Unlocked mysteries of my purpose of existence!
A very warm welcome to my beloved readers! Here I am again, travelling through some memory lanes and taking you along with me on this journey where I met my purpose, the answer to a question, a really very very important question - "what to do with my life?"
Right after I started Des Rangeela, be it in my interviews for newspaper articles and live interviews or even some friends, customers and well wishers had this one sure question - very frequently asked - how did you find out that this is what you want to do? why Indian handicrafts and handloom? why nothing else? I remember drafting down a set of self answering questions for my friend Zeel, because she wanted to find out her purpose of living too!
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| Because finding what you love to do and doing it is a beautiful journey! |
For a matter of fact, I have evolved as a spiritual person and a believer. I strongly feel,
"Everything is written" and we are nothing but the children of nature, the elements of nature are within us and we are taken care of by our universe!
"Everything is written" and we are nothing but the children of nature, the elements of nature are within us and we are taken care of by our universe!
While I was a commerce student, I was volunteering at Parivartan - a Pune city based NGO that works for good governance, one of our major project was voting registration and awareness campaign. While doing that I was good at leading and organizing campaigns and events, with innovative ideas, which even got me featured at Radio interview and amazingly in The Hindu - India's national newspaper. This was when I was 18. Hence, I thought I could be a good Event Manager. This was after I dropped my MBA plans for fate didn't let it get completed back then even if I cleared exams and paid 60% of the fees for BPP university, central London. God just didn't let me go.(painful at that time, happy about it now!)
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| FlashMob for Voting awareness at E square - Pune |
My event management course was more of trips and hangouts! I don't remember hanging out so much ever before or after ! Then I was placed through college just 3 months after my course started. I started leading projects of INR 20 lakhs. So much that the most moody clients were shifted to me as I was good with handling client mood swings and rudeness :D and I thought I was doing great. BUT I wasn't feeling that planning weddings is what I was born for. Infact, watching happy couples made me feel terrible about being single and my failure at handling romantic relationship :D I genuinely stopped enjoying it!! The core reason being I always wanted to be a business woman. Since my school days! I wanted to have a office of my own.(something about since 8-10years of age - since then, and before that I wanted to be a singer by probably age of 5 or so, but I didn't feel I had a great voice). Along with that, I always felt I cannot love any human as much as I love my country - India. I still feel that. These facts made me think I could start a Event Management company that handles PR of Politicians and does canvassing and social cause events for them. This way I could make a good change.
At the same time I also used to take out time to do window shopping at fabIndia, The bombay store, Either Or etc. These stores made me feel like I am at home. The vibes. The aroma of these stores! That made me happy as I enter and made my feet heavy as I leave. I genuinely feel the sales people in those stores thought I am some psycho. I swear!! I have spent 3- 6 hours at these shops at one time - straight! each! Just reading the details on the labels, feeling the fabrics, understanding the aesthetics of the products!! I found it all so INDIAN, SO Artistic! So Beautiful! So natural!!! I kept admiring all of it! I still do. And then came the question - WHY ARE THEY SO EXPENSIVE THAT IT WILL DIG A HOLE IN MY POCKET FOR LIFE! WHY?????? THIS was the question that made me do all the research! All that I know about Indian Handicrafts, Handloom, artisans, art evolutions, how it affects and contributes to the Indian economy and so much more!!!!
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| My first project as an Event Manager - wedding at Westin |
At the same time I also used to take out time to do window shopping at fabIndia, The bombay store, Either Or etc. These stores made me feel like I am at home. The vibes. The aroma of these stores! That made me happy as I enter and made my feet heavy as I leave. I genuinely feel the sales people in those stores thought I am some psycho. I swear!! I have spent 3- 6 hours at these shops at one time - straight! each! Just reading the details on the labels, feeling the fabrics, understanding the aesthetics of the products!! I found it all so INDIAN, SO Artistic! So Beautiful! So natural!!! I kept admiring all of it! I still do. And then came the question - WHY ARE THEY SO EXPENSIVE THAT IT WILL DIG A HOLE IN MY POCKET FOR LIFE! WHY?????? THIS was the question that made me do all the research! All that I know about Indian Handicrafts, Handloom, artisans, art evolutions, how it affects and contributes to the Indian economy and so much more!!!!
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| Beauty of eco - friendly and earthy! |
Guys! if you think the mystery is unlocked! NOPE! I could say I am starting to unlock it now!! Sincere apologies if this one gets too long! But I promise it's gonna be worth it! I hope I'll be able to make you smile to have read this till the end!
