Ek Karkhana

“ek karkhana nariyal ke jhaad ke paas” (one workshop near a coconut tree) is the address of this workshop inhabited by three young designers and their team of karigars (artisans) inspired by Travel, Movies, Art, Indian crafts and textiles, people from various walks of life and their inspiring stories. Each honing on their individual design strengths, these friends cum colleagues work together towards a passion they all equally share.

As much as an old school like me is now coming to think of social media as more of a waste of valuable time than a boon really, it  manages to prove me wrong each time i come across some eye catching works of art like these. It's made getting in touch with like minded people and to explore endless possibilities of collaboration or otherwise so easy! Just as one of my fellow bloggers - Kavita  of Indian by Design puts it so aptly "Social networking has created opportunities for creative businesses to get in touch with their audience more intimately and immediately than ever before. It has also created a surfeit of businesses of varying quality. But many do shine through." 


Ek Karkhana is one such facebook discoveries i made a few days ago. Their work i feel is so stylistically simple and contemporary that your eyes cannot escape but without giving a second glance. The colorful medley and use of simple patterns is a reflection of the rich Indian culture that inspires their work strongly. Yet it's so appropriately intervened with a strong sense of modern design that unlike many Indian craft styles, it looks nothing close to chaotic, overdone or overwhelming. It's simple, light, fun and very creative! Fishes, Peacocks, Parrots, Lotuses, Beetle Leaves - are all commonly used motifs that primarily dominate Indian craft styles, but few have i come across that have been used so modestly and beautifully! 
Do browse through their products below or here and tell us - isn't their work quite a visual treat?

Artisan Group Feature : Palm Leaf Weaving

Bored of the usual mono colored baskets sitting around the table or on your bathroom shelves? Do you find them either just too dark or too light and not bright enough to light up the room with energy? Well end your despair here my friends. Check out these really cool colorful and fun baskets, that are made by palm leaf weaving also known as Kottans. These are made by our artisans from Tamilnadu, South of India. This organisation began as an initiative to income generation and culture preservation in the year 2000. The foundation supports building new markets for Kottans (palm leaf basket) through interventions that assist craftspeople to adapt their traditional weaving styles whilst incorporation contemporary color and design. 

Kottans - Palm Leaf Weaving Baskets 

available at TGE

Multipurpose Baskets

Multipurpose Baskets, Boxes and Pen Holder

Storage Boxes

Multipurpose Baskets, Pen Holders

Tray and Place mats
While we mention this group also check out these cool palm leaf bags. These are one of my own favorites in the entire collection! :)

Handbag

Shoulder Bags

Artisan Group Feature : NAIE

NAIE is a registered fair trade artisan organisation that works in handicraft and towards the welfare of their society. They operate from the Uttar Pradesh region of India towards increasing the artisan's welfare, building capacity, children's education, overall community development and social work. NAIE is committed to work for sustainability through  fair trade and to this end, their products are made from industrial waste such as tires, bicycle chains and tins. Including these reusable materials, they also work with mediums such as wood, enamel, metal, brass, glass, gem stones, beads and textiles. Most of the wood used in these products is bought exclusively from the forest quota given by the government of India that sells only dead trees. 

NAIE products available at TGE : 

 Tire Products 

Tin Lanterns

Bicycle Chain Picture Frames

Artisan Group Feature : Dastakar

     Introducing Dastkar Ranthambore 

available at TGE

Pillow Cover

Dastkar Ranthambore works with women artisans in the villages around Ranthambore Tiger Reserve of Rajasthan. Dastkar's distinctive Tiger motif and use of trees and birds and animal imagery demonstates the communities concern for the natural environment and in particular, the endangered tiger species found in the area. Their products include fashion accessories such as bags and home furnishings including cushion covers and bedspreads. 

Tiger Utility Bag - Front and Back Views

Inside Lining for the Safari Bag

Animal Print Bags

Utility Bags

Coasters

Dastkar aims to strengthen the traditional textile arts. TGE wishes to extend a HUGE thank you to Ujwala Johda, manager at Dastkar and artisans who work with her creating products that we showcase today. The success story of Dastkar has empowered entire communities and improved their standard of living. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

If you like these products and are interested in helping out... you can either buy these products from us, adopt a family or adopt a project... Write to us - mailthegreenelephant@gmail.com