Cottage Emporium – (Central Cottage Industries Emporium) Janpath

This was “the” place for all craft lovers. The Bankura which has been the trade mark of cottage for a long time, is iconic and reminder of the development of craft over time. It was first located at Janpath behind the shops next to the Indian Oil Building. It then moved to its own location across the road to Janpath, next to the STC Building. At the corner of Tolstoy Marg. It is one of the nicest places to destress and simply take in the ambience. It has an excellent curated range of crafts and textiles. Each section has its own unique charm. There are silver plated pieces, marble inlay, silver jewellery. On the first floor there is furniture, furnishing, clothing, sarees, ready mades. The levels simply merge with one another. It is a perfect place to spend time browsing and understanding what India has to offer.

Where-  Next to STC Building on Janpath, at the corner of Tolstoy Marg

Timings – Open 7 days a week. It is open on Sundays as well. 10 am to 7 pm.

Highlight – One can find some interesting furniture. Lamps are gorgeous. There are interesting set of brass items especially beautiful villakku or lamps from South India. One can also find Tanjore paintings and lamps from Gujarat as well. The wall hangings made by Kutch women is an eye catcher. The staff is courteous and one can wander without being hussled by shop attendants.

Insider Tip – There is a delightful little café upstairs, where one can sit and enjoy a nice cup of coffee with a delectable range of cake slices and muffins or sandwhiches One gets a view of the street below and Connaught Place in general. It is quiet and peaceful. The book section is equally interesting and has on offer some fantastic range.

Crafts Museum is now National Crafts Museum and Hastkala Academy

There is a very old post of mine on Crafts Muesum, (you can read it here...) Crafts Museum when it was simply that. It was laid back with plenty of open spaces and no crowds. The parking was free and plentiful. The craftspersons would stay for a month and things went that way. All that has changed and the Crafts Museum in its new avatar is buzzing. There are a lot of events being held. Several shows and exhibitions are being mounted by the Museum using pieces from its own reserve collection. It is used as a venue for the launch of books, new initiatives. There are collaborative exhibitions. The recent ones with Inda Art Fair. The recent National Handloom celebration with @weavethefutureofficial, is  a case in point. Stand alone exhibitions have included a beautiful one on Indian instruments, Puppet, Masks, Tarshito’s works, collection of Uzbek textiles of David Housego and Mandeep Negi of Shades of India.

 What though is heartening is that it is bustling with people. There are a lot of young people who come there. Of course, taking selfies and the general horsing around happen, but more importantly atleast there are foot falls. Of course one does feel a disconnect. Most of the youth is dressed in the typical western attire. Then there are the arty ones with ethnic sarees, bindis and more. The seamless meeting of the two as in how Fab India has bridged the gap will be welcome. There are school visits to exhibitions. Lots of art students come to sketch.

Where – Bhairon Marg. This is just at the right turn after Chidiya Ghar, next to Purana Qila towards old Gate no. 1, Pragati Maidan.

Timings – Morning 10 am to 5:30 pim. The open areas, courtyard is open till later. Café Lota of course stays open till 9 pm. Parking is ample and if you have a driver roadside works. Otherwise the parking lot near Bhairon Mandir it is. The entire road is peppered with fountains and wide green spaces, quite a delight to the eyes.

Highlight – The open courtyard and the Ayyanar temple icons have got a coat of geru or the typical red colouring on terracotta. The staff is courteous and helpful. For me the best part is the textile gallery which has been opened on the second floor. It has on display some fabulous pieces made by Shri Martand Singh for the Festival of India. The design vocabulary of borders from Kanjeevaram, block prints from Jaipur and more is a treat to the eyes. The display of Kantha quilts, sarees, brocades is exceptional. The other textile gallery downstairs is also a treat to the eyes. The other galleries abound with interesting objects.  

Insider Tip – Do attend the special exhibitions mounted which are spectacular. The craftspersons called for these exhibitions are extra-ordinary. In most other places of Delhi, the craftsperson have become repeititve. One sees the same ones doing patola, ikat, Manipuri Jamdani or soof embroidery. At the Craftsmuseum I did meet some fine new individuals. A Paithani weaver, a lady doing Sujni and tailoring in West Delhi, a beautiful soof embroiderer who was willing to do job work. Lota Café has on offer very interesting fare for food. The open courtyard has several artisans displaying their work. The shop run by CCIE has a good range of products.

