Every month we put out a display of books on different themes at Mustard Seeds Library. Bapu is in charge of this! Here is our February display showcasing books on Friendship and Love!
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Hiromi De-zines
Our friend Hiromi was visiting for about three weeks in Jan-Feb.
She is a member of the Bean Cooking Club at Rakutendo (http://www.rakutendo.com), an organization/shop in Kyoto, Japan that promotes vegetarianism by cooking and eating beans. They study bean recipes from around the world and distribute recipes and bean-spice kits each month to members.
Recently Mustard Seeds accomplished a neat project with Jeevika Development Society, a women's skill-training project, and Rakutendo. They developed a pot cover that not only keeps food warm but allows you to take beans off the gas burner earlier and keep the cooking going for the last 15 minutes under the pot cover.
Sooooo...if 100 people save 15 minutes of gas every time they cook, it really adds up. I like that we were able to develop a product that isn't just something to buy, but something that also protects the environment!
The pot covers are made of handloom kesh made by the Tagore Society in Santiniketan. Old sarees are woven into new thread to create incredible, completely unique patterns. Each label, a little smiling bean (the group's motto is "All we are saying is Give Beans a Chance..."), is hand-embroidered by Jeevika, along with all the sewing on the cover itself. You can see a photo of the Nabe Cover on the Rakutendo website!
They are just completing the second order of 100 pieces to sell in collaboration with WWF in Japan!
Here, Hiromi is designing the next product, a spice holder for members to keep their spice packets (which they receive each month with their Bean Cooking Kits) neatly in their kitchens. These wall pocket pouches will use jute and hand-woven khadi...and will of course have the smiling bean on the side!
She is a member of the Bean Cooking Club at Rakutendo (http://www.rakutendo.com), an organization/shop in Kyoto, Japan that promotes vegetarianism by cooking and eating beans. They study bean recipes from around the world and distribute recipes and bean-spice kits each month to members.
Recently Mustard Seeds accomplished a neat project with Jeevika Development Society, a women's skill-training project, and Rakutendo. They developed a pot cover that not only keeps food warm but allows you to take beans off the gas burner earlier and keep the cooking going for the last 15 minutes under the pot cover.
Sooooo...if 100 people save 15 minutes of gas every time they cook, it really adds up. I like that we were able to develop a product that isn't just something to buy, but something that also protects the environment!
The pot covers are made of handloom kesh made by the Tagore Society in Santiniketan. Old sarees are woven into new thread to create incredible, completely unique patterns. Each label, a little smiling bean (the group's motto is "All we are saying is Give Beans a Chance..."), is hand-embroidered by Jeevika, along with all the sewing on the cover itself. You can see a photo of the Nabe Cover on the Rakutendo website!
They are just completing the second order of 100 pieces to sell in collaboration with WWF in Japan!
Here, Hiromi is designing the next product, a spice holder for members to keep their spice packets (which they receive each month with their Bean Cooking Kits) neatly in their kitchens. These wall pocket pouches will use jute and hand-woven khadi...and will of course have the smiling bean on the side!
Saturday, January 06, 2007
BLOGGING at the library
A few of the members of Mustard Seeds Library got excited about blogging and have set up their own blog using the name of the newsletter we used to print sporadically, Mango Smiles. The site is planned to be filled with pieces by the kids themselves, and it is they who set up the account and have been doing the input all by themselves! We really look forward to news from all the Mustard Seeds members so that we can publish it on the blog. Spread the news
Have a look for yourself:
http://mango-smiles.blogspot.com
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Letter from Kathmandu
We recently had a visit with John Brandi and Renee Gregorio, two poets who live in El Rito, outside of Santa Fe. On the very last evening, we had the pleasure of hearing three of their poems. This one seems a good one to post before elections in the US.
= LETTER FROM KATHMANDU =
Friends, let us wake with disbelief,
bare our souls, tell our stories, lose our eyes,
become vagrants of the Sea.
