When I shopped the whole of India in a day!!

 

Video of Bharat tex -2025.

Who doesn't love shopping? I certainly do!! Especially, those that have some uniqueness in them, some special features or that promotes the "local identity". Though I am not a “shopaholic”, as of now, and refrain myself from scrolling the very ‘discombobulating’ e-commerce platforms, yet, I occasionally go for non-virtual shopping !

I am gonna share with you my recent "Edutainment shopping" experience and the 'insights' I gained from the salespeople, whom I whole heartedly want to refer to as ‘skilled creators’. The skilled creators have taken up manufacturing their products not as profession, but as ‘passion’. They are the 'flag bearers' of the ‘art and handicrafts’ that have flourished for generations and have kept India’s art and fashion as a living tradition !!!.

The Government of India has recognised many of these products and given them geographical indication tag (GI tag) in order to respect their passion and boost their profession, in turn, make India a manufacture hub!!!

After such a spectacular introduction, I’m sure you all want to know where I had been shopping? The "Geographical indication(GI)" fair India, 2023 at India Expo Centre and Mart, greater Noida, Delhi NCR, India.

There are many such trade fairs, which are held -"International trade fair" (IITF) in Pragati Maidan, held every year in and around November; ‘melas’ in Surajkund, Faridabad, Delhi Haat, and many more attracting a huge lot. All these are the platforms to shop our India’s "quintessential" art and crafts.

Not just in Delhi, but in smaller cities, like Mysore in Karnataka-my native place, also organises ‘haats’ to create easy access to local producer and consumer. I definitely request everyone to visit and shop in these places to encourage our fantastic traditions!

Coming back to the GI fair, it solely featured GI products and was, for me, an educational experience —especially the new list of GIs released every year—I witnessed it practically.

My first encounter was the stall which displayed the "Lambani handloom clothes of Sandur", Karnataka. The tribal Lambani women exquisitely embroider the clothes with hands. What I admire is the use of natural dye for the dresses and beautifully woven, perfect geometrical designs.

I could not stop purchasing a red Kurti with beautiful thread embroidery on it. This art truly deserves a GI tag since it is "sustainable and stylish". What I liked was the beautiful embroidery and use of Natural dyes !!.

Gujarat Bandhani

As I walked along, I came across the Jamnagar "Bandhani of Gujarat", another elegant ‘tie and dye’ fabric of the Kutch area. These desert regions, whether in Kutch, Gujarat, or Thar, Rajasthan, all have vibrant cultures. The people here see colours in their attire, what they usually don’t see in their geography. When I asked the artisan what ‘Bandhani’ means, he told me that they tie small knots and then dye it with natural colours to form beautiful patterns. The amount of dedication and time it had taken to create such lovely artwork on the fabric intrigued me !.

"Patan Patola" is yet another stunning silk fabric either as a sari or dupatta. I was very interested in this fabric, because "Honourable prime minister Modi ji had gifted this to Italy Prime Minister" in one of the summits. it is one of the expensive traditional fabrics of India!. I stood in awe when I saw it in real!!. It was one of its class!! with beautiful attractive colours and most elegant designs (Ikat)on them. This fabric of Gujarat truly deserve much more than GI, something like an Oscar in the field of costumes and dresses!!

Expensive yet exclusive "Kalanamak rice".

Moving ahead, do you know a ‘rice’ which was gifted to the people of Shravasti by Gautam Buddha? The rice as such is not black but is named ‘Kala namak’ rice. I had read about this in the news that the name is derived because of the black Husk. I learned that it received its GI tag in 2012 from the farmer and trader who was selling the rice. He also explained to me why the rice is so expensive Rs. 1050 per KG as compared to Rs. 50 or 100 per KG for regular rice. He described the nutritional advantages, including the presence of anthocyanin, an antioxidant, and the high levels of zinc, iron, and low glycaemic index that make it particularly beneficial for diabetics. I had read that a new variety of Kala namak called ‘Pusa Narendra’ introduced to address the problem of low yield. As I spoke to him about this, he hurriedly said ‘’This is the natural variety and not the ‘PUSA’ made rice’’. He further showed the grains‘ attractive packaging and the high demand for rice in western nations due to its flavour and health advantages. Though we had no intention to buy the rice, we bought it for a reason that I am a ‘’health nut’’. Well, the saying "prevention is better than cure" is a good reason to be a health nut. My mother was more interested in cultivating this rice in our Karnataka. Though the farmer told that the ‘Terai’ region was best suited for this rice and growing this in Karnataka is a futile task, my mother was determined to experiment it and gave her contact number, address and requested for seeds. Now, what I am eagerly waiting is whether the rice will be like ‘Taj Mahal of Agra’ poorly replicated by Aurangzeb as’ Bibi Ka Maqbara in Maharashtra .Let’s wait and watch!!

Lucknow’s authentic 'Chikan Kari'!!

As I moved on, I came to lucknow’s quintessential chikankari handloom fabric.

I was surprised to hear when the artisan 'Mrs. Sarita verma' explained me how the threads of hand made ‘chikan’ works are thin, but machine made chikans are thick and clumsy. The works on the cotton clothes were stunning and certainly deserve a space in one’s cupboard.

Have you heard of "Phulkari", something like "Kalam Kari". Yes!!“phulkari" of punjab is a GI tagged fabric. Phulkari means "flower work" as per the artisan whom I spoke to. She told me how they use needles to exquisitely knit threads in the form of flowers. I bought the multicolored embroidery adorned dupatta, as I thought it would go well with many clothes.

