Things that caught my attention….

I attended a photo exhibition at Kalakriti Art Gallery this week.

“Vignettes from Women’s lives - Showcasing the spirit of womanhood as seen through the photographers’ lens”

It was a nice collection of photographs that ranged from the rural women working hard and living the simple life to urban, independant “today’s” woman. Of the collection I liked the works of Krishnendu Halder the most.

Here are some of the photographs that I liked.

Girl selling bottles of something. This one was by S. Jaisurya. I liked this one a lot. For one, I thought the girl was very pretty. The fresh look on her face was very refreshing.

Rural women carrying water pots. This one was by Sanjay Raichura. Makes you appreciate the little things in life that we take for granted.

Lttle girls playing in the rain. This one was by Krishnendu Halder. I like pictures of happy people, especially children. these kids certainly looked happy.

This image was of a woman with patriotic eye makeup. This was also by Krishnendu Halder. Very eye catching

This was a picture taken during a play. This was also by Krishnendu Halder. I liked the expressions on the woman a lot.

This portrait of a rural woman is another favorite of mine. It’s by Syed Alimuddin Raaj.

The following is an image by Ramachandra Pentuker.

This store is a retail outlet of Dastkar Andhra

Dastkar Andhra began in 1988 as an offshoot of Dastkar, Delhi. It is a non-profit trust, registered in 1995 that works within Andhra Pradesh to promote the interests of the producer communities within the cotton handloom weaving industry. The objective of Dastkar Andhra has been “to explore practically, the possibilities of craft production as a contemporary economic activity based on traditional skills and resources, and to develop forms of organization that would ensure wide dispersal of economic returns among the producers”. (information courtesy Dastkar website)

Dāram in Telugu means thread and this store justifies the name in every sense. You will find rows and rows of kurtas, salwars, dupattas/stoles. sarees, window treatments made of handwoven/hand printed fabric. I was particularly thrilled with the range of kurtas that they had. And the fact that they gave XS as much shelf space (well almost)  as the other sizes :) The men’s section was not too elaborate, but should satisfy most men (no offense). Prices were very reasonable. It’s probably the only place i found kurtas under 400 bucks. Besides Fab India of course.

Besides textiles, they had a small collection of ceramics, bags, cell phone pouches, door ornaments and some other accessories. They also had some very nice hand-stitched leather chappals. 

This is what I came back with. Hand embroidered kurta… I should mention the shopping bag. It was a simple paper bag made out of newspaper and a jute thread for a handle. The only non bio-degradable material in the bag was probably the metal rivets… but i guess that’s ok. I would still prefer this over super glossed, heavy plastic bags anyday.

Tibetan prayer bell, also called the Drilbu. It makes a very loud sound when rung which lasts a very long time.

Pair of small ganeshas. These were brass and I think this craft is called Dhokra.

Evolution - Contemporary Arts, Crafts and Textiles (Hyderabad)

This is one store that I pass by a lot. And everytime I pass by I tell myself “I should go to this store sometime”. And I’m glad that I did today. The store owner was not there and the salesperson wasnt sure if I could take pictures, but this is one place I am definitely visiting again and will definitely get some pictures then.

Here, one can find an eclectic mix of furniture, every piece unique and very Indian. Most of the furniture is made of sheesham wood and is from Rajasthan. There were some very nice chests, low seating chair sets, shelves and occasional tables. Crafts included handpainted wooden sculptures, handmade paper, scented candles, etc. Textile section had a colorful array of bedsheets, table covers and placemats.

Pricewise I would rate this store reasonable.

I almost missed the Shilparamam arts and crafts festival this year (2007). Every year artisans from all over the country come to exhibit and sell their crafts. It is one of the exhibitions that I enjoy the most. I managed to go on the last day mainly because I really needed to get some serving bowls!! They were handpainted with designs that reminded me of Madhubani paintings… maybe they are. We had to leave in a hurry so I could not explore. Just went got the bowls and got back.

Read more about Shilparamam here.

Here’s what I came back with.

I plan to make matka kulfi or serve kheer in these some day…

Teaset for my little daughter (dolly not included)

Ceramic pot now adds some color and green on my kitchen counter.

This is just a journal of some of the things that I see, buy, do and maybe some places that I visit. Or maybe it will be a bit more than that.