to be able to convince them to do what I envisioned.                                                                        If you have ever worked in Kolkata and you are not a Bengali, and not speaking Bengali you’ll know what I mean! Anyhow, I speak as fluent Bengali now like any other born Bengali would 🙂                                                                                       We worked closely with the weavers getting them back to what they did best and created this collection of Laal Paads which stand apart with their Satin Silk borders . On a regular basis the Laal Paads are woven in all kinds of fabric bases like silk, cotton, chanderi etc. with plain  and myriad weave patterns. We wanted to create a range which had the lightness of cotton but with the richness of silk. The body of the saree is in Bengal cotton and the borders are in satin weave with the silk coming on top adding the sheen to the neutral off white base. The temple and floral motifs and a splash of gold zari here n there highlight the uniqueness of the saree. The combination of block prints on the saree is like a confluence of two unique styles of adornment.

Block printing

Block printed Laal Paads

For me these sarees are like my first love, quite literally! Discover them yourself, make your own stories with them, make your own conversations because there is always a little bit of You that you imbibe when you wear a saree.

Go on, make conversations!

Much love

Madhubani Trails continued….

                                                      The Journey

                 Bangalore – Delhi – Patna – Madhubani – Jitwarpur

It is about a day long journey to the place,using almost all modes of travel! By the time you reach the village, dusk falls over the long stretches of greens everywhere and you can hear the jhingurs(night insects) in the still of the night and if it is summers you can see the fireflies too,lighting up the sky!

The road that was never built

The serene walk through the village

I normally start my day early when I go to villages like everyone else there, as after dusk you cannot work with no lights in the village. I had been mostly working from Madhubani earlier, but this time I went further down, about 20 kms to Jitwarpur which is believed to be the place from where it all originated. A small village with about 100 odd houses, each one having its own story of art.

My lead artist connect Lambodar Ji took me through a tour of the village and I had the privilege to visit some of the gems of this art. One of them, Mithilesh Jha who is also a national awardee tells me a very interesting story of how it all started…

Mithilesh Ji’s house exterior, painted with Madhubani patterns

You enter Mithilesh Ji’s house and you know you are just in the right place. Painted motifs of fish adorn the exteriors of the house, you walk in and the walls and curtains everything is a medium of expression there, full of art. We sat down for a chat and chai, and he begins to speak fondly of Sita Devi, his grandmother who was awarded Padam Shree for being the scion of this art, took this art far and wide internationally. She came from a Brahmin family and had a typical style of depicting Gods and Godesses and other everyday life and festivals through her paintings. In the 1960s a Chinese researcher had visited her along with Indira Gandhi and was very influenced by the art. She later came to the village and saw women with Godana (tattooes done on women which looked like jewellery) on their bodies and asked her if she could depict those in the form of paintings. Being a Brahmin, Sita Devi refused as it was formidable for her to do the job of Nats, the low-caste people. She called Chano Devi who was a Natti, to do the painting. And hence originated the Godna style of paintings.It is mostly done in black and white with lot of details, and is done by the lower caste women of the society. The third group of artists from Ganga Devi’s family belonged  to the Kayastha community in Rasheedpur, further down from Jitwarpur. This style of Madhubani is full of lines and the stories depict scenes from Ramayan and Mahabharat and the everyday life scenes from the village. I later visited Ganga Devi’s place as well which was another great experience 🙂

An interpretation of Goddess Kali inside Mithilesh Ji’s house

Ganga Devi making a painting

It was such an enchanting story of art, I wonder how much of it is actually true, but it is this personal interpretation of history of art is all that makes it special. I have earlier read so much about Madhubani but nothing has stayed so clear in my mind like this one. I was so influenced by his narration; I almost fell in love with the art all over again!

I wish to achieve the same impression of the Self in whatever products we make at Moya and let people add a bit of themselves in what they buy 🙂

See you soon with some more from my heart….

Madhubani trails

Am back…after a long time and am literally full of thoughts and experiences to share 🙂

This time when I packed my bags for my Moya journey to Madhubani, a small village in Bihar,there was a lot of inhibition and fear of the journey that was awaited ahead, reason being I had never travelled alone in this side of the country, infamous for all the wrong reasons. But to get out of my comfort zone and take risks for what your heart and mind together lead to, is a different pleasure. And indeed, it was a blissful experience professionally and personally sans the heat!! It was truly an enriching experience working with all the artists and women from the village, and the hospitality with which I was welcomed, was so touching and overwhelming!

