Gifts that give back

On a backstrap loom, a woman from a village in North Eastern India weaves distinctivly graphic patterns. The result is a beautiful nettle shawl, which speaks of the tradition, culture and heritage of a Naga community. The shawl, as well as neatly woven pillow covers, crochet jewellery, intricately designed handbags and more were all part of ARTISANS’ annual Artisanal Christmas exhibition at Kala Ghoda. Started since 2012, the exhibition focuses on gifts that give back to society, keeping with the spirit of Christmas – the season of giving. This year was the first time the gallery focused on a particular region, bringing to Mumbai the best from Nagaland’s female weavers.

With love from Nagaland

Beautiful brownish-white organic shawls are woven using a mix of nettle (or stinging nettle) – a plant that grows wild in Nagaland – and cotton. “After the stalk is stripped, the fibre is softened and woven with cotton into cloth, from which bags, runners and other products are made,” explains Radhi Parekh, the founder of ARTISANS’. For these nettle products, you would have to shell out Rs1,000 to Rs3,000. Certain tribes from Nagaland are known to be good weavers, such as the Konyak tribe from Mon as well as the Chakhesang Nagas. Each tribe creates shawls with unique patterns and graphics, which have their own meaning; for instance, the elephant shawl is worn by a Chakhesang tribesman who has treated the village to a ‘feast of merit’ – a considerably expensive affair.

On display at ARTISANS’ are also stunning black, white and red shawls created by a strong network of over 300 women, who are involved in Chizami Weaves, a project initiated by the North East Network (NEN), an NGO dedicated to ensuring a sustainable livelihood for the economically marginalized Naga women. “Chizami ones are the most complex. In keeping with the Christmas cheer, most of the products are available in Christmas colours –bright reds and greens. The price for these shawls start at Rs3,000,” shares Parekh.

There's more to it

For those who love to knit, what better gift than putting together an adorable hamper of hand-spun, natural-dyed wool produced by Peoli, a private organization in Uttarakhand. Jackets, woven on the fly-shuttle loom—in a weaving technique unique to villages in Uttarakhand—knitted blouses and crop tops are available at prices ranging from Rs4,000 to Rs10,000. “To weave a jacket, it takes 15-20 days. A local technique is used to create the weaves, but we have our own workshop with around 60 local women working on these looms,” says Abhinav Dhoundiyal, the co-founder of Peoli.

If you still haven’t found that perfect gift, there are hand-picked colourful bags in a variety of sizes – small hand purses to totes that cost between Rs250 to Rs4,000 – by Pabiben, a craft entrepreneur from Gujarat. Or perhaps you may prefer beautiful crochet jewellery, hair pins and scarves by Samoolam, an NGO working for social development in Bihar.

Gifting to give back

“Having met many of the NGOs in Nagaland this summer, we thought it would be a great idea to make them a focus of our Artisanal Christmas this year. Upto 70 per cent of the proceeds go directly to the artisans who have made the product. Our aim is to sustain these communities through a livelihood for women in the crafts they engage. Rather than just buying a gift for one person, you buy an eco and socially conscious gift which gives back to entire communities,” says Parekh. While you splurge on these exquisite gifts, you go home feeling good from having helped someone.