This beautiful larimar pendant recently arrived from our studio in India. Fifteen years ago we bought fifty pounds of rough larimar from a friend in Vermont. He had brought it from his homeland; the Dominican Republic. This was one of the first batches of stones we had custom cut and polished for our own designs. And this is one of the finest stones to emerge from that batch. Larimar is very rare as it is only found on the southern coast of the Dominican Republic; a region that is fairly inaccessible. Locals thought the stone came from the sea and it wasn’t until 1974 that a Peace Corps volunteer and his local friend discovered that it was in fact a stone and it began to be mined. The name larimar was given based on the local man’s daughter LARissa in combination with MAR the Spanish word for sea. The pendant is accented with star rubies along the side from Mysore, India.
Here is a recent letter we received from “Sarah”
Is it possible to have you ship me an order of chai?
If so, please explain the process. Thanks!
PS Your chai is the best on the planet
!
Wow best on the planet huh?
and you can order our chai on our site; aptly named:
www.bestchai.com
The best chai….we agree
The Adivasi brotherhood has grown extraordinarily tight with time. Every new person engaged is encompassed into our family by default. So for us, it is naturally a big leap forward.
Simple absurdities of life may sometimes turn out to be the silver lining you had always hoped to see in the clouds.
Such is the story of Sahadev Malik, who mistakenly landed in Jodhpur to seek us. But he joined us soon enough and since the artistic advance has been mutual. After a series of diverse jobs, his exposure to Ari work was purely coincidental. To some extent, one can say it was destined.
Brought up in Calcutta, he went back to his roots after 24 years in search of work. He had already done his share of odd jobs. So when a friend, who owned a karkhana with 25-30 people including ladies and men, required assistance he was only too glad to help. He worked on the place’s purchases and accounts. While he helped the friend, the ladies were kind enough to expose him to their part of the work too. He dexterously learnt the art of needlework. Where people generally take 1 ½ to 2 years, he picked up in 3months.
Sahadev Malik is not only a fast learner; he is also a keen observer.
He saw the karigars of his village sweat is out on all the heavy embroidery work, without much thought. They worked day and night without any form of money or job security while the crafty middlemen had a joy ride. Sahadev recognized the situation and saw the plight of the artisans.
He pulled himself out of it and set up a footing in this field with a will to learn. His wife and his kid joined us in Udaipur a year later.
Here he faces new challenges everyday in his work, as we root on him to become a master. Unlike his older jobs, here it requires for him to think, create and judge design. And under Rizwan’s mentoring, he yearns to improve.
He shyly says, “..all through a man’s life, he learns. He never stops.”
Further, he is learning to enjoy his work.
He wishes to one day set up a business of his own. Every man is a born dreamer. Sahadev Malik acquired his dream through what his days have brought to him; his experiences. He wishes to bring an experience like his to his village, and fulfill them with the knowledge of innovation and design.
Tiffins for the day at work
Each day in the city of Mumbai 175-200,000 tiffins are used to deliver fresh homemade food to the workplace. An organized network of 4-5 thousand dubba wallahs (one who carries a box) pick the food from homes and deliver them to their respective destinations. It is believed that the concept of tiffin delivery began when British officers preferred their own food to the local food available. It started in 1880 with 100 men and today it is a high functioning organization called the Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Association. Dubba wallahs have been studied by top business schools of the world. It has been estimated that only one mistake is made for every 6 million deliveries. This is a remarkable fact when one considers that the majority of carriers are illiterate. Each tiffin is marked with specific colors and symbols to signify its place of origin, sorting station and final destination. But really the tiffin system depends on each carrier being unfailingly present and punctual. As their code of ethics states, “every tiffin wallah should have his customer’s confidence and remain well behaved at all times”.
Krishna was born on this day in the year 3228 BC.
Om namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya.
OM
Hindus believe OM is the primal sound of vibration from which the universe emanates. It is the sound of the universe and encompasses all potentialities and possibilities. It is believed by many that if we could hear all of the planets spinning on their axis we would experience the sound and vibration of OM.
OM is the essence of mantra. The repetition of the sacred syllable projects the mind beyond the immediate to what is inexpressible. It makes the absolute more tangible and comprehensive. In India you will find the OM written at the top of letters, the beginning of tests and important documents. You will find the sacred OM written with honey on the tongue of a new born baby. For, it is the OM that is
the representation of the creative departure and return.
Om wall hanging By Rizwan , Hand made appliqué .
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
These shirts are vegetable dyed & block printed fabric, hand stitched by tailors.
The state of Rajasthan is part of the “color belt” in western India. Here the arid climate, vast desert and colorless country side are well compensated by the brilliant spectrum of colors found in traditional textiles. Some say it is that lack of greenery that has created a strong yearning for color in these desert people. For thousands of years, Indian craftsmen produced perfect color printed textiles without the sophistication of the present day dye technology. The raw materials for these colors were not chemicals but the roots and flowers of plants and vegetables- blues from indigo, reds from Indian madder root, yellows from turmeric root, blacks from iron and vinegar, greens from indigo and pomegranate rinds. These eco-friendly dyes are not an innovation but a revival of a rich tradition.
Every village has a few families of dyers, called rangrej, and a few families of printers. Blocks are crafted out of seasoned teak wood. Skilled artisans hand-carve designs on the underside of the block. Each block has a wooden handle and two to three holes drilled into the block for free air passage and also to allow release of excess dye. The new blocks are soaked in oil for 10-15 days to soften the grains in the timber.
The process of printing is intensely involved. Depending on the specific techniques used, a single piece may be touched by artisan hands 1500 times. When using the ‘direct’ method of printing, the block is dipped into the dye and directly applied to the fabric. It is slammed hard with the fist on the back of the handle so that a consistent impression may register. This action is continued in a tile manner to create a continuous effect. This is done by the ‘outline’ printer, usually a seasoned expert, who lays the tracks for the printers to follow. The second, third and sometimes fourth printers add the second, third, and fourth colors, layering more detail and texture into the design. Sometimes the ‘resist’ method is used. Here a resist substance, such as wax or clay mixed with resin, is applied onto an already dyed textile. This allows for the textile to be dipped into a new color, while still preventing the color to penetrate the portions that are covered in wax or clay. The piece is then washed in hot or flowing water to remove the resist material. Once the printing of the fabric has been completed, it then undergoes a fixing process. This usually involves being sun dried and a steam treatment. All told, the amount of time that goes into a single textile is truly impressive. Each piece is an original, and contains in its technique the history of an ancient art form.
As body is to the soul and oil is to the lamp a yantra is to the deity. The Yantra, holds or support the energy inherent in a particular element, object or concept. The central quest of spirituality is to achieve total experience of the ‘One’. To centre one’s self is essentially a way toward inner awakening. The quest of this centre is the pivot around which yantra symbolism revolves. The yantra is a ‘trans-form’ (para-rupa), an abstract translation of iconographic image intended as a ‘tool’ for medication and increased awareness. A yantra retains the supersensible vitality of image expressing the sense and sprit of the original.
