Textiles, crafts and food from nine countries in South Asia is the focus of a new joint initiative to rejuvenate age-old artisan skills by regional integration and to provide traditional artisans employment opportunities in a competitive global market.
A three-day 'Lotus Bazaar' beginning here tomorrow, part of a South Asian festival 'SASIAN Journeys' brings together representatives from NGOs, craftpersons, cooperatives, designers and artists from Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Burma, Sri Lanka and India.
The bazaar is billed as a forum for designers, craftspeople and others to meet each other, showcase their products and retail directly to consumers.
Workshops, performances, symposium are also scheduled for participants to understand the need to create original content in order to take advantage of Intellectual Property Right opportunities in the global knowledge economy with emphasis on textiles, pottery, grass products, performance, puppetry, acrobatics, culinary arts etc.
"...It is very important that we as a society reach out to civic society in neighbouring countries on issues ranging from livelihood issues to gender equality. It is important to learn from one another," says Rajeev Sethi, a designer and chairman of the Asian Heritage Foundation.
The Delhi-based foundation has collaborated with the Smithsonian Institute in Washington and Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) in Ahmedabad together with UNDP and World Bank to organise a six-day consultation towards sustainable cultural and creative livelihoods, that began on March 26.
A food festival, 'Sanjha Chulha' curated by food historian Pushpesh Pant is one of the events that aims to showcase the diversity of culinary art through various local and regional cuisines of South Asia.
