Meet the Artisans
Table Linens
All of
the Jubilee Traders linens are produced by artisans using a traditional
method of hand-block printing that has been an important art in the
Rajasthan region of India for generations. If you look closely, you can
sometimes identify the borders of the blocks and verify the handmade
process. From start to finish, each tablecloth takes 7-10 days to
create. True works of art!
Handbags
Suryakala
Notes from the field:
Julie Hawkins, October 2008
Through her contagious smile and constant laughter, she
tells me about the blessings and hardships she's experienced during her life.
As a young girl, she and two of her siblings were brought from their
village to Kathmandu. The city was the best place to receive treatment
for their leprosy and escape the negative social stigma placed on lepers in the
rural areas of Nepal. So, at the age of nine, Suryakala left her
home, her village, her two healthy siblings, her parents and moved to the leprosy
hospital in Kathmandu. After a misdiagnosis two years early, the disease
had progressed enough to do permanent nerve damage and would effect her the
rest of her life.
She went on to tell me about meeting her husband, having her two daughters and
working at Nepal Leprosy Trust. Suryakala smiles as she shares her life's
hardships. With a tearful giggle she speaks of
complications and nerve damage caused by leprosy, losing her
husband after a misdiagnosis of hepatitis A, and living as a
single mother with a marginalizing disease. She tells she smiles
because me she doesn't worry about the future. She misses her husband but
knows that he wouldn't want her to be sad. And she is happy. She
has two beautiful daughters, a great job and safe place to live.
NLT taught Suryakala sewing skills, gave her husband a job, gave her a job, and
even gave her and her daughters a place to live. She now works at NLT
producing handbags at a fair trade wage. Her leprosy has been cured
through a multi-drug treatment. She has had a few surgeries in the past
few years to address some of the issues caused by nerve damage. But for
the most part, her biggest worry is caring for her teenage daughters as they
approach adulthood.
Since 1972, NLT has provided various services for people who have been
socially, emotionally and economically marginalized by leprosy.
Along with access to medical treatment, NLT helps defeat the stigmas
associated with leprosy. It provides job and skills training to people
that would otherwise have little hope or oppurtunity for any income. We
were able to visit NLT and see their fair trade handbag production facility.
Our plan was to tour the facility, have a luncheon with the artisans, and
get a few interviews. After meeting and interviewing Suryakala, it became
quite clear that one visit wouldn't be enough. She insisted that we come
for tea later in the week and meet her daughters.
I am amazed at the joy that emanates from this
woman. While serving us tea and momos (so many momos), she pointed out
pictures of her husband and family. She had each of her girls tell us
about their dreams and goals. And since I have returned I have received
two emails from Suryakala and her daughters.
One of the things I love about fair trade is that it
provides avenues for a closer relationship between the consumer and the
producer. I hope that my first visit to NLT was the beginning of a long
friendship. I know that I can count on Suryakala's smiling face waiting
for me when I return.
Amar Bahadur
Amar Bahadur is one of the Master Crafstman at the Nepal Leprosy Trust. He realized that he had leprosy when he was about 16 years old. Cast out from his village, he wandered the foothills of the Himalayas until he learned about a leprosy hospital, three days walk from the town that he was in. Upon reaching the hospital, he asked if there was anyone who could cure him of his leprosy. He was introduced to the doctor, who reached out and gave him a big hug – the first touch that he had received in a long time. “In that moment, my heart was healed,” Amar says. And he knew that if his heart could be healed, his body could be healed too.
Years later, Amar was living at a government house for the poor when a British missionary named Eileen Lodge arrived one day to tell the men about an opportunity to learn the skill of working with leather so that they could earn their own living and no longer live day to day, begging and depending upon the government for their food. Most of the men were very suspicious, especially because Mrs. Lodge was white and not a Hindu. But Amar recalled the positive interaction he had had with the doctor at the leprosy hospital and took a risk on Mrs. Lodge’s offer. That was almost 20 years ago, and now Amar helps other men and women affected by leprosy gain their own dignity and hope through the design and production of the beautiful handbags offered by Jubilee Traders.
Silver Jewelry
Kumar Gartauala
Notes from the Field: Nikki Davidson, April 2007
We were introduced to Kumar Gartauala through our friends at Yak and Yeti Jewelry. He works with four other members of his family in their workshop, located in a small village outside of the Kathmandu. The family lives on the top floor and works on the ground floor in a simple shop that produces incredibly beautiful and ornate jewelry! As Americans, we were definitely a novelty for the village children who all lined up to watch us talk with the silversmiths. All of the artisans quickly gave up their stools for us to sit on, ordered up a round of Fanta, and began to tell us about their craft. The artisans in this workshop are especially talented in “carving” silver, using tools and techniques similar to those used by leather workers. They walked us through the process – start to finish – of how they create boxes, lockets, and 3D pictures with the silver. “Next time,” they said, “You must stay longer…and bring your friends!” An offer we plan to take them up on!