Let us seek the heat
of the kernal that feeds in the dark,
and step aside of men whose twisted lips
pretend to lead, but are not real
in their pursuit of war.
I’ve already seen years
of massacre, hydrogen light the night,
children with ruined eyes, tortured by what
no one should ever see.
Let us leave our security,
open our memory, bring flowers
from the storm, write letters that become
sanctuaries, so that we ourselves
may become sanctuaries.
Friends, a dream
runs up to me smiling. I call on you
to see in the dark, to finish
the song inside you.
- John Brandi
= LETTER FROM KATHMANDU =
Friends, let us wake with disbelief,
bare our souls, tell our stories, lose our eyes,
become vagrants of the Sea.
Let us seek the heat
of the kernal that feeds in the dark,
and step aside of men whose twisted lips
pretend to lead, but are not real
in their pursuit of war.
I’ve already seen years
of massacre, hydrogen light the night,
children with ruined eyes, tortured by what
no one should ever see.
Let us leave our security,
open our memory, bring flowers
from the storm, write letters that become
sanctuaries, so that we ourselves
may become sanctuaries.
Friends, a dream
runs up to me smiling. I call on you
to see in the dark, to finish
the song inside you.
- John Brandi
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Dress up !
Although Halloween isn't much more than something the kids had read about in books, it didn't take long for Mustard Seed Library members to get into the Halloween spirit. We all made our own Jack-o-lantern bags and then thought quick about a costume: we had a Native American girl, a purple fairy, Harry Potter and Hermione, a pirate and a swami guy with an incredibly interesting goatee style! We even did a bit of trick-or-treating that felt like the real thing to me.
After, we raided the shelves and pulled out all the Mustard Seeds Halloween titles for the kids to take home -- and read up more on this newly found festival of fun.
Boo!
After, we raided the shelves and pulled out all the Mustard Seeds Halloween titles for the kids to take home -- and read up more on this newly found festival of fun.
Boo!
Thursday, September 21, 2006
A real get-away
We were visiting the Andaman islands for the past five days. We flew into Port Blair from Kolkata which took a little under 2 hours. We went to visit a small cove, which is the only beach on this main island the first day.
The second day, after purchasing our tickets for the boat to Havelock island, we went to see the Cellular Jail built by the British to lock up India's freedom fighters. The jail was later taken over by the Japanese. The galleries and museum were of great interest. Later that afternoon we left Port Blair and made our way to the coasts of Havelock.
Havelock is part of the very beautiful and remote island chain that extends from below Burma and leads into Sumatra. We enjoyed ourselves to no end, staying in bamboo huts, collecting shells, gliding on the huge waves of the Bay of Bengal, and riding an elephant on the beach (the footprints were enormous).
The huge array of trees are part of gorgeous native rainforests and when the monsoon rains would pour down at night on our little thatch roof, I felt exhilarated knowing that this was all that protected me from nature's forces. It sometimes felt like we'd be swept into the ocean when a huge gust of monsoon wind came with the rains.
Despite the tropicalia, this environment actually reminded me several times of childhood summers spent at Crystal Beach on good old Lake Erie.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
LOOKING FOR CHILDREN'S BOOK IDEAS
Recently I met a very dedicated woman here named Rosalie who is originally from Brooklyn, New York. She comes to Kolkata eight months out of the year to teach underpriviledged children at various locations throughout the city as part of an NGO she started to address the problem of education. The other four months are spent fund-raising in the US. Her NGO, Empower the Children , uses activity-based classes that all include a story and a craft.
She visited Mustard Seeds Library in the hope that she could find books about certain class topics, and I was surprised that we didn't have too many of them to offer! She is specifically looking for children's story books with these themes:
bird
drum
fish
glasses
guitar
heart
jack-in-the-box
jaguar
moon
nose
necklace
pearl
quilt
rattle
snake
unicorn
vegetables
vine
yoyo
yarn
worm
I thought some of the mustard seed friends and family might be able to help her out. If you can suggest titles for children's books that talk about these particular themes, she can purchase them or if you would like to donate them for her use, you can send them to her directly. Just send an email (mseeds.maura@gmail.com) or post a comment if you have book titles or want to get an address to send a new or used copy to Rosalie directly! I'll pass any ideas or books onto her.
