Roads Well Traveled

Wanderlust, travel, roads, bazaar, unique finds, indigenous crafts, beautiful objects, preservation of craft traditions - all these descriptive phrases, make a recurrent appearance on my blog. And anytime that I find another person, a group, a store, or a project sharing my passion for above, I can not wait to share my delight with you. RoadsWellTraveled, conceptualized and run by Minu Chawla and Sebastin Sager, is one such store that offers not just hand picked products, but also invites you to explore and discover little nooks and corners of the world. An online destination for the nomadic-at-heart connoisseur of world culture, artefacts and objects, RoadsWellTraveled takes pride not just in it's curated collection but also in the mission of doing its bit to preserve dying art and craft in different parts of the world.

Another interesting aspect of of RoadsWellTraveled is their emphasis on art and not just the artisan. As Minu described in her email to me:

"There are enough NGOs and fair-trade organizations trying to provide the artisans with a sustainable livelihood. However not enough encourage them to do so by practicing the craft that they learnt from the forefathers. In the quest of making more functional, more marketable products, the original art/craft practice is rapidly dying. Through RoadsWellTraveled, we hope to honour the artisan traditions in their truest forms."

The Museum is an integral and growing section of RoadsWellTraveled website, and this is the place where Minu and Sebastin document the history, tradition and stories behind the crafts they curate. The aim is to build awareness and preserve that what is original.

 

Both Minu and Sebastin come from a corporate background, and they gave up their jobs to follow their heart. Combining their love for travel, indigenous crafts and entrepreneurship, they founded RoadsWellTraveled in Berlin, a city that's home to both of them.   

Step into the world of RoadsWellTraveled, and shop the bazaars Mesoamerica, Indus, Kalinga and Ceylon. They have exciting travel plans, and I can't wait to see what new treasures they find in the bylanes of the world.

Connect with RoadsWellTraveled on facebook and get inspired by their beautiful boards on Pinterest.

[All images: RoadsWellTraveled. Creative Storyboarding: An Indian Summer]

All that is beautiful and original

With Craftisan

When I first saw Craftisan, I was drawn in by their collection of beautiful textiles and crafts from different regions of India. I was happy to see that they are not only bringing one-of-its kind products from established craft NGOs like Dastkari Haat Samiti, The Rehwa Society, Kilmora to name a few, but also helping eliminate the middleman, and providing a platform for e-commerce to the craftspeople directly. Hearing the team behind Craftisan talk about their passion and the vision with which they have started this online venture, I knew that I had to share Craftisan with you! 

Craftisan recognizes and celebrates the existential philosophy behind crafts. It acknowledges the need for beauty and creativity that urges human society to create, and also recognizes the value of the act of creating craft as an utilitarian task, that reflects the way and means of a particular region, society or a certain social environment. Craft is utility, decoration, ornamentation, meditation and aesthetics all rolled into a single product. 

Craftisan aims to offer an ethical architecture for India's creative manufacturing sector and be a curated art and craft collective for connoisseurs of original, hand crafted products. Replicating a traditional 'haat' (marketplace) online, Craftisan will bring to us handpicked products straight from individual craftspeople, various craft clusters and also craft ngos. Having a positive impact on the livelihoods of craft communities, as well as supporting preservation and promotion of dying crafts are Craftisan's driving values. 

 

Apart from the lovely products on show on Craftisan's site, do not miss the specially commissioned and curated exhibition and sale by Dastkari Haat Samiti, called Akshara. Akshara (crafting Indian scripts) encompasses the attempt to combine literacy, artistic sensibilities and marketable museum quality crafts so that the craftspeople value education as a necessary part for their economic and social uplift. The initiative has produced some beautiful works of art - on textiles, pottery, wood, paper and metal. Craftisan plans to bring more such specially created collections in the coming months.

Buy from Craftisan right here. Register on the site and instantly get credit worth INR 1000/$20!
Remain updated with their latest offerings by connecting on facebook.

  Happy Shopping, folks!
Have a great weekend
I'll see you all next week!

[All images: Craftisan. Creative Storyboarding: An Indian Summer]

Gaatha, a tale.

Gaatha, a sanskrit word meaning 'a great story' or 'a legend', is an initiative launched in 2009 by group of students and alumni at National Institute of Design [NID]. What started as a project to research and document the unfortunate erosion of Indian crafts clusters and heritage, has now evolved into a online repository of stories, folklore and myths associated with these crafts and their creators. Gatha has also launched an online store, aimed at helping these craftsmen reach a wider market and earn sustenance. 

Gaatha's blog is a lovely read, where the reader not only gets to know how each of these beautiful products is created, but we also get to 'meet' the skilled women and men behind the various crafts. 

Beautifully photographed, the products are a visual delight! Gaatha's online store is filled with handcrafted unique pieces for personal use and for home.

Visit Gaatha's online shop here, and immerse yourself in the enriching tales of craft, right here.

How have you been, my dear readers?

I am back after a break for Diwali and post Diwali recuperation

See you this friday, with a lovely giveaway!

[All images: Gaatha. Creative Storyboarding: An Indian Summer]

Pure Ghee Designs

One fine day, I stumbled upon Aditi Prakash's blog/design studio, and spent a good part of the morning going through this super talented designer's vast repertoire of projects. From creating bags in beautiful fabrics, to designing painted furniture to helping design interior details - she has her hands full! The project that impressed me the most was the work that Aditi did for Samode Lodge. She worked with arts and crafts from different parts of India, and translated them beautifully into contemporary interior objects. Have a dekko at her work, and read through her inspiration, in her own words..

Key chains from fabric remnants, Birds using Gond art and patchwork pouches 

Pure Ghee Designs is a research, design and production studio working mainly with traditional crafts. It is named so after a crafts person who brought back a gift of home made ghee (clarified butter) from his village for Aditi. It was the only thing he could think of that was pure, home made and precious. It stands for all things Indian and it appeals equally to urban and rural sensibilities.

Burnt wood birdies and tribal candle stands in metal

 Different art forms on the walls of Samode Lodge. From Gond paintings to mud relief

Leather puppets from Andhra on the walls

Aditi has lived and worked in Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Delhi - cities that have a rich history and synergetic culture. She loves things hand made and is constantly exploring ways to make space for crafts in our modern lives. She believes in creating products with a soul, products that are powerful antidotes to the big hollow brands of commerce.

Sketches for a fabric wall art in kalamkari

As a child she loved making things and working with her hands. She studied fine arts - sculpture and then specialized in furniture design at NID. She then worked for various NGOs and private organization in the crafts sector giving her the opportunity to explore the length and breadth of the country. She has also curated Indian crafts exhibitions for events in London, Frankfurt and Sri Lanka and was shortlisted for the Young Creative Entrepreneur award last year.

Beautiful and unique metal figurines

Textiles galore!

Gond paintings on the walls

Wood carving from Kalahasti

One of the primary product in Pure Ghee Designs range is the limited edition bag made from traditional textiles. During her travels Aditi was fascinated with the sheer variety and beauty of traditional Indian Textiles. The bags are a celebration of the Indian design aesthetic whether it is fabric from fourth and fifth generation crafts people in Bhuj or kitschy lungis from streets of Hyderabad and Cochin. Every bag has a story to tell. Pure Ghee bags focuses as much about finishing, detailing and quality as they do about aesthetics.

How gorgeous are these bags! I am in love with the indigo one!

Phew! Didn't I say she is one talented designer!?

See more of her work here

And you can reach her at this email

[All images Aditi Prakash]