Cane baskets filled with hand-made gifts wrapped in handloom fabric much like the Japanese Furoshiki, old-world sweets and savouries in snazzy eco-friendly packing… The concept of gifting has seen a sea change.
The trend now is to go in for customised gifts, ideally hand-made and created without causing much damage to the environment. Some of these are machine-made, but use naturally-occurring materials: such as Heelium’s athletic socks made from bamboo fibre. Choose to pack them in something beautiful yet sustainable. If you like the idea of a bag created out of strips of leftover fabric or a pouch that fuses fabric and strands of jute or dried banana stem, here is a list of eco-friendly yet contemporary gifting options. And they all serve a cause.
The Potter’s Shed, Kodaikanal
USP: Glazed tableware
Started in 1992 by schoolteacher Bob Granner and potter, Subramani, The Potter’s Shed makes a range of glazed stoneware that stays true to the Pondicherry aesthetic. For the festive season, it offers hand-made lamps, saucers for salad dressings and individual butter servings, candle stands, mugs, perfume bottles, chutney bowls and the like. “These could make a hamper by themselves,” says Jayashree Kumar, managing trustee of the eponymous trust. Proceeds go towards educating children from disadvantaged backgrounds and helping potters.
Prices range from ₹90 to ₹300. Available at The Potter’s Shed, Kodaikanal. 0454 2240244
Froggmag, Delhi
USP: Scarves with Gond birds
An enterprise run by Krishna Kumar and Shalinee Ghosh, Froggmag has always focussed on accessible art. For the year-end season, Ghosh says, “We have introduced new designs in mugs and trays, as well as a new line of bookmarks and badges with Indian art. For children, we have red Christmas scarves featuring Indian birds instead of the regular robin. Adults can choose from scarves with Gond birds.”
In their work with Gond and folk artists, she says they pay them what they ask for, sometimes more, for an original work, depending on the intricacy of the art form. “Wherever possible, we acknowledge them in our creations. We recreate these designs in-house to suit various products, and these are machine-made,” she adds. Occasionally, the brand commissions art, like it did with Gond artist Kailash Pradhan.
Prices range from ₹120 (gift tags) to ₹2,200 (silver jewellery). Available at Crafts Council of India’s Kamala stores in Kolkata, Chennai and Delhi or froggmag.com.
Shalom, Udhagamandalam
USP: Toda embroidery
When Sheela Powell started Shalom, an NGO that markets Toda embroidery, she knew the women who created the intricate pukhoor work had to look beyond the traditional puthukuli shawl. Thus was born a range that includes Christmas decorations such as bells, stars and stockings featuring the trademark red and black embroidery.
It was initially difficult to convince the women that their embroidery could take on other shapes too, but they soon realised the benefits of a regular income. They were getting a fair price for their work, earning anywhere between ₹4,000 and ₹12,000 a month for embroidering from the comfort of their homes. Currently, Shalom employs 200 Toda women, and another 50 who are economically underprivileged finish the products at the Shalom office, housed in a heritage building on Claremont Club Road, Ooty.
Starting from ₹100; the Christmas collectible set is priced at ₹500. Follow @ShalomOoty on Facebook for details. 9486022164
Aham Bhumika, Bhopal
USP: Art on cushion covers
A tote bag featuring Gond art or a cushion cover with sprightly tribal motifs? Founder Subrat Goswami says the group initially started off eight years ago to help village children with education. Then they realised the mothers wanted to be engaged in something productive too. “We focussed on two villages near Bhopal. They were familiar with hand embroidery, but needed to fine-tune it. Vandana Agarwal of Ahmedabad-based NGO Gramshree helped us get resource persons to train our members.” In the four years since, Aham Bhumika has grown enough to sell products online too, and is in the process of setting up its own online marketing platform.
The Zodiac sign bags are priced at ₹550, while the cushion covers range from ₹650 to ₹750. Visit ahambhumika.org for details. 9826472718
Auroville Papers, Puducherry
USP: Papier-mâché angels
Just before the festive season, Luisa Meneghetti and her team of dream-workers at the Auroville Papers workshop came up with creations that belie their humble origin. The eclectic star made of rag cloth is just an example. “We hail from different countries, and derive inspiration from varied sources. We also have a new line of handmade notebooks, and handmade paper that is printer ready. There are angels and flowers made of papier-mâché too.”
Of the 34-member workforce, more than 70% are women. The staff is drawn from the villages surrounding Auroville. With many of the products, the team had to find a way to tweak tried-and-tested techniques to fit a new design. “We experiment with the final product, because we have the raw material readily available.”
Prices range from ₹100 to ₹400. Shop on auroville.com and at Auroville, Puducherry. 0413 2622122