Monday, August 07, 2006
POST - IT!
GREETING CARDS, POSTCARDS AND PAPER ITEMS
Do you still enjoy sending a handwritten letter; thanking someone with a card; or remembering someone on special days?
As a means of support to several smaller NGO producers and artisans here in Kolkata I help design and sell a variety of beautiful handmade greeting cards, postcards, and other paper products. The prices are reasonable and provide motivation to the groups who continue to develop and create new products.
Some of the cards have been silk-screened and hand-painted by Silence, a group that trains and employs deaf and disabled workers. Postcards are prints of original pata village artwork. There are also uniquely hand-painted cards by an organization called Anjali, bringing art therapy to three mental institutions in the city. Other groups include Ankur Kala, Suchana Early Learning Center and Calcutta Rescue.
This past weekend we opened up a small card and gift area in the library. Every item on sale is made by these social welfare groups working here in Kolkata to give people training and employment. Proceeds go straight back to the groups.
If you are in need of Durga Puja or Year-end greeting cards, watch here for some designs, or just inquire by email. There is also an 8 card variety pack available, for a donation of $20 (thanks to everyone who has sent their support so far!)
If you would like to see some of the cards or know of a place where I can sell them, please be in touch.
mseeds.maura@gmail.com
Do you still enjoy sending a handwritten letter; thanking someone with a card; or remembering someone on special days?
As a means of support to several smaller NGO producers and artisans here in Kolkata I help design and sell a variety of beautiful handmade greeting cards, postcards, and other paper products. The prices are reasonable and provide motivation to the groups who continue to develop and create new products.
Some of the cards have been silk-screened and hand-painted by Silence, a group that trains and employs deaf and disabled workers. Postcards are prints of original pata village artwork. There are also uniquely hand-painted cards by an organization called Anjali, bringing art therapy to three mental institutions in the city. Other groups include Ankur Kala, Suchana Early Learning Center and Calcutta Rescue.
This past weekend we opened up a small card and gift area in the library. Every item on sale is made by these social welfare groups working here in Kolkata to give people training and employment. Proceeds go straight back to the groups.
If you are in need of Durga Puja or Year-end greeting cards, watch here for some designs, or just inquire by email. There is also an 8 card variety pack available, for a donation of $20 (thanks to everyone who has sent their support so far!)
If you would like to see some of the cards or know of a place where I can sell them, please be in touch.
mseeds.maura@gmail.com
Friday, August 04, 2006
Friday, May 05, 2006
As individually beautiful as the people who create them
These cards were painted by people participating in the Anjali Programme in government-run mental institutions in West Bengal.
ANJALI was born out of a desire to realistically implement some of the recommendatons of the National Human Rights Commission towards improving mental health care and treatment in India. The long-term aim of ANJALI is to create a user-friendly institution that would function as a democractic healing speace for campaign, advocacy, and care of the psychosocially disabled. Its ultimate misssion is to initiate and help implement systemic reforms in the sphere of mental health care and treatment in India.
In addition to these cards, Mustard Seeds has started selling greetings cards by various other NGOs and health organizations which implement card-making as creative therapy and means for employment. Please inquire about purchasing a Helping Hand Variety Card Pack.
ANJALI was born out of a desire to realistically implement some of the recommendatons of the National Human Rights Commission towards improving mental health care and treatment in India. The long-term aim of ANJALI is to create a user-friendly institution that would function as a democractic healing speace for campaign, advocacy, and care of the psychosocially disabled. Its ultimate misssion is to initiate and help implement systemic reforms in the sphere of mental health care and treatment in India.
