Steer India 2015; Day 9

The morning started with another hearty Indian breakfast at the Shilpgram restaurant before proceeding to our first workshop of the day.

We were taught the fundamentals of how to prepare the sheep/goat yarn for weaving before having hands-on experience by trying it ourselves. After the demonstration, we took the bus to Khamir Organisation and were given a lecture on the geographical aspects of Kutch - how the Great Rann of Kutch was formed as well as water management techniques in the dessert. Then, it was the anticipated shopping time at their outlet (the handmade products by the artisans were sold there) found within the venue before having our lunch. Next, we proceeded to the bulk of our activity for the day - workshops conducted by Khamir. We were split into five smaller groups at the five stations available for us to learn and do hands-on activities. They were:

- Plastic Weaving (Khamir)

- Traditional Tie Dyeing (Khamir)

- Pottery (Khamir)

- Leather Making (Shilpgram)

- Normal Weaving (Shilpgram)

Each workshop was conducted by a master artisian along with an interpreter for about two hours simultaneously and for some workshops that ended earlier on, we were able to join in other workshops to have a more holistic learning about Khamir. Through this, we gained a greater appreciation for the hardwork and skills that were put in to making each and every unique product. After this, it was dinner time back at Shilpgram restarant before the story telling session by a local with everyone sitting around the bonfire. The weather was pretty cold (most of us wearing 3 layers) hence it was a cosy experience crowding around the bonfire as we learn about the significance of patterns that were weaved.

As we watched the stars in the sky, under the bonfire, we could not help but feel a sense of gratitude towards what we have. Singapore is an advanced country with ready access to clean and hot water, but here in Kutch, it was different. Although they are blessed with having natural resources, their water purification process is still a struggle for them. Fortunately, they are able to go back to their roots by applying traditional and geographical knowledge while making use of the Great Rann of Kutch to provide affordable water supply for the locals, hence, reducing their dependency on external sources for water. Also, the fact that Singapore is a natural disaster free state is a huge blessing to all of us while Bhuj is unfortunately not so blessed due to their geographical location. In the 2001 Bhuj earthquake, many of the buildings collapsed, people lost their homes, valuables and lastly people lost their families. The once vibrant city was shaken. It was a devastating state to anyone. Fortunately, the people of Bhuj made the decision to rebuild the state with the help of NGOs such as Hunnarshala to rebuild the community and preserve the traditions. For example, Hunnarshala helped to construct buildings for organizations such as Khamir, which not only serves as a platform for the artisans to interact with one another, but also ensures that the culture is being passed down to generations. They do so by empowering the artisans.

We learnt that although education is considered important, people here view that going back to traditional roots and knowing their identity is as important or even more important. These are valuable lessons that truly gave us a different perspective of life and things that we will ponder upon for a long time.