Handcrafted textiles, upcycled jewellery, ethnic fashion, eco-friendly home decor and so much more - indeed, there was something for everyone at Churn 2024, a three-day artisanal mandi organised by the Crafts Council of Telangana in Banjara Hills recently.
As soon as we entered the space, a beautiful five-deck golu flanked by earthen pots - out of which fragrant orange and yellow marigold garlands poured out - was a sight for sore eyes.
We looked around at each stall, taking in the strong hues of creativity, colour, and exquisite craftsmanship. Everywhere we turned, there were inviting, appealing, and highly useful products.
The theme this year was ethical and sustainable products, and so the artisanal mandi saw artists and craftspeople from cities across India such as Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Palakkad, Bengaluru, Chennai, New Delhi and Kannauj coming together to showcase their versatile creations.
“Give me anything you don’t want and I will turn it into a piece of art,” declared Jagadish, founder of Harali Kale, which transforms discarded materials into exquisite handmade lamps. His stall was absolutely quirky, almost like it was right out of an adventure novel.
Like Jagadish, many craftspeople have devoted their lives to their craft. And 75-year-old Sundari, founder of Thaatiaaku Craft, wore a bright smile as she said in Telugu, “I battled poverty growing up and to make ends meet, I started transforming palm leaves into beautiful baskets, boxes and decor.” She eagerly showed off her products and beautifully packaged palmyra honey.
Among so many creatively crafted items, it was difficult to place one above the other; every stall was its own kind of fabulous.
Maria Kuriakose’s Thenga Coco offered a gorgeous collection of environment-friendly home decor, kitchenware and candles, all of which were made out of discarded coconut shells by artisans in Kerala.
But apart from baskets and decorative pieces, Churn 2024 encouraged entrepreneurs to set up stalls for fashionable apparel and jewellery too. We looked around and spotted Rangila Dhaga, which looked no less than a top fashion boutique with its Gamcha and Kantha embroidery and apparel collections. Founder Kalpana said, “I am from a family of artisans. Back in West Bengal, we actually train and empower women to craft these products.”
Other noteworthy ventures at Churn 2024 were Ambi aur Dali, Ananya Earthcraft, Acclidesign, Ancient Living, Diti, Fromvedas, High on Embroidery, Heritagebox, MOH by Rinki, Ohrna, Paper Garden, Parvana Creations, Sahayam-A Helping Hand, Shree Ceramic Handcrafts, Shiloh by Sophie, Yarnwonders, Macrafte by Vijaya.
The artisanal mandi saw people pouring in over the three days, with everyone eager to explore and covet something for themselves and their homes.
Actress Jhansi Laxmi, chief guest at Churn 2024, explored each stall, chatted with artisans about the process, and even purchased a few goodies for herself.
“I’ve been living a sustainable life for almost 20 years now. What made Churn 2024 unique was that artisans here showed that sustainable items can be fashionable and high-utility too.
Gamcha as a fashion statement is new. Crocheting was previously something that many women would do at home along with their chores, so seeing a woman-led business offer crochet items here was great. In fact, women and underprivileged people are pivotal in many ventures here,” she said.
Story by Nitika Krishna