It is getting closer

Can you feel my excitement? Just a few more sleeps and I leave for India.Most of the packing is done and much of the planning is as well. Ready for some changes and surprises too.
 I will be sending the next message after I get to Ahmedabad and the Arts Reverie Hotel.

Devi in front and Mohan rear

Devi in turban modelling for me

Apparently the boys-Devi- the manager and Mohan- the houseboy have been getting ready for me and my group. They were very helpful last year.
 Better get back to packing and working on Janet's to-be-done-before-you-go list.
 Take care of each other.
 Russ

Merry Christmas one and all!

Just wanted to wish all a very Merry Christmas

and a safe and prosperous New Year!

Janet ,Seth and Russ

Now the counting is serious!

2 weeks today and I leave SSM. I hope that by then the weather in the rest of the world is on a holiday so all can travel as planned.Sure has been strange in Europe and in the south of the province.
My suitcase is starting to fill so I will have to follow my advise and remember that this is not a fashion parade.
I have been monitoring the weather in Ahmedabad and it has been in the low 30's C during the day but down to 8-9 overnight.
Another dinner invitation came today for the group.I can't say enough about the generous nature of the group that I have met. How to return the hospitality?

Want to get on?

Gate to Bhuj just a few steps from the Hotel Gangaram

Time to scrub the landing floor.
Take care of each other.

Only 21 days until I leave !

Who else is counting ?
With the time slipping by it has been very hectic here. A complete bathroom renovation and volunteering at the Christmas Cheer Depot Janet and I have found it hard to catch our collective breaths. Things will be calmer next season!
I am envious about one of the group . She will be leaving for India on Friday and will join us rested and refreshed in Ahmedabad on Jan 9. The rest of us will still be 'jet' lagged.

Sweeping up and getting ready for us.

Checking to make sure all is ready!

Take care of each other.

A hint about Kala Raksha Design School

We are expecting another snow storm tonight with up to 15 cm. Hmmmmmm.
Today was -22 C when I went to the YMCA at 6am. - it was +25 in Ahemedabad! Big difference.
One of the places we will be visiting in Bhuj is a design school called Kala Raksha. I was there last year with one of their graduates -Chaman - as my guide and presented a colour and design talk to the students who were there.
We - the group- will be visiting there on Jan 18 for  tour and interaction with the students and staff. We will visit their museum and have opportunites to talk to their mentor/director Judy Frater.
I encourage you to visit their web site and follow the links they have developed. http://www.kala-raksha.org/ for full details about them and the area.

Interior court yard at Kala Raksha

Staff- facing camera teacher,Chaman, walking away, and the Cook

Enjoying chai and conversation

Questions with students with much helpful translation

Take care of each other.

Tick tic tic the time is flying by!

With about 30 days to go the lists of things to do seems to be growing and the time to get them done is shrinking. Janet,Seth and I have now been over 2 weeks with no shower at home. Thankfully the Y is part of our routine. Hopefully this week the job will be done!
Where to stay in India - in Ahmedabad we will be staying in a charming out of the way hotel. It is set WAY back from the main road in a winding alley and as a result is much quieter than some other locations. Safe and clean. See the first of the blog for a view of the area.

Main locations for our stay will be the following. Yes they all have 'Western' toilets!!

Khamir Residence,Bhuj

Khamir rooms

Shaam e Sarhad resort Hodka

Shaam e Sarhad Resort, Hodka

The Palace Beaches at Mandvi

On the shore of the Arabian Ocean at dawn

View from the Palace roof top ,Mandvi

Mr Jehti of the Hotel Gangaram, Bhuj.

 Note the visitor in the doorway.

A few more entries for those of you who are following this adventure. I just wish that the 'lurkers' would become followers as well.



Next posting later this week - time to get some other stuff done.

Take care of each other.

More special people

As the time gets closer - only 53 days for me- I would like to introduce 2 more friends from Bhuj and Hodka.
 I met Himansu in Bhuj. He had acted as translator for Chaman and Chaman and I were visiting him one evening. Over tea Himansu told me that he was going to be in Santa Fe, New Mexico this summer at the International Folk Art Fair- why don't I drive over and help them out in the booth. I laughed at the thought- distance being about 4-5 days drive .
After I got home and told Janet about the offer we began to see about the possibility. We ended up taking the train from Grand Rapids ,MI to Santa Fe. Great trip !
However the highlight was meeting up with Himansu again and the artisan he was translating for- Ramu.

Embroidery and Quilt Work
Ramu is a Meghwal who was born in the Banni region of Kutch, where quilt making and embroidery are integral to the culture. Men source and sew the cloth while women are skilled in embroidery and mirrored work.
At 12, Ramu made his first quilt for his mother to embroider. Later traveling to government-sponsored craft fairs, Ramu joined a company in Bhuj where he learned new products and improved his skills.
Ramu has now trained two of his brothers and two nephews in the work.

Such great work he does. The group will be visiting Ramu in his village of Hodka on Jan 27th.

Ramu,Janet,Russ and Himansu. The qult shown was Ramu's gift to Janet for helping him at The sales table.