The oh so yummy meals served at their home :)All the desi taste served is still fresh!

I have been travelling to a lot of villages in the South too but every time I travel to Bihar which is my homeland, I am flushed with memories of childhood, and every time I thank my stars and my parents that I could reach where I am today. Life here for women is still miserable but they have no complains to make because they don’t know the other side of life. Being married off at an age of 15, raising 2 kids at 20, when we are thinking of what careers to choose they are already raising a family!! As kids I have spent all my summer and winter holidays in villages like Madhubani at my grandparents’, running around in the fields, plucking mangoes from the trees in summers, and having fresh sugarcane juice and hot jiggery in winters…and the memories are still so fresh that I can taste the flavors as I write! But with time the perspectives have changed, I remember my mom and other bahus of the house never coming out in the verandah, or if at all they would, it would be with a veil. Years have passed, we have moved ahead as a nation, as individuals but the core of things is still the same. Women are still deprived of their right to their lives in the name of culture and tradition.

The bahu of the family cutting onions with the veil on as the elder men are around. They do most of their chores like this.

With Moya, my purpose to visit Madhubani  was very clear, I wanted to find, train and work with the women artists and help them achieve as much as they can in their environment. And it feels great to be able to connect to them and to the other side of the world equally.

The family that gave me all that I needed in Madhubani and the yummiest food!!

More of Madhubani trails coming up soon…stay connected 🙂

India’s Daughter – BBC Documentary – My thoughts…

So agree with the whole math of it..Ultimately I feel we as a country serve them with subjects to make films n documentaries and get awards and our own media hardly thinks beyond TRPs!!

Shihanspeaks

The issue has now been rekindled. After the protests and subsequent outrage in the aftermath of December 16th, 2012, things had quietened down. The accused had been sentenced, the outrage mostly forgotten. Until the word spread that a documentary on this incident, made by a British filmmaker, would be shown on India’s premier news channel- NDTV. All of a sudden, the story re-emerged, with rival news channels expressing disgust at the thought of airing a rapist/killer’s misogynistic viewpoints, politicians rushing to ban it, and liberals crying foul.   The documentary is now up on You Tube, almost immediately after it was banned by the Indian Government. And I just saw it.

My views on the incident itself are quite rational. Yes, the crime was terrible and the perpetrators deserve the strictest punishment. Would that be death? Or life imprisonment? Or, as so many raging on TV shows wanted- castration? Some suggested cutting off their limbs…

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On Women and Womens Day :)

So while the world celebrates Womens Day, I thought of having a closer look at women around me… I see a woman that comes every morning to help me cook  and clean, (without whom not ringing the bell, I might not wake up!!) I see a bunch of women, in the care of whom I leave my son for the day at school, I see so many women in the streets walking down, carrying a story of their own on their faces… a woman waiting at the bus stand thinking seriously if she put everything in place before leaving home, somebody walking and smiling to some thought that crossed her mind… there I saw a bunch of women sitting in the park talking through their lives and I wondering where is the time!?!  I see women rushing to work, honking, irritated with the traffic or their lives, who knows!! I see all those women with eyes looking past me wondering what they could have done IF ONLY…..this and a lot more….I see all of them so very extraordinary as people, who can be everything, give everything and still ask for nothing!! In this whole juggle buggle of our lives we forget to celebrate the women in our lives, I mean a WOMAN TO A WOMAN… How many of us do that!?! As women we forget to appreciate each other, we don’t really need to be a celebrity to be celebrated as who we are… I guess being a woman itself is a celebration, because I know no other species who can do so much with such dexterity! And there can’t be just a day to celebrate that but nevertheless here is a toast to the bitchy, naughty, simple sweet, passionate and the drama queens in my life…women I admire and look upto….Happy Womens Day!!  Be Yourself, Celebrate yourself!!

All about Me :)

Hi People,

So finally I am here…My new year resolution no 1 achieved!! Created this blog to share, the boils of my mind, which could be about anything…the work I do, the people I interact with, the society we live in or The Union Budget!! All I can promise you is that I might give you some interesting stories to read on, or maybe something that could charge you up enough to get up and get going at times!!

A lil’ bit bout Me…

A PG in Design from NID, Ahmedabad, have been working in the industry in multiple streams for 8 years with popular Fashion brands and independently, presently working for my passion which I have named Moya 🙂

Will keep catching up with my thoughts and stories… see you soon.

Find more about Moya here:

https://www.facebook.com/moyadesignworks

Cheers,

Rashmi