In addition to these cards, Mustard Seeds has started selling greetings cards by various other NGOs and health organizations which implement card-making as creative therapy and means for employment. Please inquire about purchasing a Helping Hand Variety Card Pack.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Another Earth Day rolls around at MSeeds
This year the kids at Mustard Seeds Library joined in on the Earth Day T-shirt D-Zine Contest and I must say we got some pretty exciting entries. This shirt, designed by Tokai Mukherjee, was chosen as the winner. But it has to be said that everyone is a winner if they are thinking about the EARTH and what they can do to create less of an impact on her -- on April 22nd!
After turning in the T-shirt entry forms we baked our own banana-carrot Earth Day cake decorated with lemon icing and flowers from our garden. Then of course, another round of our annual HAPPY EARTH DAY TO YOU!
Thanks to our environmental activist friend, Amanda Suutari, for sharing these nice Earth Day quotations with us all. We have them posted on our Earth Day display in the library:
- We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. ~Native American Proverb
- There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew. ~Marshall McLuhan, 1964
- You can't be suspicious of a tree, or accuse a bird or a squirrel of subversion or challenge the ideology of a violet. ~Hal Borland, Sundial of the Seasons, 1964
- Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money. ~Cree Indian Proverb
- Environmentalists have long been fond of saying that the sun is the only safe nuclear reactor, situated as it is some ninety-three million miles away. ~Stephanie Mills, ed., In Praise of Nature, 1990
- I conceive that the land belongs to a vast family of which many are dead, few are living, and countless numbers are still unborn. ~A Chieftan from Nigeria
After turning in the T-shirt entry forms we baked our own banana-carrot Earth Day cake decorated with lemon icing and flowers from our garden. Then of course, another round of our annual HAPPY EARTH DAY TO YOU!
Thanks to our environmental activist friend, Amanda Suutari, for sharing these nice Earth Day quotations with us all. We have them posted on our Earth Day display in the library:
- We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. ~Native American Proverb
- There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew. ~Marshall McLuhan, 1964
- You can't be suspicious of a tree, or accuse a bird or a squirrel of subversion or challenge the ideology of a violet. ~Hal Borland, Sundial of the Seasons, 1964
- Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money. ~Cree Indian Proverb
- Environmentalists have long been fond of saying that the sun is the only safe nuclear reactor, situated as it is some ninety-three million miles away. ~Stephanie Mills, ed., In Praise of Nature, 1990
- I conceive that the land belongs to a vast family of which many are dead, few are living, and countless numbers are still unborn. ~A Chieftan from Nigeria
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Card Corner at Aalcha
When I heard that my friends at Aalcha were planning to open a lending library and bookshop I asked if I could get in on the fun.
Keeping in touch through cards and letters is something that seems an inherited gene in my family so setting up a small card and stationary corner seemed obvious to me. I am hoping that more people can keep alive the art of letter and postcard writing, even in the midst of this internet/email heyday we are living in.
Products are mainly sourced through NGOs and artists so you just cannot go wrong if you buy your greeting cards and thank yous from here. Beautiful handmade diaries, notebooks and gift bags are also available.
Located in Shyambati in Shantiniketan.
Keeping in touch through cards and letters is something that seems an inherited gene in my family so setting up a small card and stationary corner seemed obvious to me. I am hoping that more people can keep alive the art of letter and postcard writing, even in the midst of this internet/email heyday we are living in.
Products are mainly sourced through NGOs and artists so you just cannot go wrong if you buy your greeting cards and thank yous from here. Beautiful handmade diaries, notebooks and gift bags are also available.
Located in Shyambati in Shantiniketan.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
PEACE and JAPAN'S ARTICLE IX
Article 9 of Japan's present Constitution states the Renunciation of War but it is currently in danger of being amended to take up arms. This is something that worries many Japanese people who have always been in support of remaining a neutral country. Creative activism is happening throughout the islands to protect this anti-war clause.
Recently my friend Yoshiko, a peace activist in Japan, wrote to ask for children's drawings from India for the Peace Art Exhibition to be held in April in Nara.