Ramu and Shamji at the 'gathering of the artisans ' from all over the world.

Ramu and one of his quilts in Santa Fe. He can be proud of his work.

 Himansu at home in Bhuj

Smita - Himansu's wife with some of her stock .
Smita's business is WAMA -women's artisans' marketing agency.
Smita will be hosting a cooking demonstration and tasting in her home while we are in Bhuj.
I can hardly wait!



Did I mention only 53 more sleeps til I leave?

Take care of each other.

The weaver who started it all- Chaman Premji Vankar

Chaman is a very talented weaver from Bhujodi, India. I first met him at the Ontario Handweavers Confernce in Alliston ,Ontario in May of 2009. His weavings were a great hit to all who attended the OHS conference. He was by default my roommate. What luck ! Over the weekend we spent many hours talking about weaving and his country- often until very late in the morning. At the end of the weekend Chaman invited me to visit him. Oh sure I thought!  After much planning and support from my wife I began to plan the trip.

Chaman with his wife Remita ,their son Shamshank and daughter Linsey

What a trip it was. The final part of the time in India was to be spent with Chaman in his village and surrounding area. I travelled with Chaman on the back of his motorscooter to visit family and friends. The things I saw will be some of the sights the group who will be with me this January will experience as well.

Courtyard in Bhujodi

Chaman examines a piece of handspun and handwoven antique cloth.
Yes, you can see through it!

Court yard at Chaman's studio

One of Chaman's weavers doing inlay.

Another of Chaman's weavers working on the pit loom.

Chaman , Linsey on the cymbals and his father with a stringed instrument made from a gourd in an impromptu concert.

With only 52 days left to pack I'd better get busy.

Take care of each other.

Introducing some of the people we will meet in India in about 60 days!

Over the course of the next few postings I want to introduce you to some of the great individuals that we will be with in India. Some we will see for a short time but some will be with us all the time.

On arrival in India one of the first faces we will see will be Gaurav. His welcoming smile and warm ways will make travel with him a safe and easy thing to do.

 This is Guarav modeling one of my scarves . The colour suits him!

 It was not all work for Gaurav. Sometimes he just has to sit and wait for the group.

While we were learning techniques and tricks Gaurav picked up a few pointers as well. This was in a blockprinting  workshop in Ajakhpur at Dr Ismail Khatri's. We will be going there for an extended workshop this year.

Stay tuned and meet some more of our friends as the time gets closer.

Did I mention that I leave in 60 days. Better start packing!

Take care of each other.



Embroidery in Bhuj

I will admit I stole this entry from a great site. To see the whole site go to http://www.gaatha.com/ and click on blog.

My reason for the theft is simple. Much detail and great pictures and this is one of the workshops that the group travelling with me could be participating in while we are in Bhuj.

By the way it is only 67 days until I leave. Should I start packing now?

 

 

Kutch…Rabari Embroidery

Rabari Embroidery
Location: Hodka, Bhujodi village, Kutchh - Gujarat, India

Gujarat is famous all over the world for its embroideries and mirrorwork.  There are about 16 different types of embroideries done in the Kutch region, but the most well known one, with its chain stitches and countless mirrors, is the Rabari embroidery.

It gets its name from the Rabari community, who are a nomadic / semi-nomadic community of cattle raisers living in the western region of India, from Rajasthan to the Kutch region in Gujarat. They migrated into this region from Sindh (now in Pakistan) about 400 years ago and many of their relatives still live there. They have wonderful stories about their origin, ranging from a connection with Shiva to Rajputs going outside their territories. Rabari, or “Rahabari” means one who lives outside or “goes out of the path”.

Among the Rabaris, the communities are further sub-divided into the Garasia, Kachela, Dhebaria and Wagadia of Kutch. Many of the Rabaris live in circular huts, known as “Bhunga”. These have proven to be much resistant to earthquakes in the tremors that hit Kutch in 2001. Although a cattle rearing community, they also engage in embroidery. The men work with leather while the women embroider garments and accessories.

As the type of embroidery on the garment clearly distinguishes the person’s identity, the different communities of Rabaris can be identified from the type and placement of embroidery on their odhanis (veils for head and shoulders). For examples, the Wagadia Rabaris wear odhanis with embroidered borders while the Kachela Rabaris have designs in the centre of the odhanis.

Rabari weddings are a colourful affair as any Indian wedding, but one of its aspects requires years of preparation. It is the preparation of dowry. The girl prepares her own dowry and only after it is ready she can go to her husband’s home. It may even take two or three years to prepare the trousseau which includes the girl’s clothes, bags, bedcovers and even the decorative camel cover. All of these are embroidered by the girl, and in this way, she also learns the skills which have passed on through generations.

The men also wear embroidered clothes, the white pleated and embroidered kediyu being the most well known garment.

