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A streak of inspiration

Since childhood I have this huge attraction for Indian handicrafts and I try my best not to miss a single handicrafts fair/ exhibition organized in my city. Moreover when I travel I make sure that I visit the handicrafts market of that particular region. Buying handmade things gives me immense joy also I own quite a collection of such beautiful things.
So last weekend I happened to visit this huge event called Kala Varso ( Inheritance of Art) organised at Science Center Surat. Actually I was unaware that such exhibition has been organised but Neha di knew about it. We were out for buying some stuff that day so after grabbing a bite at varie-tea, (my fav hang out place) we decided to take a look at what the exhibition has to offer. 
To my surprise the exhibition was very well managed. There were stalls of artisans representing almost every region of our country. They were demonstrating the special features of their craft which varied from region to region but the enormous amount of beauty and creativity which I witnessed was too much for my eyes to handle. 
We decided to talk to the artisans and seek some inspiration for Neha di's upcoming startup of promoting Indian handicrafts amongst the youth.  Fortunately that day I was carrying my diary and pen and I took notes of struggle stories of several artisans.


Between all the glamour of the artisans who were National award  winners and associated with fancy NGOs, I came across this extremely simple lady who has specialized in crafting things from dried remains of bamboo trees. Moreover she had hardly used any artificial dye on her products. 
Her name is Sharda Bai Verma. She hails from Ujjain district Madhya Pradesh. Brooms, flower vases, dolls, wall hangings all made from eco friendly raw material is her area of specialization. 
When I asked for her contact details she untied a knot at the edge of her saree and gave us the hand written piece of paper with her contact details written on it in Hindi. She was very happy to share her details with us. I was literally moved by her simplicity. 
She is the best example of using the existing resource to generate income. If we need to materialize our idea we crib about the lack of logistics but this woman is single handedly managing her business with whatever she can avail from the surroundings..  
    

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