A worthwhile walk through Sunday 'Soul' Santhe.

We were a bit early for the santhe. Surprisingly walk-ins' had to pay more for the entry tickets. A notice on display said there was a discount if we paid thru ‘Amazon pay’. Tried to pay thru my phone. For some reason the 4G data didn’t work. While it is not a big deal I felt cheated. Wonder how the deal works? Will ‘Amazon pay’ reimburse the difference? 

This 'santhe' was very different. It was upscale! Mostly youngsters, with live music, food and surely a good way to kill time on a week-end. Stalls were getting ready and saw a stall for beer as well! Totally unexpected! Anyway we couldn’t  check it out!  People on stage were still setting up music.  I did buy some food and it was good! We soon left much before the santhe had gained momentum.

Was my soul was elevated? Not really! But felt happy when Nandini stopped at a stall which displayed Kolhapuri type slippers. They were my favourites while in Pune! The slippers on display looked different, however they were quite attractive.

 I mentioned this to the bright girl, Tejaswini,  who was attending to Nandini and was impressed that she had designed the slippers. And that she got it made working directly with the skilled cobblers in Kolhapur! In fact, it is a nice story of an enterprise which ensures that benefits go directly to the craftsmen. 

At my request Tejaswini sent me the story of her adventure!

The Kaalcāri Journey 

I was exposed to numerous artisan communities during my undergraduate days at NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology). 

During my tenure at NIFT, I was exposed to communities such as Mysore Rosewood inlay artisans, Bidar Stone carving artisans, Clay/Pottery artisans, etc. Up until then, I was unaware of these artisan communities existence. This got me thinking about how my generation is alien towards these ancient/native and traditional artisan communities that have existed for several decades or even centuries.

 During my study at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology), New York, I found my passion to design footwear. This curiosity towards footwear design deepened to lead me to take up the MA course at LCF (London College of Fashion- University of the Arts London), UK.

 Approaching my thesis study, I chose to focus on health and wellness in the area of footwear. While I looked at developing footwear in a more holistic environment, I was keen on collaborating with the Kolhapuri artisan community to develop the final collection. The connection with this community stayed and got stronger over time. 

This motivated me to start Kaalcāri, a brand where the artisans and craftsmen form the core of the brand. Each product is handcrafted by these master craftsmen using new materials and trending styles. Me and my team design the footwear and carry our ideas to the clusters of these artisans. We sit together and integrate the designs into the artisans’ niche style and work together on product development. We carry out 3 rounds of prototyping before we step into the production of our footwear in large quantities.

 The benefits that the artisan community gets by being an integral part of Kaalcāri would be to broaden their platform and reach of sales (online and offline), employment opportunities (especially post-pandemic) while being rewarded with good wages. They have been motivated to try new materials (fabrics, synthetic materials) and ways of making footwear which has enhanced their skill and the product. 

By experimenting and exploring new techniques, they have been included in the decision making for product development. This has lead them to develop a sense of ownership and emotional attachment to the products made at Kaalcāri.

 Our interaction with this team of Kolhapuri artisans has been taking place constantly for over a year and a half, developing a team synergy. We aim to integrate more communities (Weave experts, handloom artisans, embroidery craftsmen, different style of footwear makers, etc.) into the Kaalcāri making process and have these communities develop a symbiotic relationship to benefit each other. 

We at Kaalcāri place bulk orders with the mission to offer the artisan communities larger sums of revenue at once rather than ordering individual pieces as and when there is a demand. Doing so also helps us with instant delivery to our clients. Warm regards, 

Tejaswini Raaj 

(Founder and creative head- Kaalcāri)

Read more about it in https://www.kaalcari.com/

Wish her all the best in endeavour. 

Slippers do look good, especially for Nandini’s sole!

Also Enjoy some random pictures of our stroll. 

We can definitely think of going again! 

We practically were the first to enter. 

The girl was doing all the work.
Posing for a picture he pretended to help😊

Nice surroundings. Esp the trees. 

A good idea. I have seen this done😊

Loved the tree

The stage is getting set!

No way I fit in here:-)

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