As you can see, I have shopped most of the north India. There were also the great Pashmina of Kashmir, Bagh print of MP and others which were showcasing their tradition with utmost elegance.

North east is India’s integral and most interesting region with its rich culture and heritage. The beautiful and serene rainforests, the tribal culture- their ‘Dance, Dress and Dish’ are fascinating.

Furthermore, it is encouraging to know that projects like "PM Devine" will improve the region’s infrastructure. Also, many GI tags to northeast’s authentic products provide boost to the region.

Gamosa and not Samosa

The well-known "Gamosa" or "Gamcha" is one such fabric that I came across. It is a lovely white cotton cloth with a red border that is worn as a sign of respect. This fabric had caught my eyes when I saw PM Modi ji was wearing it on his shoulders while he got his covid shots.

It is such a good idea to wear our traditional attire during important occasions and gift it to the foreign leaders. This showcases our rich culture internationally!! and boost demand for our traditional products.!

See the ‘C’ in vitamin C

What I am holding in my hand is the 'Kaji nimbu' (lemon) of Assam. A variety of lemon which is seedless, longer, bigger and more juicy. I will certainty see the "c" in this and use these lemons for Vitamin C.

After touring north and north east, I came to south, my own region. More relatability in terms of language, food and dressing sense. Due to the fact that Tamil and Telugu speakers share the same "Dravidian family of languages," conversing in Kannada was quite advantageous.

Elegance at its best!!!

Mirrors are an essential part of daily life. Not just as a tool to monitor how well we have groomed ourselves, but to also admire our own beauty, converse with our own self and develop our own personality!!. This mirror from Kerala, was a special one!. It is not an ordinary glass mirror; instead, it is a highly polished metal mirror that was initially made in "Aranmula," Kerala. Thus, "Ararnmula Kannadi" was chosen.

It is made of an alloy of copper and tin, and supports the notion I learned about in my eighth-grade chemistry lesson that "Metals are highly lusturous."

The Andhra Style of asking "Baagunnara?"- How are you? shows the hospitality towards guests, and hospitality means a sweet gesture. Go, obviously the "Bandar Laddu" of Andhra pradesh deserves a GI tag. Laddus made with pure ghee and 'Bandar wheat halwa' were provided as samples to taste.  My brain’s recognition of the sweetness caused a rush of dopamine and serotonin!!. As a result, I was compelled to purchase more because, as you may know, dopamine and serotonin rushes are quite uncommon these days...

Have you read about "Binary fission"‘This is a type of asexual reproduction, what we have read in our lower classes. Here, an organism, say amoeba, splits to produces a daughter cell.

Likewise, we all know how our Andhra was split to form a daughter state "Telangana". And Telangana’s ‘Poochampally’ district is well known for its Ikat sarees, GI tagged and also recognised by UNESCO. I was drawn to Poochampally because, it was named the "Best Tourism Village," which is why it drew my attention.

My own mysuru’s rosewood inlay showcased here was such a pride, Earlier, elephant’s ivory was used for the inlay paintings, but now discontinued to protect our heritage aninal. Yet the skillful carvings on rosewood are perfect for our homes. Also Mysore’s native Sandalwood- its incense sticks, extracts for perfumes and cosmetics are in great demand. "Sandal" - yet another source of dopamine rush deserves attention.!!!

By the time I reached my place, I had realized- how can I cover the whole of India in a day?

Our magnificent, vast and rich culture demands more and more energy and time. I had to refuel myself first with India’s "nutricereals"- The millets. Proud that UNGA had designated 2023 as "International year of millets"!!!!

So, to respect it, my mom and I have been extensively using millets. Despite living a sedentary lifestyle, it has helped me maintain my fitness and keep my "colon health at its best!". Colon heath means overall health, that’s for sure!!

The GI fair had brought in top chefs to add taste to this healthy food. Millets respectfully designated as "Shri Anna" needs more and more production and Consumption owing to it's sustainability, super food character and source of income to the farmers. I will always be an ardent consumer and if possible a producer of ''millet-nutricereals"!

Now that I had refueled, I was eager to explore the rest of India,

but we were short on time because my mom had an important work to complete, so we had to make our way to the exit. Still on the way, I saw the "agates of Gujarat " being exquisitely decorated into jewellery for all ornament lovers.

Agates are natural and colourful rocks perfect to act as beads. The coolness it imparts on the skin has a calming effect.

Another nostalgic art was the "Channapatna wooden toys of Karnataka"!! which I, as a child  played with them. If I had a chance to regress back to a child, my first wish would be to play with these toys.! The best part is they are much more attractive than any plastic toys. I also purchased the UP Brocades beautiful suit material, saw the west Bengal’s "Purulia chau masks" which are worn by artists while performing dance.

The "Odisha patachitra" was the last, but certainly not least, thing that held me in amazement.A delicate painting was done on the palm leaves!! Just WOW! My mind was completely blown by this artwork. To take attention of every little detail and weave a tale on a palm leaf must take a lot of patience. Wonderful, amazing, and fantastic!!!

There came the exit, where I had to leave this place with bag full of our Indian art and, memory full of knowledge!!.

An opportunity to know our “Art and culture" Practically, which I had pretty much knew it theoretically.

Now, I certainly would go shop from these artisans whenever possible, not out of compassion but out of the experience I had, which showcased me beautiful arts highly Capable of being trendy and fashionable.

I have no words, but hats off to their ’perseverance", passion' and "power to continue our culture and give us a reason to be "proud" of our rich and varied heritage!! and as our school pledge goes -"I shall always strive to be worthy of it "

Nostalgic again!

© Nidhishree J S @Nidhyana 

24th July 2023.