Coming to dāram this April

8th April onwards
A RAJASTHAN SPECIAL that brings together contemporary designs and traditional techniques:

a) Kurta's embroidered in Soof and Pucca techniques by the Meghwal community, Bikaner



AND
b) Cotton handloom sarees in vibrant handblock prints from Sanganer, Jaipur

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Coming soon
A fresh summer collection of cotton sarees in new zari and thread borders from coastal Andhra Pradesh
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22nd April
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle:
Basic Cotton handloom bags to replace plastic.
A small step for the planet on World Earth Day.

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Day 2 - block printing demos at dāram

Here are some pictures from Day 2 (Jan. 31) of the handblock printing demos held at dāram

A young visitor in action...


The tiny tots had a great time...

...And so did the others.

Also see
http://daaram.blogspot.com/2010/01/1st-day-of-hand-block-printing.html
and
http://daaram.blogspot.com/2010/01/block-printing-demonstrations-bagru.html

Coming soon...

A Chennai special in July 2009
Two exciting collections…

a) Brass Tacks, Madras’ Summer Collection 2009
Western wear for women in Cotton handlooms

• July 9, 2009 onwards



About Brass Tacks: One of the primary goals at Brass Tacks is to use traditional textile crafts and to transform these fabrics into garments that are contemporary and urban. By re-articulating these fabrics as modern, cosmopolitan pieces, and reaching out to a wider customer base, Brass Tacks provides a greater demand for weavers, dyers and printers who produce quality work.
www.brasstacksmadras.com


b) Kanchipuram Pattu sarees from Vasanthi Kalyansundar’s Sri Sai Creations, Chennai

• July 23 – 28, 2009

- Silk and silk-cotton handloom sarees with traditional motifs like the peacock, hamsam, rudraksham and the classic gold temple borders.
- Saris in vibrant oranges, midnight blues, toned oranges and mehendi greens.
- A collection that integrates block printing and handloom weaving
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dāram, Hyderabad’s exclusive cotton handloom garment store works towards strengthening traditional weavers and small farmers.

dāram, Naik Estate, ICICI Bank Lane, Beside Airport Lane,
Begumpet, Hyderabad – 500016
Tel: +91 40 27765503. Fax: +91 40 27892905.
Timing: 11am to 8pm
Wednesday Closed

Email: daram.da@gmail.com
Website: http://daaram.blogspot.com/

New in dāram in March and April

Coming to dāram in March and April

I) A new range of Uppada and Jamdani sarees for Ugadi

Dates: March 12 to April 1, 2009

II) Non textile products from Khamir, Bhuj
Traditional silver jewellery from Kachchh, Mashru cushions, leather products (chappals, belts, bags, and purses), lac turned wood, metal bells and terracotta kitchenware
Also embroidered bags from Qasab, Kachchh

Khamir works to reposition craft and folk music in Kachchh and to revitalize Kachchh’s creative industries.

Dates: March 20 onwards
Website: www.khamir.org

III) Bengal Cotton sarees from Weaver’s Studio, Kolkata

Dates: April 9 to 21, 2009
Web: www.weaversstudio.com

Uppada and Jamdani sarees for Ugadi

March-April 2009

Natural colors for Holi

dāram presents ‘Rang Dulaar’ – Natural colours for a safe Holi

dāram brings to Hyderabad a range of natural colours under the name Rang Dulaar. Promoted by the Pune based eCoexist these colours are free from any chemical content and have been made by the women of the Malnad Seed Collective, Sirsi. The genesis of Rang Dulaar was the Safe Festivals Campaign run by the Pune based Kalpavriksh Environmental Action Group.
The colours also provide income to the women prisoners in Pune's Yerwada Jail. They contain farm produce as well as flowers recycled from Nirmalya collected during Ganesh Chaturthi.
Rang Dulaar is available in five different colours – Red, Yellow, Green, Black and Orange and is available in packets of 250 gm (50 gm each of five colours) and 500 gm (100 gm each of five colours). The colours are made with a range of natural materials that includes turmeric, henna, tulsi, hibiscus, indigo, and cocum.

HAZARDS OF SYNTHETIC COLOURS (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holi)

In 2001, a fact sheet was published by the groups Toxics link and Vatavaran based in Delhi on the chemical dyes used in the festival. The black pastes were found to contain lead oxide which can result in renal failure. Two colors were found to be carcinogenic: silver, with aluminium bromide, and red, with mercury sulphate. The prussian blue used in the blue paste has been associated with contact dermatitis, while the copper sulphate in the green has been documented to cause eye allergy, puffiness and temporary blindness.
The colourant used in the dry colours, also called gulals, was found to be toxic, with heavy metals causing asthma, skin diseases and temporary blindness. Both of the commonly used bases—asbestos or silica—are also associated with health issues.

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1) For more information about eCoexist visit www.e-coexist.com
(In Pune : Manisha Gutman. Tel: 09850084383)
2) To watch a video of the Rang Dulaar project visit
http://www.e-coexist.com/products/holi/the-process-of-making-natural-holi-colours
3) For more information on the Malnad Forest Garden and Seed Keepers Collective visit http://www.vanastree.org/

Weaving a success story

D.V.L. Padma Priya
http://www.hindu.com/2009/01/12/stories/2009011251040200.htm

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Eight youths from the weaver community, employed in odd jobs, find a viable vocation after training in weaving and dyeing

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New skills: Youths from Kolluru village in Adilabad district attending a design workshop.

HYDERABAD: It was a skill that literally ran in their blood. But it was an opportunity that was missing for a good 20 years. For these eight rural youth from Kolluru village in Adilabad District, weaving might not have been a natural livelihood choice, but it surely paved a way out of their poverty.

For D. Bhaskar, A. Suresh, D. Damodar, D. Mahesh, D. Chandrashekar, D. Sampath. V. Nagesh and R. Srinivas, the wheel of fortune turned in their favour when they were identified by Dastkar Andhra (DA), a city-based NGO. Aged between 20 and 24, the eight hailing from the weaver community were living in abject poverty. Many had dropped out of school and had been employed in odd jobs.

Motivation

Their condition was brought to the notice of DA in 2006 when an older group of weavers in nearby Chennur informed them. A year’s training in weaving and dyeing, and the youth were all set to weave their own fortunes. “They were quick in grasping what was taught,” says V. Dharmender, in-charge, DA Production & Design, DA. Apart from appointing a master weaver to train them, DA also paid them a monthly stipend of Rs.1,000. “What motivated us to take up weaving was the fact that we didn’t have to work under anybody,” says D. Chandrasekhar.

Even after graduation, D. Sampath, a former teacher at a government school, finds weaving a sustainable livelihood optionHere to participate in a DA design workshop, they swear by their new found profession. Now named ‘Individual Weavers Co-operative Society’ as a group, they now earn anything between Rs. 6,000 to Rs. 9,000 individually per month.

“They are very confident now and have even paid back their bank loans,” says Ravinder of DA. He said they were identifying similar youngsters from backward regions of Andhra Pradesh. “As long as they are interested in learning weaving, DA is ready to assist them,” he says.”

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Also see

http://www.dastkarandhra.org/

http://pankaj-atcrossroads.blogspot.com/2008/10/plight-of-indias-unskilled-weavers.html

Maheshwari Sarees from REHWA

from Jan 8-12, 2009
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also

Gadwal and Narayanpet sarees in natural dyes and contemporary designs.
Dates: 1st to 15th January



Gadwal sarees

This January...

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