Rabari embroidery is characterized by chain stitches and a generous use of mirrors. The women depict the world around them, without the help of sketches or patterns. The only material used is a simple needle and thread, which they purchase from Bhuj, the nearby town.
The stark landscape of Kutchh with its thorny babool and keekar bushes is given a new dimension with colours, by the vivid imagination of Rabari women, through chainstitches decorating the surface of cloth.
Other Rabari Embroidery villages:

Dhebar Rabari~ Makhiyan, Padhdhar, Bhardoi, Mamuara, Nadapa, Raydhanpar, Varnora and Dudhai
Kachchhi Rabari~ Madhapar, Gada, Bhujodi, Sanosara, Kodki, Makhana, Bharapar, Beru, Chakar, Devpar Gadhwali, Fotdi, Momaymora, Morjar, Meghpar, Kotda, Mankuva, Nathtarkui, Nakhatrana Nana, Tunda Vandh, Vadva Kanya and Bhojrajwari Vandh

Hodka Village, Bhuj (Kachh)

Take care of each other.

One more step closer

With only 70 days til this adventure begins things are starting to ramp up. The day before yesterday I received confirmation that the group will be able to spend the better part of a day in an UNESCO award winner's workspace. I was there last year and the fascinating block print work that Dr. Khatri and his workers do in nothing short of amazing. We are very fortunate to have this opportunity and special thanks goes to Himasu Dugar for co-ordinating this part of our time in Bhuj. Hiumasu was also responsible for arranging our group to have another UNESCO award winner -Jabbar Khatri -present his work to use in a workshop format. Jabbar is a bandani [ tie and dye] expert. This technique is many tiny knots tied in patterns. We will see how far we get!
Monday the first of November will be remembered by me as a very frustrating day.
The group's train tickets were ordered in early October. The train system only releases tickets only so far in advance so after the 15thof October my Indian travel agent- Guarav from http://www.indianmoments.com/ ordered the tickets. I waited  and waited - still no e-tickets  so emails started no response. Monday, Nov 1 I sent another query and a few minutes later Gaurav called from Jaipur, India saying that they had been sent. Somewhere in cyberspace they hung. Many other tries later the tickets arrived this morning.
The ladies will all be travelling in the same A/C coach in seats that are side by side. Huge thanks to Gaurav from Indian Moments for his extra efforts.
A few more details to deal with and hopefully all surprises will be little
 ones ;-}.
Take care of each other

CDN to INR exchange

Wow!

That was fast!
Into the bank yesterday to order some rupees.
Bank just called and my INR's are in.
Now I just hope that I don't spend them that quickly.
Any bets?
Take care of each other.

83 days but who is counting?

Just sent off for my Indian Visa today. It should be back in 1 week. We will see who is slower- Indian Consulate or Canada Post.
Several people have asked for some sites to check out things in India. The following are some that I used in planning this trip. Enjoy.

India Links in no particular order

·         www.kal-raksha.org

·         www.ecoindia.com

·         www.famous-india.com

·         www.responsibletravel.com

·         www.gujaratonline.com

·         www.pbase.com/davidclerk/images

·         www.incredibleindia.org

·         www.hodka.in

·         www.in.vfsglobal.ca

·         www.indianmoments.com

·         www.indiamike.com

·         www.calicomuseum.com

·         www.weatherunderground.com

·         www.musicindiaonline.com

·         www.xe.com

Take care of each other.

Questions,Questions,Questions?? Ask away....

Well, it is now about 90 days until India!
Plans continue to develop and questions from many come . Lots of simple things - about the food, the travel, the temperatures and the great people you will see.
For 'my group' - names and images may come after I get permission from them- questions mainly are about luggage,purchases and jet lag. All will be answered in time as we get closer to departure and arrival.
If you the reader have questions send me a message in the comments section and I will try to respond.
Sorry, I will not be able to become your personal shopper while I am there- I will be busy with my own shopping ;-)

Shamji's father checks out my weaving !

This is what Shamji weaves!

Shawls for sale!

Could not resist sneaking this picture of Ladies in Bhuj.

I hope to be able to post a new message at least once a week until I leave so keep checking back .

Take care of each other.

Current weather in Ahmedabad

Updated: 11:30 AM IST on October 05, 2010
	Tuesday Night Clear. Low: 25 °C . Wind WNW 14 km/h .
	Wednesday Clear. High: 39 °C . Wind North 18 km/h .
	Wednesday Night Clear. Low: 23 °C . Wind ENE 18 km/h .
	Thursday Clear. High: 38 °C . Wind NE 14 km/h .
	Thursday Night Clear. Low: 23 °C . Wind ENE 7 km/h .
	Friday Clear. High: 38 °C . Wind Calm.
	Friday Night Clear. Low: 24 °C . Wind Calm.
	Saturday Clear. High: 37 °C . Wind North 14 km/h .
	Saturday Night Clear. Low: 23 °C . Wind NW 10 km/h .
	Sunday Clear. High: 35 °C . Wind West 14 km/h .
	Sunday Night Clear. Low: 22 °C . Wind West 10 km/h .
	Monday Clear. High: 35 °C . Wind WNW 10 km/h .
	Monday Night Clear. Low: 22 °C . Wind SSW 10 km/h .

Just wanted you to know the weather in Ahmedabad for the next few days!
Only 98 days for me to wait.
Take care of each other.