February 26, 2020
So it has been a process of unlearning and relearning that way
Another challenge we faced was to get the artists to use natural silk again. Similarly, a few visitors thought they had come to the wrong gallery because these works look like paintings. They had got used to synthetic threads that wouldn’t break easily.The dying art of Chamba rumal got a breath of revival as the Delhi Crafts Council stepped in to bring back its glorious past as well as explore its contemporary themes.A rumal from Krishna seriesThe Chamba rumal is unlike the regular handkerchief. One of the artists left a piece half done. There were lot of overlapping images in the new drawings, which was a challenge for all of us. Keeping it traditional and yet making a shift, the council has also tied up with artist Swati Kalsi to conceptualise contemporary designs. The double satin stitch technique used is known as do-rukha and ensures exact duplication of the image on the opposite side of the cloth as well. But that is the beauty of Chamba rumal, it combines miniature painting with needlework," shares Anjana Somany, president of DCC. In miniature painting, a lot of focus is on line drawing. Another of these contemporary pieces got ruined twice and could only be made in the third attempt.
So it has been a process of unlearning and relearning that way. Talking about the initial challenges in this journey, the ex-president of DCC, Purnima Rai recalls, "Initially it was very difficult to even document these works of art. It makes the painting come alive," says Anjana. While the art has been patented and there are schools for this style of embroidery in Chamba, the government has somehow overlooked the fact that this art is a joint venture between painting and embroidary. During weddings, rumals are exchanged between families of the bride and groom as a token of goodwill. Talking about the contemporary designs, Prixit says, "When the contemporary designs first came in and I showed the drawings to the embroiderers, they didn’t want to make it."An average rumal takes around a month to be embroidered. There is no focus on the drawing part and there is a dearth of artists who can draw.The exhibition, ‘Raas — Life to a Dying Art’, is on at India Habitat Centre till 8 April. But this was not always the case."The council’s efforts have provided employment to artists like Masto Devi who pursue this full time.Traditional designs depicting Radha-Krishna and GopisThe Chamba rumals are embroidered square cloths from Chamba in the state of Himachal Pradesh.From telling the tales of Radha-Krishna and chausar to depicting the current political scenario and modern weddings, the Chamba rumal has come a long way. It is a work of patience. It took a lot of work.
A scene from a game of chausarPahari miniature artists, usually men, drew outlines on fine handspun and hand woven unbleached muslin. So when you say rumal, a certain picture comes to mind. Unlike these days, photography was not readily available to everyone in the 90s.A scene from a forest"One of the important things that also makes this art unique is the various shades used in the work. It is for this combination of painting and embroidery that these works are also called ‘paintings in embroidery’.
The drawing has to be very clear. But one has to be very patient with silk floss that can break easily. "We end up stereotyping things. There needs to be more focus on this," he adds. But in the end it is the same stitch, the same style of art. Traditionally, women used to embroider upon these compositions using untwisted coloured silk floss. But today the council has at least 15 shades in every colour."While the council could easily source muslin, sourcing silk floss in various shades was not that easy in the beginning. That was one of the biggest challenges we faced. Had it not been for the efforts of Delhi Crafts Council (DCC), the art of Chamba rumal would have been lost to cheap replicas and reduced to tourist keepsakes.
They are used for covering platters, as gifts for auspicious occasions and for offerings to a deity.Pahari miniature artist, Prixit Sharma agrees, "The works that stand out are China water bottling machine Manufacturers the ones that give a 3D effect; that comes from the shades and the way one manipulates the stitches
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February 20, 2020
The MNS chief clarified that while he did not oppose the idea of the plastic ban
Meanwhile, these people will get money from plastic manufacturers,†he said. He should not worsen already disturbed relations. Instead, he should focus on governance.Replying to Mr Kadam’s taunt about him being afraid of his nephew, Aaditya Thackeray, since the ban was originally the latter’s idea, the MNS chief said, "Mr Kadam should not poke his nose into family matters.â€. Mumbai: MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Tuesday alleged that the state-enforced plastic ban was a basically a campaign to raise election funds from affected plastic manufacturers. He also slammed environment minister Ramdas Kadam for making personal comments and asked him to be responsible for his work.
I am saying that there is no need to pay the fine to the government for carrying plastic bags. So, to hide their failure, they are extracting huge sums from people. Everything will come back to normal like earlier.Mr Thackeray urged people not to pay the fine to the China plastic bottle machine Manufacturers authorities.50 lakh from offenders. "I am told by some people that this ban is basically to arrange election funds from plastic manufacturing companies. Authorities like the BMC and the state government have failed to do their work. BMC seized 972 kgs of banned plastic and a fine of Rs 10.Mr Thackeray was addressing a press conference in the city to clear his stand on the plastic ban.
