Dastakar Bazaar

I went to the Dastakar Nature Bazaar at IGNCA, Janpath for the third time. Came back with my hands full and purse empty. Yet again.

The bazaar is very extensive, you need at least 3-4 hours do even begin to do justice to it. On display are clothes, home-furnishings, decor, gift-items, shoes, bags, accessories, toys- and much more. Arts & craftsmen have come from all over India and adjoining countries like Bangladesh and Bhutan to showcase their products.

Some of the highlights:

1. Mulberry (Weavers from Assam): This stall is right at the beginning of the exhibition. It has beautiful and colorful kurtas, potli-purses, jackets for sale. Mulberry is the brand for the work done by women weavers in Assam. These women are generally the sole supporters of their family- more often than not the eldest sibling. They remain unmarried and continue to support their family till their younger brothers are not ready to take over their weaving. Post that they fade into oblivion, with little or no status for them in their families and the society.

The kurtas were an absolute delight and much of my purse-strings were loosened here. The motif is a mostly a square one- typically contrasting the base color of the cloth. Like purple on pink, red on black, fawn on blue. I bought a very interesting kurta, in which a rani-pink thread had been interwoven with a saffron thread, the pink thread over the saffron one- hence imparting the pink a slight orange tinge. Beautiful!

2. Sambalpuri Saris: Ikkat woven from Orissa. Extraordinary. Especially the pasapalli designs. Pasapalli is the checkered board used to play 'pasas' (What Shakuni and Yudhishthir used to play). So many saris, all better than the next one, from fiery red and gaping green to more subtle greys, blacks and whites.

3. Trash-to-cash shop: This shop was made out of a discarded rickshaw, which had been re-painted bright blue. There were boxes, photo-frames, notebooks with fancy covers- all made of tape. Yes, the same tape that is in audio-cassettes was interwoven to create the frame and this whole thing then decorated with tiny beads.

4. Yummy organic munchies: I got a packet of roasted jowar from a stall with organic food from the brand 'Down to Earth'. Apparently they had all the certifications- US, EU and Indian- to prove that they are truly organic. (Although I can't say for sure how true are these standards.) The roasted jowar was seasoned with salt and crushed black pepper. A great thing to munch while watching FRIENDS episodes for the nth time in the middle of the night!

5. Bhutanese Skirt (Kira): I saw these girls wearing beautiful and elegant skirts and shiny jackets. (Okay, i did not much fancy the jackets.) Then finally i figured out, the third time I went there, that they were from Bhutan. So I went up to one of them and asked if these skirts were being sold anywhere. She took me to the stall and they even taught me how to wrap one around myself. The skirt,which is called the Kira, is wraped and held up with a special belt, which they fastened around my waist so, so tightly, that it literally took my breath away! The skirts were priced way beyond my budget, but at least I got to wear one for a short while!

6. Irom Sharmila T-shirts: I read about Irom Sharmila sometime back. She has been fasting for over a decade to protest against the AFSPA in Manipur. She is rightly known as the 'Iron Lady of Manipur'.  I came across T-shirts with her on the front. I was telling my mother about her and her incredible fast, when a lady came up to us and told us to look at the back of that T-shirt. It was a quote by Sharmila that said (not verbatim):

"What is important is that the lesson should stay with the younger lot after one dies.."

Of course, I had to buy the T-shirt. (For those who have missed the exhibition, these may be available at a Peepal Tree outlet.)

7. Charpoys: There were charpoys and jute chairs kept near the food stalls. Sitting there, while the sun went down, felt like one was sitting in a real village haat. And they were so comfortable!

8. Security: I left my purse at a charpoy, and realized it only after we had moved ahead to the stalls. I ran to the spot where I had been and people there told me that a security guard had taken it. Almost simultaneously I heard my name being announced on the PA. I went to the help desk and there was my purse- with money and cards intact. Good work G4 security!

I think the food could have been much better. There was the regular chat, golgappas, rolls, kachodi. The variety really did not match up to the rest of the exhibition. But all in all, it was a great experience to look at beautiful work from all across the country.