Handmade Collective -Stories of A Hundred Hands...

Winter is the time for colours, celebrations and shopping in India. With the Christmas and New Year holiday season approaching, Bangalore sees an array of small and big melas and bazaars where we Bangaloreans satisfy our shopping cravings.

A not so short stint away from this beautiful city, which had embraced me into its folds years back, had made me long and pine over the things I missed in the last 2 years. Wanna see how Bangalore welcomed me back?

This weekend saw me at one of the first events happening in the city and thereby marking the beginning of a shopping filled festive season.

Spread over 5 days(and also including a weekend), the organizers made it convenient for all those who wanted to visit.

Dastkar Nature Bazar Bangalore 2011

I wait for this, every year and was bang on time this time too :-))

Lets head towards Dastkar Nature Bazaar, 2011 shall we?

Organic Kala Cotton

Bells.....I just love their gong gong sound...

Colourful Ikat weave duppattas from Orissa

Recycled Tropicana Wallets by Green The Gap Collective

Haathi Chaap - Elephant Dung Products

The lovely Poopy goods :-))

Awesome Dokra jewelry

Dokra Elephants

Clay Elephants and ants,,,

and monkeys

Colourful Terracota musicians

Now, for some healthy goodness from Vaathsalya- Bangalore

And then the rain Gods visited

As I bid good bye to the Dastkar Nature Bazaar 2011 at Bangalore.

Chandni Chowk-The Charm of Old Dilli

I know I have been missing for quite a while now..A new project in hand and bouts of ill health in between has been playing games. 

Well...in between all that, I had managed a trip or two to the famous Old Dilli in search of the glitz and drama that has always been a part of "DILLI".

So, here is a small description of the Chandni Chowk expedition through pictures.

It was a foggy day..with drizzles in between

One of the many many traditional buildings in the main market

The famous Paranthe wali Galli

The menu, the billboard, the terms n conditions etc

The thali minus the paranthas :-)

We roamed around the Kinari Bazar and Dariba Kalan for more than 2 hours...but it was so crowded that I never took out my camera to click :-( But next time I promise....

And last, but not the least, the garam garam gajar ka halwa from Giani's. Yeah...that layer of dry fruits and nuts..Do you know what lies beneath? halwa...pure heaven!!

Weekend Wrap Up

Hey all...

I was going through all those lovely blogs around and saw this. Now, this being the last week of the year and me being a newbie around, I was just so excited and wanted to be a part of this little round up.

So, here goes my entry for the event/round up:

In the current place, I do not have any of my usual decor stuff. So I just lighted a few tealights to bring in the festive mood...Christmas day was a normal at home day for us with loads of ice cream.

So, what did you do for Christmas? 

Dilli Haat at its Best

There was a mela happening at Dilli Haat last week and as soon as my friend P spotted the details in the newspaper, she wanted to go.

And who gave her company?? None other than your's truly.

We met at the INA Market Metro Station and headed straight to Dilli Haat. Wanna join?Come, walk with me through the vibrant stalls at Dilli Haat.

Art Paintings

Awesome Papier Mache from J&K

Patachithra and Warli Panels

Old Computer monitors recycled to make Dust Bins

Pen Holders/Stands made from mother boards..Awesome creativity isn't it? These lovely pieces are done by an NGO for underprivileged children. I was amazed by the kind of recycling ideas they had.

Beautiful Madhubai Wall Art

Now, this was the stall that attracted me the most. Look at those clay creations..Aren't they so different from what we normally see in the markets?

The Colourful croc :-)

Happy Hippo and his friends

Ganesh-ji and his cute companion.

 

Mirror mirror on the wall.

OMG..those drawers are so cute. I want them all to put my jewelry and trinkets.

Kitchen accessories made of mother of pearl.

Warli-ed Pots n vases. Aren't they so colourful and bright?

So, that was a beautiful Sunday at Dilli Haat..Did you'll enjoy the trip with me?

Strolling through Hauz Khas Village on a cold winter afternoon

A lazy winter afternoon...after lunch, we decided to stroll through the famous Hauz Khas village. 

And some images were captured- first by the heart, and then by my camera

An interesting name board design 

I love the mix of the traditional and the modern.

A different point of view.The biz philosophy.


They lay cuddled..on the chilly winter afternoon.

The Banyan Tree-Deer Park, that borders on one side of Hauz Khas village.

Fountain in the reservoir, middle of deer park-Hauz Khas village

View from Top

The beautiful stone jharokha.  It remains as part of the old fortress. 

They were on a stroll too in the Deer park.

Galli-Bistro walli...

And thus the journey ended...just for the day. There was so much to be discovered and captured yet. But it was getting really cold and I made a promise to self...I shall return, because I am in love with this place.

Before we bid adieu, a little note on Hauz Khas Village and its history.

Hauz Khas Complex (Hindi: हौज़ ख़ास, Punjabi: ਹੌਜ਼ ਖ਼ਾਸ, Urdu: حوض خاص) in South Delhi,houses a water tank, an Islamic seminary, a mosque, a tomb and pavilions built around an urbanized village with medieval history traced to the 13th century of Delhi Sultanatereign. It was part of Siri, the second medieval city of India of the Delhi Sultanate ofAllauddin Khilji Dynasty (1296–1316). The etymology of the name Hauz Khas in Urdu language is derived from the words ‘Hauz’: “water tank” (or lake) and ‘Khas’:“royal”- the “Royal tank”. The large water tank or reservoir was first built by Khilji {the plaque displayed (pictured in the gallery) at the site records this fact} to supply water to the inhabitants of Siri. The tank was de–silted during the reign of Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1351–88). Several buildings (Mosque and madrasa) and tombs were built overlooking the water tank or lake. Firuz Shah’s tomb pivots the L–shaped building complex which overlooks the tank.

You may read more about the village, here and here.