Ethnic is 'in'; and if it is handmade, nothing like it. Desi Angadi, a 15 month old shop situated on Patalamma Temple Street at Southend Circle, Basavanagudi, not only has the ethnic look, it sells only 'desi' (indigenous) handmade products. Nature is dear to the people here and all their products are environment friendly. The indigenous culture is reflected in the shop's name, which is written in folk art style resembling an elephant.

The shop sells food items, textiles, garments, handicrafts in different media like terracotta, metal and ceramics, leather and cane products. Designs and colours have a distinctly ethnic touch. There is a generous cause behind the shop. It is marketing the products made by poor artisans from both urban and rural areas, according to Desi Angadi's founder and managing Trustee of Kavikavya Trust, Prasanna.

For Prasanna, Desi Angadi's experiment is a success story in Bangalore. How does Desi Angadi source the products? 'Charakha', a women's Cooperative Society in Bhimanakone village of Shimoga district produces the handloom cloth and other food products like pickles. Kavikavya Trust has undertaken the responsibility of marketing all the products of 'Charakha' through Desi Angadi.

"We source other products from similar indigenous organisations from different parts of the country," Prasanna says. He also referred to the the Delhi Haat, the weekly market, where on each day a variety of indigenous products are sold to the people of Delhi. Prasanna dreams of replicating Delhi Haat in Bangalore. That is something the people of the city will look forward to.

And how good is the demand? Prasanna says that the textiles of Charakha sell like hot cakes. "The problem is, we are not able to meet the demand. That is why we are fitting 20 more handlooms at Charakha in addition to the already existing 12 looms," added a beaming Prasanna.

Wooden artefacts:
Wooden sculptures; wooden dolls from Benaras and other utilitarian articles from Udupi are very aesthetic.

Bamboo items:
Artefacts in bamboo like mats, house hold articles like flower baskets, pen holders, boxes, gaily-coloured umbrellas from Manipur.

Stationary Items: Desi stocks only eco-friendly products like files, greeting cards, thick paper bags, folders, envelopes, paper and pad books made of recycled paper. Desi also designs wedding and visiting cards.

Ceramic Products:
Desi also stocks a variety of crockery in ceramics. From simple tea and coffee mug sets to beer mugs and serving bowls which are available in different colours. You can also find lampshades, salt containers and milk pots.

Linen: Towels, bath mats, bedspreads in all sizes, table cloths, cushion covers, kitchen aprons, gloves, shopping bags, and many more items.

Textiles: Besides ethnic garments like kurtas, dupattas and jubbas and salwar kameezes, handloom saris from renowned places like Ilikal, Dharwad Bettagere, Hyderabad (cotton specials) and Udupi are on display here. Spectacle cases and shopping bags in different sizes are available here.

Paintings: Art connoisseurs will not be disappointed at Desi. Attractive rural art paintings that adorn the walls of village homes called Hase Kale have been transformed on to glass with necessary embellishments.

Oh, nature friendly compost fertilizer is also available here. Amazing, isn't it? The walls of the shop display large sized group photos of families clad in desi style handloom clothes.

Address:
Desi Angadi,
# 27, Patalamma Temple Street,
Near Southend Circle, Basavanagudi,
Bangalore-560 004.

|