The winter is the best thing that happens to Kolkata. From December to February are the most wonderful 3 months. With chilly morning & evening and cool days, it is a time for relaxing, travelling, going for picnics etc. The calendar is choc-a-block with music festivals, book fairs, handloom & handicraft exhibitions, that fill the sprawling grounds in the different part of the city. The general tone is merry-making and fun-loving!
Sasha Fair Trade Fair 2016
The 10th annual Sasha Fair Trade Fair 2016 was inaugurated on December 2, 2016, at the Calcutta Ice Skating Rink. Each year, Sasha Fair Trade Fair tries to bring a slice of India, its rich repertoire of handcrafting traditions and grassroots sensibilities t gifts the city dwellers and the visitors. It’s a celebration of crafts & design. Beautiful handcrafts & textiles from all over India; a glimpse of our priceless heritage and tradition: preserved, protected, uplifted and nurtured by talented artisans; presented in a contemporary avatar by Sasha. Held annually, it promotes the masterly skills and excellence of our craftspeople and acknowledges the strong link of the rural artisans with the urban markets. The Fair, which was on till December 5, 2016 showcased Freedom Fabric (Khadi) from Malkha, Quilts from Purkal Stree Shakti & Woollens from Kilmora and Avani in Uttarakhand, Shawls from Kashmir, Embroidered home textiles from Urmul, Tussars from Weavecraft, Bhagalpur, Maheshwari & Block prints from Jaipur, Bengal cotton from Phulia, Baluchari from Bishnupur, Eri stoles from Assam, Batik from Bengal, Dabu printing from Bagru, Rajasthan, Tie/dye from Kutch, Handwoven sarees from Telengana, Natural dyed stoles, yardages & clothing, Organic children clothing from Sun Bird, Deshaj, from Shantiniketan, Madhubani on utility from Then & Now, Sasha’s indo-western clothing line, Kantha embroidery from Sasha. Dhokra artefacts & jewellery from Odisha, Chattisgarh, Bengal & Bihar, Copper & Silver jewelry from Karnataka, Hand-embossed Shantiniketan leather from Sasha, Decorative hangings, Ceramic-hand-crafted jewellery from Ochre, Bamboo craft from Tripura, Natural fibre from Kadam & ESAF, Shitalpati & Patachitra from Banglanatak.com, Eco-friendly & safe toys from MESH, Kalamkari rugs from Telengana, Bamboo Moorah from Bankura, Wood & Horn items from Midnapore, Hand carved wind chimes & planters from Chattisgarh, Calcutta Rescue, Madhaya Kalikata, NEEV, Herbal Body care range & gourmet spices from RASA.
Christmas Bazaar & Winter Mela!
The Sasha Shop in Kolkata offered Kolkatans the perfect way to celebrate Christmas with a difference, with its Christmas decorations, lights, beautiful and meaningful choices for gifts, cosy handmade quilts, vibrant home décor and much more.
Sasha also participated in the Winter Mela in the Dastakar Nature Bazaar, Kisaan Haat, Delhi.
Rasa on Itokri.com!
We are delighted to announce the launch of #RasaNaturals on itokri.com this month!!
https://www.itokri.com/collections/2016-367-1-rasa-natural-shampoo-soaps-body-wash-oils.
Visitors from Corr the Jute Works, Bangladesh
This December, we had friends from Bangladesh visiting us. An 8 member team from Corr-The Jute Works, renowned Fair Trade organization and Guaranteed WFTO member visited us for the day as part of their exposure visit to India. The team had extensive sessions with the business team as well as the development team. They also visited the Sasha Shop and one of our oldest Producer Groups in the city. We look forward to such visits in the future and strengthen the Fair Trade bonds.
XVI National Convention of FTF-I
Fair Trade Forum – India organized its XVI National convention on 1st & 2nd December 2016 in Hyderabad. The theme for the convention was: Entrepreneurship and Skill Development, with a special focus on Textiles, Handloom and Handicrafts. Mrs Roopa Mehta, Sasha CEO represented the World Fair Trade Organization in the convention.
Natural Dye & Dye Training Workshop for Little Flower
SSA organized training cum workshop at Phulia on indigo dye & colour fastness of chemical dye for partner MESH under its ‘Empowerment of Marginalized Producers’ project. Two dyers from Little Flower, Bihar, is one of MESH’s key Producer Groups came over for the training. Karobi conducted the training & Roshni did the photo & video documentation. This training was well appreciated & dyers were satisfied with the inputs provided and wanted to have further training by us. We plan to offer further training on weaving and color training, on long-term basis, to improve their capacity to produce good products.
Social Security Schemes for Small Producer Groups
SSA approached the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India to conduct a session on orientating the Producer Group leaders on the new micro-insurance schemes. LIC personnel visited and conducted a detailed session with leaders of women textile producer groups & shared available appropriate schemes for our artisans. The orientation was found to be very informative & helpful for the leaders to make decisions on adoption of schemes.