Field Notes
Meet Anchal Artisan: Basanti
\When Basanti walks into the Anchal workspace, she brings a warm and compassionate energy to the group. Upon first meeting Basanti, she is slightly reserved and shy. However, it does not take long before she is sharing her infectious smile and joyous giggle.
Change is Here - International Women's Day at Anchal
Anchal's artisans celebrated this year's International Women's Day (IWD) with great enthusiasm on March 8th, 2014. Along with the 90 artisans Anchal supports, over 200 women gathered to share in the festivities at Vatsalya's Udayan, a children's village for orphans. The following is an account from Jaimala Gupta, our friend and partner at Vatsalya & Anoothi.
Reporting from Ajmer, India After Day 2 of Design Workshops…
By far my favorite moment when returning to India is walking into the Vatsalya/Anchal office and seeing the artisans for the first time. When I round the corner and peek into the room, I am met with smiles, welcomes filled with "namaste," and the excitement of being together once again. This exchange fuels my soul. More than ever there is a mutual recognition of accomplishment, empowerment, and pride in where we have come in 3 years together.
Anchal Project x Urban Outfitters Launch Party
On October 16th, Anchal celebrated the launch of Urban Outfitters Anchal x Urban Renewal Collection with an special fashion show. Before the show began, Councilman Kelly Downard presented October 16th as Anchal Day in Louisville, KY.
Anchal x Urban Renewal Take NYC
This past Tuesday, Anchal and Urban Outfitters celebrated the upcoming Anchal x Urban Renewal Holiday Collection in Gramercy, NYC. The event was the first sneak peek of the 11 piece collection along side wonderful eats and great drinks.
Welcome Anchal's New Artisans
Please join us in welcoming our new artisans and watch the video below to meet the growing Anchal community in Ajmer & Jaipur.
Saying Goodbye is Never Easy
Our last day in Ajmer was spent finishing up new product samples, laying out a new queen sized quilt, and spending time conducting a few interviews. Maggie and I also met with the senior artisans who have been in the program for over two years.
She Draws With Her Needle
The past few days have flown by. Unlike Jaipur, Colleen and I quickly got to the office each morning, spent the day working with the women, and ended each workshop around 5:00pm. Coming from Jaipur, it has been much smoother the second time around. Seeing the skill and speed after the first day, Colleen and I decided with we would switch up the workshop and challenge this group a bit more.
Beginning Again
It was wonderful meeting the new women in Jaipur the previous week, but there was something magical about seeing the familiar faces of our artisans in Ajmer. I was anxiously waiting the moment when I could lock eyes with the women I had been fighting for the last two years, the same women who inspire me and the same women who you have supported through your purchases and donations.
Chaar = Four
Today was a peaceful day, the women came to the workspace ready to go. For today and tomorrow the women were asked to use color values to collage and sew a 12”x12” panel based on a photograph of food.
Dining for Women + Anchal
If you haven't heard, Dining for Women has chosen Anchal to be the featured program for the month of October!!