11 June,2011 09:26 AM IST | | Soma Das
It was during her five-year stint as an Assistant Director for movies including Bhendi Bazaar and Prince that 23 year-old Shailee Vyas discovered her passion for handicrafts. While travelling for shoots, she was able to interact with rural artisans and realised that there was a wealth of talent that lay tucked inside these remote corners of India. "When I returned I would feel dismayed that people living in our cities were satisfied with products made in China or preferred to spend exorbitantly on branded ones instead of opting for beautiful and economical creations available in their own backyard," reminisces Vyas.
Terracotta mugs from Kolhapur handpainted by a Mumbai-based artist
In October 2010, armed with an initial capital investment provided by friends Pradeep Soni and Chintan Mehta, the Mumbai-based Vyas kickstarted her online brand Fusion Roots. The mission was to offer handmade products sourced from rural India to an urban audience while ensuring that fair trade principles were followed.
Fusion Roots' eclectic product range includes papier-mache decorative items (balls, stars and bells) from Kashmir, leather art from Andhra Pradesh, intricate Lambada jewellery from Karnataka, Dokra jewellery from Chhattisgarh, scented candles, paper earrings and stationery from Pondicherry, terracotta products from Kolhapur, designer bags from Rajasthan, pottery from the Khurja 'ceramic city' in UP, puppets from Gujarat and jute products from Kolkata.
It's not just the rural artisans that get a platform; lesser-known artists from the city are also given a helping hand. Thus, two Mumbai-based artistsu00a0-- Ravi Jain, who crafts elaborate autorickshaws from metal wire and Priti, who makes Lamasa magnets using corn flouru00a0-- also feature on the Fusion Roots roster.
"We've got a mixed response so far but our focus is on providing quality products, even if it means taking fewer orders," she added. Vyas is also proud that a major proportion of her taskforce consists of women. "Though it was not a conscious decision, we choose to work with women artisans from Rajasthan, Gujarat and West Bengal thanks to their creative prowess," she adds. And next up, she plans to document the fine work of these talented artisans on film.
At: Bliss, Aram Nagar 1, Versova, Andheri (West).
Email: fusionrootsindia @gmail.com
Log on to: https://www.fusionroots.blogspot.com/
cost Rs 50 to Rs 500 for jewellery, Rs 150 onwards for bags, Rs 600 onwards for jute lamps, Rs 50 to Rs 350 for papier-mache products, Rs 15 onwards for puppets, Rs 150 to Rs 200 for autorickshaws, Rs 60 onwards for magnets, Rs 250 onwards for wooden ceramic chests
