The summer heat heralds the celebration of the Harvest Festival In India. Baisakhi and Bihu celebrations express gratitude to the Almighty for the bountiful harvest and pray for prosperity. Across India, a different set of rituals under a different set of names are followed. In Bengal it is the Naba Barsha and it marks the first day of Baisakh – the first month of the Bengali Calendar!
Safia Minney, founder and CEO of Fair Trade and sustainable fashion label People Tree, was our esteemed guest for the month of April. SASHA was happy to host her and share some inspiring moments with her.
Fashion Revolution Day
FASHION REVOLUTION DAY was on everyone’s mind. Ms. Safia established the mood and set everyone thinking …to question.. to be curious and find out about the labor behind the label.
The day brings together the fashion community and the entire fashion supply chain in support of a cause. Fashion Revolution Day is a day to inspire change and reconnect with the broken links in the supply chain. And to remember the Rana Plaza Victims.
Earth Day
SASHA SHOP had some great moments when it celebrated EARTH DAY on 22nd April. A natural colour workshop, fresh farm products, a film screening, a display of Fair fashion products and a fashion show- we were really pulling out the stops this Earth Day! Green Tokri, BEEJ and Organic Mandi partnered with us to showcase their farm fresh products and oils. Together we took the message of GOING GREEN forward.
A natural Dye workshop was held for a group of excited school kids and visitors at the shop. The extraction process of natural dyes from natural products such as saffron and turmeric was high on fun and learning quotient.
Traditional folk art of rural Bengal, Patachitra, was another crowd puller. A unique form of combination that involves storytelling, singing and painting they were once the chief form of entertainment in the villages. A patachitra artist from Purulia conducted the workshop.
Earth Day Network also joined hands with Sasha and brought together like-minded people in an effort to create awareness. Films and documentaries on the environment were screened and children present shared their views on how to apply the learning.
The events lasted for a few days and we thank all our patrons for making it a success.
Fashion Revolution Day was marked on the calendar for a Fair Fashion exhibition of clothes. A Fashion Show was however rescheduled due to the devastating earthquake and tragedy in Nepal.
SASHA STALL NO 44 at Nature Bazaar presented cotton coolers for the ongoing summer! Nature Bazaar in New Delhi presented ‘cotton coolers’ – an exciting collection of Phulia sarees, cool muls, kota prints, kantha blouses, khes sarees and a fresh collection of stoles and odhnis.
A three-member team from SSA, participated in a four-day programme on Financial Sustainability, facilitated by Spring Strategies Inc. This was held in New Delhi.
We are all set to mark the WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY in the second week of May. Our Agents of Change have been nominated and we will share more on this in our next edition.