Saturday, August 29, 2009

Launching Whitewater



dāram launches the Whitewater label, work of Shweta Dhariwal, an Accessory Designer trained at National Institute of Design. Whitewater made its debut in 2008 and today retails from some of the best stores in the country. Inspired by traditional patterning and garmenting techniques, her bags are a decoupage of textiles and techniques – quilting, hand embroidery, textures and patchwork. “For me, the most important thing is the attention to detail. My products are simple, understated and well finished – inside out. They are meant for people who appreciate quality workmanship”, says Shweta.
Her launch collection at dāram features a wide array of bags from casual day bags to elegant evening bags; laptop bags and sleeves, for the lady on the move. Staying true to dāram tradition, all bags are created out of handloom textiles - mashru, kalamkari, south cotton and khadi. Her aesthetics is about adding a third dimension to the fabric by exploring forms and keeping functionality at the core. Instead of following fashion norms, she relies on research and her innate sense of colour. “The idea is to seamlessly integrate the traditional with the contemporary and create fresh expressions”, she explains.


Saturday, August 22, 2009

Coming in September

THREE new exhibitions in September...
1. Chettinad sarees and natural fiber products from MRM foundation, Chennai
Kandanghi Sari from Chettinad in traditional colours of bright yellows, oranges, red and a minimal black, used in a pattern of stripes or checks with broad borders woven in coarse cotton or silk. Range of contemporary home accessories of Kottan, traditional Palmyra basketry of Chettinad decorated with beadwork. and crochet work.
- September 10 - 15



2. Silver jewellery from Lilaras, Chennai

Lilaras, exquisite handcrafted ethnic silver jewellery
- September 17 - 22



3. Home linen from Rehwa, Madhya Pradesh

A unique variety of sheer drapes, cushion covers, bed linen and table linen from subtle shades of white ,gold and silver to vibrant reds ,greens and blues in a creative mix of woven, printed and embroidered textiles.
- September 24 - 29

Monday, August 17, 2009

Monday, August 10, 2009

For an environmental friendly Ganesh Chaturthi



For a safe and environment friendly Ganesh Chaturthi, dāram along with ecoxist brings to Hyderabad a small number of eco-friendly idols of the elephant lord. Made in Sirsi, Karnataka and Pen, Maharashtra these idols are made from clay that dissolves easily in water and are coloured with non-toxic colors that cause no harm to the environment or to human beings.

Large Ganpati

the idol from Sirsi
Adhi Ganesh

the idol from Pen

THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF GANESH CHATURTHI

Source: http://www.e-coexist.com/

To be able to choose the most appropriate ecosensitive solution it is important that we understand the environmental impacts of Ganesh Chaturthi.

These can be summarised to be the following:

1. The water pollution caused by the immersion of Plaster of Paris idols into natural water bodies.
2. The water pollution caused by chemical paints used on these idols.
3. The waste generated by the non biodegradable accessories used during the worship.
4. Noise pollution
5. Traffic congestion
6. Increased consumerism

Amongst these the first two can be partially resolved by a shift to eco sensitive materials and practices.

WATER POLLUTION

The Issue
For some years there has been a growing awareness about the water pollution caused by the immersion of Ganesh idols made out of Plaster of Paris (PoP), in natural water bodies such as lakes, rivers and the sea. PoP is not a naturally occurring material. Plaster of Paris is a calcium sulfate hemi-hydrate : (CaSO4, ½ H2O) derived from gypsum, a calcium sulfate dihydrate (CaSO4 , 2 H2O), by firing this mineral at relatively low temperature and then reducing it to powder. While idols made out of naturally occurring clay (shaadu in Marathi) dissolve within hours of immersion in water, PoP idols may take anywhere between several months to years to fully dissolve. In addition, when chemical paints are used to decorate the idols, these paints contain heavy metals such as mercury and lead, which seep into the water as the idol dissolves.

In Bangalore a study done by the Central Pollution Control Board to assess the impact of immersion of Ganesh idols on the lakes revealed the following:

* Increase in the acid content in the waters.
* The TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) increased by a 100%
* The Dissolved Oxygen content increased during the day due to the agitation of waters during immersion and reduced at night when organic discharge increased.
* The heavy metal content sampling showed an increase in metals such as iron which increased nearly 10 times and the content of copper in the sediments increased by 200 to 300 %.

Possible solutions:
Since the main issue around water pollution has got to do with the idol immersion ritual, several people are now suggesting a slight variation of this ritual to avoid water pollution. These include:

1. Immersing the idol in a water tank constructed by the government, instead of directly into natural water bodies.
2. Using only a natural clay idol and immersing it either in the tank or in a bucket of water at home.
3. Immersing a 'betel nut' which symbolises the idol and reusing the same idol every year.
4. If one is using a PoP idol, simply sprinkling a few drops of water on it as a symbolic immersion and donating the idol to be recycled for the following year.

To see photographs of the situation in Mumbai after immersion visit here
http://www.ultrabrown.com/posts/the-battle-of-kurukshetra

For more details and information
visit ecoexist here

Watch a video of the making of the idols

Reduce, reuse, recycle


Friday, August 7, 2009

Coming in August

1) ECOSENSITIVE GANESHAS
- Available from the 10th of August


Completely natural clay idols handmade without using any chemical substances or paints.
Can be immersed in a bucket of water at home as they dissolve easily and the water can be poured into plants or in a garden. From e-coexist in Pune

To read more on related issues click here
Ganesh Chaturthi and the environment

2) HANDLOOM SILK SARIS FROM MASTER CRAFTSMEN OF KANCHIVARAM AND RASIPURAM
-August 20 - 25


Silk saris in delicate cut work in resplendent hues worked up with embellishments that create a wavy pattern.
Ethnic block prints, warli, madhubani paintings in simple pattu silk and cotton.

3) BAGS FROM
- 27th of August onwards


launching the Whitewater brand - a wide collection: casual day bags, elegant evening bags, laptop bags and sleeves, all created out of handloom textiles - mashru, kalamkari, mangalagiri cotton and khadi.

Saturday, August 1, 2009



***
Khadi in natural dyes
Zari Border Mangalgiri Dupattas
Missing thread dupattas without borders
Hand Block Printed (pigment colors) from Sanganeer, Rajasthan
Hand Block Printed (natural colors) from Bhuj, Gujurat
Mud Resist (dabu) Hand Block Printed(natural/chemical colors) from Kaladera, Rajasthan
Crushed dupattas in various colors
***