Let me take you to the stage of my school's auditorium. Me on the stage, doing a mono acting skit. Wearing a yellow t-shirt with a cherry design, and a red short styled skirt. I was playing baby Indira Gandhi. As she belonged to a political and a historically ironic family, she burns her doll that was made in foreign. This was because she wanted to participate in the Swadeshi movement to boycott foreign goods! I remember being on my knees, burning that doll, and crying my heart out! Because that's exactly what she did. For her it was like killing her own child which she fed, slept and played with! This according to me was my first connection with Made in India. The memory of being alone on the stage with about 500 people in the audience is weaker than the emotions I had back then for Swadeshi. I froze on stage. Crying as I killed my child, for Made in India! I still have that emotion with me, within! I smilingly recollect bhaau (the trustee of my school) coming on stage and giving me 101 rupees and he pat on my back saying baala tuzhyat ek kala ahe - mann jinknyachi (you have this art of winning hearts!) he always came on stage to give me that 101 rupees reward even after my dance performances. I don't remember who came first in the competition, I won the 2nd prize in mono acting, but I didn't know the plan of universe! That plan was the real prize - this emotion! I also feel that If I wouldn't have chosen to be a business woman, I might have tried my hands on theater performances. I love expressing emotions, I feel emotions make us alive! Dropping this acting ka kida here hoping someday one of my child picks it up! Let's move on to the next evidence of how I am deep rooted and connected with Indian Handicrafts and handloom or rather Made in India!
I belong to a Nomadic Tribe of Maratha state of India, namely Dhangar! We have this symbolic tribal handloom completely eco friendly, hand dyed and handwoven by us, we call it Ghongdi. Even today any of our auspicious rituals and occassions are just incomplete without our Ghongdi! Our newest one at home is atleast 25year old and looks as young as today! (Kathi na ghongda gheu dya ki ra song on my mind right now!). During my study of Indian Handlooms, I read about the queen of my tribe, Maharani AhilyaBai Holkar (1725 -1795). She was a visionary queen who thought of sustainable livelihood for her praja and hence she invited weavers from Burhanpur and settled some of them at Maheshwar and thus gave rise to the Maheshwari handloom saree which is till date one of the most popular and revived handloom of India!! One of their most beautiful collections can be found around weaving units at Maheshwar near the Narmada river side palace of Maharani AhilyaBai Holkar! It's beautiful how our ancestors bless us with qualities through blood, similarities in looks and personality traits in living!
I feel not just handloom and Handicrafts, but over all style of interior, architecture, food,clothing, living and consumption and productions of every country and culture should be authentic along with the balance of globalization, because that's the only way to preserve what we have and give and share it to the world! After all, self reliability and individuality is a dignified pattern of existence, don't you think?!
Well, on that note, that's how I come back to what I said at the beginning of this one! Everything is written!! Our universe knows how to get us on our track and keep us following it! I hope you too have found your signs! And if not, watch out! you might just find it!
Let me take you to the stage of my school's auditorium. Me on the stage, doing a mono acting skit. Wearing a yellow t-shirt with a cherry design, and a red short styled skirt. I was playing baby Indira Gandhi. As she belonged to a political and a historically ironic family, she burns her doll that was made in foreign. This was because she wanted to participate in the Swadeshi movement to boycott foreign goods! I remember being on my knees, burning that doll, and crying my heart out! Because that's exactly what she did. For her it was like killing her own child which she fed, slept and played with! This according to me was my first connection with Made in India. The memory of being alone on the stage with about 500 people in the audience is weaker than the emotions I had back then for Swadeshi. I froze on stage. Crying as I killed my child, for Made in India! I still have that emotion with me, within! I smilingly recollect bhaau (the trustee of my school) coming on stage and giving me 101 rupees and he pat on my back saying baala tuzhyat ek kala ahe - mann jinknyachi (you have this art of winning hearts!) he always came on stage to give me that 101 rupees reward even after my dance performances. I don't remember who came first in the competition, I won the 2nd prize in mono acting, but I didn't know the plan of universe! That plan was the real prize - this emotion! I also feel that If I wouldn't have chosen to be a business woman, I might have tried my hands on theater performances. I love expressing emotions, I feel emotions make us alive! Dropping this acting ka kida here hoping someday one of my child picks it up! Let's move on to the next evidence of how I am deep rooted and connected with Indian Handicrafts and handloom or rather Made in India!
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| Maharani AhilyaBai Holkar Statue at Indore Airport |
I belong to a Nomadic Tribe of Maratha state of India, namely Dhangar! We have this symbolic tribal handloom completely eco friendly, hand dyed and handwoven by us, we call it Ghongdi. Even today any of our auspicious rituals and occassions are just incomplete without our Ghongdi! Our newest one at home is atleast 25year old and looks as young as today! (Kathi na ghongda gheu dya ki ra song on my mind right now!). During my study of Indian Handlooms, I read about the queen of my tribe, Maharani AhilyaBai Holkar (1725 -1795). She was a visionary queen who thought of sustainable livelihood for her praja and hence she invited weavers from Burhanpur and settled some of them at Maheshwar and thus gave rise to the Maheshwari handloom saree which is till date one of the most popular and revived handloom of India!! One of their most beautiful collections can be found around weaving units at Maheshwar near the Narmada river side palace of Maharani AhilyaBai Holkar! It's beautiful how our ancestors bless us with qualities through blood, similarities in looks and personality traits in living!
I feel not just handloom and Handicrafts, but over all style of interior, architecture, food,clothing, living and consumption and productions of every country and culture should be authentic along with the balance of globalization, because that's the only way to preserve what we have and give and share it to the world! After all, self reliability and individuality is a dignified pattern of existence, don't you think?!
Well, on that note, that's how I come back to what I said at the beginning of this one! Everything is written!! Our universe knows how to get us on our track and keep us following it! I hope you too have found your signs! And if not, watch out! you might just find it!
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