I decided to take Yoshiko's request and her message of peace to the school I volunteer at, called SHIKSHAMITRA. We did three discussion / art sessions with different age groups and some very wonderful thoughts and drawings came out of each. The children, many of whom cope with difficult domestic problems, were enthusiastic about envisioning a more peaceful environment.
"Arms do not ever protect a nation or its people..."
This exhibition is an opportunity for people all over the globe to think about Peace and Japan's Article 9.
Recently my friend Yoshiko, a peace activist in Japan, wrote to ask for children's drawings from India for the Peace Art Exhibition to be held in April in Nara.
I decided to take Yoshiko's request and her message of peace to the school I volunteer at, called SHIKSHAMITRA. We did three discussion / art sessions with different age groups and some very wonderful thoughts and drawings came out of each. The children, many of whom cope with difficult domestic problems, were enthusiastic about envisioning a more peaceful environment.
"Arms do not ever protect a nation or its people..."
This exhibition is an opportunity for people all over the globe to think about Peace and Japan's Article 9.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
How does your garden grow?
Our garden plot, Malancha, is in its peak season right now. It keeps changing its look and expanding whenever I get time to go down there and work on it. Italian basil is growing like spitfire right now and I look forward to making some pesto. The mali at the kid's school gave me some cuttings, some of which are doing great. This is a fun way to acquire new plants!
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Pata
After December 2005, many patuas illustrated their impressions of the tsunami disaster in their scroll commentaries.
This is one frame that describes the tsunami from a patua's perspective. Many of the scrolls show a huge godlike creature crying at the top with tears flowing down from the heavens, heads with their eyes closed are floating in the waters, and birdlike carriages are flying about carrying people -- the helicopters rescuing victims in the affected areas.
Painting by Karuna Chitrakar
Medinipur
This is one frame that describes the tsunami from a patua's perspective. Many of the scrolls show a huge godlike creature crying at the top with tears flowing down from the heavens, heads with their eyes closed are floating in the waters, and birdlike carriages are flying about carrying people -- the helicopters rescuing victims in the affected areas.
Painting by Karuna Chitrakar
Medinipur
Monday, January 16, 2006
bai lou
An exhibition at Artisana at 13 Chowringhee Terrace introduced unique contemporary weaves by the bai lou studio.
The studio was started in March 2002 by a young couple with plenty of color, design style, and saavy.
Handmade, handwoven textiles, including scarves, bags, quilts, and sarees are some of the bai lou products. The two have been working closely with weavers in villages near Phulia to meld obviously contemporary designs together with traditional weaving skills -- creating a wave of refreshingly new weave selections and possibilities.
No two products seem to look or feel the same.
www.bailou.net
The studio was started in March 2002 by a young couple with plenty of color, design style, and saavy.
Handmade, handwoven textiles, including scarves, bags, quilts, and sarees are some of the bai lou products. The two have been working closely with weavers in villages near Phulia to meld obviously contemporary designs together with traditional weaving skills -- creating a wave of refreshingly new weave selections and possibilities.
No two products seem to look or feel the same.
www.bailou.net
Saturday, January 07, 2006
THANK YOU!
Thanks to the following list of people who have helped us in a variety of creative ways to raise money or further Mustard Seed activities....
Kyoko Hosoki & Hiromi Yamagami at JEE in Kyoto selling products; Chiaki Takashima & Rakutendo members for working to make a fair trade pot cover for their bean cuisine club; Siobhan Wilson for taking a keen interest in the groups and trying to start a business up focusing on them; Laura Ford for her "maural" support; Carol Lanigan & Moira Jones in Dublin who started the Coffee Morning Movement to sell products for groups here over coffee; Ringo Hanada, Adarsh Sharma, Yukie Kaneshiro, Martha Hurley, Kenske Nakamura for their financial contributions; Ann Overton for library materials; Kawamoto-san, Arisa-san, Naoki-kun and Nick-san who sell products at their restaurants; Trina Takeuchi and Family; all the Mustard Seed LIbrary members, the NGOs here, and to my whole family!