 

FAIRTRADE - A growing movement - some shops in Delhi

Fair Trade which in its simplest sense means the trade is fair to the producer groups. Fair Trade cottons is what is relevant. Fair Trade cotton products covers the entire spectrum of home furnishings, men’s wear, women’s wear, chidren’s clothes, toys…..With cotton being emphasized the world over, for the textile sector, using Fair Trade cotton in production of garments or being certified as Fair Trade producer of it is beneficial to garner greater business. The most comprehensive and well known is the definition adopted by FINE an informal association of the four Fair Trade Organisations namely Fair trade Labelling Organisations International (FLO), World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO), Network of European Worldshops (NEWS!) and European Fair Trade Association (EFTA). The first letters of each of the four organization was used to form the word FINE. Each of the four organization contributes significantly in spreading awareness, to see the producer groups are not exploited by middle men and above all certifies products with the Fair Trade label an indication of the ethical standards adhered to. Most are present in over 70 countries. The biggest benefit of such a certification for the product is that it enjoys the patronage of consumers. Consumers are increasingly drawn towards eco-friendly organic products, it projects a brand image of the product being ethical. Also a portion of the price is set aside for community developments, socio-economic benefits a major plus today. It reiterates the products sustainability and environment consciousness. Another progress is the combining of fair-trade with organic to give it a further boost. The organizations also lay down standards for cotton. India has plenty of players who are certified operators in seed cottons and this includes Agrocel Industries Ltd., Abhishek Industries Ltd., Madura Garments Exports Ltd., JCT, Nahar Group of Companies…..

Some Fair Trade Shops in Delhi

Mesh – Uday Park

Indha – Gurgaon

Kala Aparajitha – Qutab

Silaiwali Panchsheel

 

We will cover these in detail as we go forward

National Handloom Day on 7th August

If you are in Delhi on 7^th of August look out for the National Handloom celebration. The celebration start in real earnest a week or to be particular 1^st of August onward. What is exciting is that the officials pull out all stops to put out a great show. In this process one witnesses handlooms of the country at its best. There are also live demonstrations of weaving taking place. One gets access to some fantastic weavers from across the country.

7^th August 1905 was the day when the Swadeshi Movement was launched. It was launched in Calcutta Town Hall. It was aimed to promote domestic and indigenous goods and products. Primarily amongst them the handloom which was a way to boycott imported goods especially apparel. To commemorate this and give a boost to the domestic production especially those woven by hand, the National Handloom Day was launched. The first one was held on 7^th August 2015 and inaugurated by the PM Shri Narendra Modi. Since then the celebration has swelled and participation increased.  There is a genuine attempt to create awareness about our long forgotten weaves and handwoven products. What is even more exciting is that the celebration brings some of the best craftsmen and their products to Delhi.

Where – 1. Crafts Museum (it is now called National Crafts Museum and Hastkala Academy) at Bhairon Marg is where a lot of action takes place. There are exhibition, exclusively created shows, launches and more.

2. The Handloom Haat at Janpath has a thematic sale on. It again brings together some excellent handloom weavers. It is an ideal place to shop and source.

3. This year, there is a one day exhibition with some leading handloom brands at Hotel Ashok called Naad.

4. The most important part of the celebration at Bharat Mandapam where Sant Kabir Awards and National Awards will be given. There is more celebration at Bharat Mandapam.

Timings – It is held for 10 days from the 1^st of August to the 10^th of August. Please check with individual venues for more information.

Highlights – It is the display of handlooms which is the cynosure of all eyes. Some old brocades from Varanasi, Tamil Nadu has been put on display at the Crafts Museum. There is an installation curation with FDCI and India Art Fair which has participation by seven separate entities.

Insider Tip – This time, there is a demonstration by a lady weaver from Manipur using the loin loom. It is a breath of fresh air to see someone from there. Otherwise, it is the usual people from Delhi who come. There is a brocade weaver from Benares who is excellent in weaving Tanchoi, brocade weaving, jala technique and amru. The treat is the Kani weaver from Kashmir who makes the exquisite do rookha Kani shawls. The weaving technique which is sung out for the weaver to understand and weave. The song for his weave is also kept there.