The MNS chief clarified that while he did not oppose the idea of the plastic ban, there was so much confusion about exactly which items had been banned.He also slammed environment minister Ramdas Kadam for making personal comments and asked him to be responsible for his work. He said that the purpose of the plastic ban was dubious. People will forget about the ban after one month. He appealed to the people not to cough up the fine as authorities such as the BMC and the state government had failed to perform their duties. Why should people pay? Nobody carries `5,000 in his or her pocket,†he said. A few traders have been contacted regarding this
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February 10, 2020
While Mehndi is still looking for package free oils
Talking baby steps, Mehndi stopped buying packaged juices and also started using
a bamboo toothbrush. "We didn&automatic
blowing machine Suppliers39;t use any plastic decoration and made buntings
from fabric and rented plants to decorate the place. "We segregate the dry waste
and a BMC truck comes twice a week to collect it for recycling," says Mugdha as
she drags out three big bags of dry wastes including plastic and footwears which
she plans to give up for recycling.
While Mehndi is still looking for package
free oils, Mugdha is trying to convince her family and ends up with some or the
other plastic waste. "I've seen people switching to only water for washing their
hair, but it didn't work for me.At the end of the day, zero waste lifestyle is a
journey and everyone is following a path best suited for him or her. But a few
good Samaritans of the city # are making an effort to live a zero-waste
lifestyle to help reduce the waste being produced at an individual level. "It's
a big step in zero waste. Composting at home As the last week’s high tide washed
ashore nine metric tonnes of trash along the Marine Drive, almost nine times the
garbage collected from the iconic promenade every day, it brought back the focus
on the amount of junk the city generates. Natural and package-less alternatives
are difficult to find, especially in case of store-brought items. According to
the 26-year-old, even small changes like using a fountain pen is much better
than using plastic single-use pens or refills." She makes everything from
cookies, bread to almond milk and cakes at home for her 7-year-old son.From
using home remedies for washing hair to creating their own compost, these people
are making conscious efforts to reduce waste production.All the waste we
produce, whether it is an empty pack of chips or sanitary napkins, either ends
up in the landfill or chokes life out of the ocean. If you don't make it at
home, sourcing it from outside without packaging is a little difficult. She also
replaced the number of bottles of shampoos and conditioners with homemade
versions.
When I was in Sydney doing my masters in Social Entrepreneurship, it
got me thinking about a lot of my habits that were not environment friendly. I
use home remedies and have also switched to natural alternatives for shampoo,"
says Marie who has not only made a natural shampoo out of reetha but also made
her own toothpaste out of arrowroot powder and deodorant from apple cider
vinegar. I found people who were into composting and were very conscious about
what they use, throw out and how they use a product," says Mehndi about the
initial phase of her journey.Reduce, recycle and reuse is the myntra for patrons
living a zero waste lifestyle. I also teach him not to use plastic much. Since
the party was organised on a terrace, we put up a small tent and a sand pit to
entertain the kids," she recalls. "I stopped using cosmetics and now I clean my
face with oil. Zero waste lifestyle is probably not an easy way to live your
life, but in the day and age where most of our problem is based on overusing
resources, it's probably the most ideal lifestyle. Her two-year-old son is also
being instilled the values of a zero waste lifestyle as he takes a steel water
bottle with a steel straw to his playschool.
Looking to find more people from
the city to discuss the problems and achievement of this lifestyle, she
organised a few meetups in Bandra. To spread the message, she organised an eco
friendly party for her son's second birthday. But years of using chemicals and
commercially made products do make the switch to natural products challenging.
It's not like he understands the reasons behind what we are doing but he's being
brought up in this environment," Mugdha adds. Marie Jaiswal, a freelancer based
in Chembur has adopted the reduced-waste lifestyle for the last one year. Steel
water bottle and strawFor Mahim based Talent Advisor, Mehndi Shivdasani, the
idea of this lifestyle came to her when she was studying about maintaining
sustainability while running a business. "I involve him while composting and
also show him what goes in it.. "
The meetup helped many of us discover
interesting things, such as the possibility of recycling tetrapacks," she adds.
Mugdha Joshi, a lactation consultant based in Bandra has set up two compost bins
and has also removed dustbins from her house.With very basic changes, three
Mumbai citizens have created a zero-wastage lifestyle. So now I use eggs or
reetha to wash my hair," adds Marie. I started to think more about it and the
measures that I can take to reduce trash
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