For students and teachers alike, June is often their favourite month. Schools are closed, and the days are long. In old English, this month was often referred to as simply “midsummer month.” But in India, June is the month that leads to the arrival of the much cherished (and more often dreaded) monsoons. It’s that time of the year when we brace ourselves for the onslaught of the rains. June is also the month when we celebrate – World Environment Day.
World Environment Day @Sasha Shop
We believe every day belongs to the “Earth”. As part of our commitment to the 10th Principle of Fair Trade (www.wfto.com), we reach out to bring together like-minded people who can join us in our efforts to protect, preserve and conserve the planet. This year the call for action for World Environment Day is- “End Plastic Pollution”. For this month, we presented our specially curated – eco-friendly, bio-degradable and handmade products at the Shop. Additionally, we had our in-house selection of products, made especially for the occasion. The latest ranges of products were made up of Natural Fibres like Bamboo, Palm leaves, Coir & Jute; Wood and re-purposed textiles.
On feature were, Paper Wings from ACT – A unique collection of eco-friendly paper-based home and decorative products by small groups of women; Rimagined – An eco-friendly brand for upcycling waste to create a whole range of products- from homeware to stationery; stylish and durable; Kon Kraft – Artists, sculptors and painters create eco-friendly art cum decor made of sawdust, resin, clay & mud. Waterproof, outdoor-friendly, washable and light. We appreciate the partners for their marvellous assortment, and for joining hands in our collective efforts to contribute towards the environment.
New products on the anvil @Sasha
Before a new design can embark on its journey to the market, it goes through a number of stages like: the idea, research, development, testing, documentation and feedback. Product development is a joint exercise at Sasha and SSA. While the ideation, development and feedback take place at Sasha, the research, testing and documentation are done by SSA. Product development is also an opportunity to work closely with producers, design students and experienced designers. Last month, we had Prangana Ghosh from NID, Ahmedabad who worked on hand-printed textiles. She worked closely with Karobi and Tanvi, our colleagues to develop a classic range of cotton and silk; florals, inspired by the Japanese Kimono.
A success story in eye care initiative programme@ SSA
Tripti Adhikari Chatterjee a long-term member of the producer group Sishu Swastho o Janasiksha Parisad was suffering from low vision problem from last two years. She shared her problems with us during one of our filed visits and requested us to look at an affordable option, which would be financially viable for her. Mousumi, our colleague from SSA linked her to one of the partner organization Mission for Vision’s eye care unit. Tripti visited the eye clinic and earnestly followed all the instructions as per the doctor’s advice. She finally got operated her cataract free of cost at Shankar Netralaya with the help of Mission for Vision. She was very happy with the services that received from Shankar Netralaya and their staffs. She gladly shared her experiences with MFV and thanked SSA for taking this initiative.
We have some exciting events coming up at Sasha Shop in July. Stay tuned to our Facebook and Instagram profiles for regular updates on our work, events and products!