Chatur Chidiyaa
My visit to the most recent flea market in Ahmedabad proved to be quite fruitful. A stall set up in one corner caught my attention amongst the hustle of the flea. Its name gave birth to a tickling curiosity in me.
‘ChaturChidiyaa’
Apparently, my curiosity helped me discover the story of ChaturChidiyaa, which, astonishingly arose from ‘curiosity’ itself. A ‘curiosity’ of visiting a bird sanctuary at a young age and witnessing all that he had read in texts to finally getting a chance to visit Nalsarovar (a wet land bird sanctuary in Gujarat) just as one of his field trips through NID. This led them, the ChaturChidiyaa team, to create a purpose which balances the ecology and human activities by providing an opportunity to the local community to come into the limelight through employment.
Just like they anticipated, the name creates a curiosity, something which will have a lifelong impact on you, just like it had on me.
why Chatur Chidiyaa?
Creation is central to all human beings. But how we use that ability of us makes a difference. The urgency we have created to now preserve the forests and think about the environment should be realized by all of us, the need for the people to start working towards what they have destroyed and not just blame the government has to be realized soon. What I loved the most about ChaturChidiyaa is not only there intention of creating products keeping in mind, the environment, but, also how they have talked about development as a whole new dimension. The word ‘development’ brings to our mind urbanization and industries. But the need of the hour is holistic development. Not just environmental but also social and economical.
After reading about them a bit more, I found out how they work with the underprivileged people(intellectually special kids, potters, Roadside local painters, book binders, tailor families etc). They have talked about how challenging it was to work with a segment which is not as well off or knowledgeable as the others, about the outside world. But the purpose of ChaturChidiyaa is to give an independent identity to those underprivileged people along with wages. In spite of the existing difficulties they give these social groups an identity which has blurred in the ‘urban’ society.
They make sure that every product they make consumes the least possible amount of energy. They call it ”Eco-design.”
They follow –
The foundation on which any organisation starts is very important, and these people are quite clear and firm about it. Maybe that is why,in spite of all the breakdowns, they are firm and the real essence of this noble cause has not shaken. They design to delight, they leave a human touch to every product they make which ranges from a pencil to a bookmark.Human touch and hard work mixed with the raw beauty of nature and a vision for a better future makes ChaturChidiyaa not just a unique brand but one which touches your heart.
Mandap cotton transforms into something that pretty hands could carry. Hand stitched and hand embroidered pouches where every pattern is unique
Diaries made with utmost craftsmanship that amalgamates the fine texture of hand-made paper and hand bound skills for an elicited writing experience
Book marks are made with utmost craftsmanship that amalgamates the fine texture of hand-made paper and hand panting skills to tag a memorable chapter.
They are an example of how we can establish something this big keeping in mind the economic and the business aspect along with the social aspect including the care for the environment. They make us believe in this initiative and make us want to do something for the environment and our society. There message and vision reaches us through their creation, with the smart business and marketing tactics. They learn and explore themselves! Develop themselves during this process. They are a reminder of all the lost values and a hope of applying all of them again.
We wholeheartedly thank ChaturChidiyaa for sharing their story with us and are proud to present it on Nathi Nonsense.
Do visit their site and try some of their products here. 🙂
~NagAndShah
#diaries #society #economic #products #sustainability #environment #chaturchidiyaa #values #development #bookmarks