November 2014

This year’s theme is The COW- The nurturer, the protective & dutiful mother who is so deeply rooted in our traditions &hearts

Mother nature calls all the connoisseurs of crafts, and I have seen more than cows flocking to the Nature Bazaar, Andheria Modh. With the Cow as the theme of the festival (which is omnipresent throughout the Bazaar) one gets to see the rich & the diverse art of the country through the 120 stalls at the Nature Bazaar. For those who have been to the Festival of lights, you will be delighted to see the familiar faces again, for they have new things to offer this time. But among the familiarity, shine through many new faces, some even for the first time..

Students from Meerabai Institute of Technology painting lively images of Dastkar NATURE Bazaar

Since we believe in making things easy for you, let us categorize some of the best at the Nature Bazaar..

Shepherd Crafts (Stall 98) and Nayee Kiran (Stall 3)

1) Textiles- We have fallen in love with the Tussars and the appliqué work the last time, so could we be lucky in love the second time? We certainly were! We were amazed at finding Kashmiri embroidery never seen before, on varied textiles like Bhagalpur silk and Andhra cotton at Nayee Kiran (Stall 3) and the Shepherd crafts (Stall 98).

Kalamkari by Vishwanath Reddy (Stall 13)

We found ourselves marveling at the Paithani sarees (Samdaik Seva Sanstha, Stall 58) as well as the Kalamkari by Vishwanath Reddy (Stall 13). A quick stop at the first stall would help you pick some hand-woven Kashida Kurtas (C-1).

Bright colored Paithani sarees (Samdaik Seva Sanstha, Stall 58)

2) Home Décor- The coconut fibers hung in the way of monkeys, dragons and bird nests at Odiani (Stall C-14). Among the regulars stood out the state award winner Vijay Kumar Verma (Stall 59) who mesmerized me with Sanjhi paperwork, it’s a pity that he didn’t let me take a photograph, but no photograph could do justice to his work.

Odiani (Stall C-14)

Human Harmonizes brings quirky home decor

Let the puppets of Sheela Choudhry adorn your house and peek from those ignored corners. Whether it is the blue stone pottery, Andretta pottery (C-11) or the sculptures in terracotta depicting the life in the villages (right before Gali-E-Khas), let them be a part of your home.

Terracotta Pottery

Sheela Choudhry- the puppet master

3) Go Eco- With the world, taking the Green turn, how could the worshippers of nature fall behind? Find organic vegetables (Stall C 28), Herbal soaps (Stall C 31), Eco recycling at the Daily Dump (C-13) and the Camel Karishma from Rajasthan (Stall 71), who endeavor to take the green turn.

The coconut fiber man reaches out to Daily dump..Urging people to Go Green?

All things bright and natural…

4) Child’s Play- Revisit your childhood or let your child get fascinated by the colorful array of toys at N.S Toys (C-15). Let the two subjects that one would dread, history and mathematics, become fascinating with Asha Ram’s puzzles (C-16). From Nagina, a small town in Bijnour comes the genius that blends Mughal art with mathematical precision. Get your child hooked on to puzzles from Frog Magg (Stall 66), that also teach the varied art forms of India.

Colorful array of toys by N.S Toys

5) Food- Finally, a day of good shopping deserves a masala chai from Jugmug Thela and take home some delicacies from Gourmet Medleys debuting at the Dastkar. For the adventurous lot, try the dry vegetables at Camel Karisma too.

A cup of Chai?

You do need to stop by the Indian Artisan’s stall 42, so you can add the NEW Bandhej collection to your wardrobe and serve all the food to your loved ones on our Gond painted trays. Make the most of this weekend and get to know what it is to be really happy, while shopping!