For those who always wondered, this is what mustard looks like growing on the field!
Kyoko Hosoki & Hiromi Yamagami at JEE in Kyoto selling products; Chiaki Takashima & Rakutendo members for working to make a fair trade pot cover for their bean cuisine club; Siobhan Wilson for taking a keen interest in the groups and trying to start a business up focusing on them; Laura Ford for her "maural" support; Carol Lanigan & Moira Jones in Dublin who started the Coffee Morning Movement to sell products for groups here over coffee; Ringo Hanada, Adarsh Sharma, Yukie Kaneshiro, Martha Hurley, Kenske Nakamura for their financial contributions; Ann Overton for library materials; Kawamoto-san, Arisa-san, Naoki-kun and Nick-san who sell products at their restaurants; Trina Takeuchi and Family; all the Mustard Seed LIbrary members, the NGOs here, and to my whole family!
For those who always wondered, this is what mustard looks like growing on the field!
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Panchachuli Women Weavers
Last week I heard a talk given by a representative of Panchachuli Women Weavers cooperative who have made a name for themselves by making pure pashmina products.
In 1997 funds were received to start a training program for about 150 women in the villages around Almora to teach them spinning and weaving wool and natural fibers available locally as a sustainable form of employment. In order to empower the women of this area, who were used to toiling in fields and raising cattle and being dominated by menfolk, it was necessary to chalk out a program encompassing basic and advanced training, along with infrastructure and facilities for common production centers where women could work.
Training was imparted by master weavers from the tribal communities on the Indo-Tibet border where weaving of fine wool was a tradiational occupation. Although the program was first opposed by the men of the area, eventually the women gained the support of their families and with substantial income gains brought home by the women, the whole socio-economic dynamics of families and the community turned around. The women are truly empowered. Panchaculi women and their families, moreover, have been able to swing th evotes in favor of particular elected candidates.
By the end of 2000 there were 400 women trained in various skills and the Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine Kaye Foundation provided the funds for importing sophisticated pashmina processing machines from Scotland, for building a complex comprising seven large weaving halls, rooms for spinnng and processing of wool, stores for raw materials and finished products, administrative offices and four buses to transport women from their villages to the production center and back.
Between 2000 and 2003 another 300 women were trained and Panchaculi became a brand name in the local market, domestically and abroad.
Panchachuli procures the bulk of its wool, namely pasmina and lambswool, from the highlands of Tibet where founder Ms. Mukti Dutta and women employees go trekking over in 22,000 ft. high passes to buy wool from Tibetan nomads around Lake Manasarovar and Mt. Kailash. They are officially recognized traders by both the Indian and Chinese governments, who have allowed them access to these restricted areas.
Women also work with nettle fiber and oak silk procured locally through traditional methods of growing and processing, and have plans to work with hemp fiber.
I was particularly impressed with the beauty of the natural colors, the soft texture and the delicately intricate weaves. This photo is a display at Sasha where the Panchchuli Women Weavers are currently exhibiting their products til Dec. 24.
In 1997 funds were received to start a training program for about 150 women in the villages around Almora to teach them spinning and weaving wool and natural fibers available locally as a sustainable form of employment. In order to empower the women of this area, who were used to toiling in fields and raising cattle and being dominated by menfolk, it was necessary to chalk out a program encompassing basic and advanced training, along with infrastructure and facilities for common production centers where women could work.
Training was imparted by master weavers from the tribal communities on the Indo-Tibet border where weaving of fine wool was a tradiational occupation. Although the program was first opposed by the men of the area, eventually the women gained the support of their families and with substantial income gains brought home by the women, the whole socio-economic dynamics of families and the community turned around. The women are truly empowered. Panchaculi women and their families, moreover, have been able to swing th evotes in favor of particular elected candidates.
By the end of 2000 there were 400 women trained in various skills and the Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine Kaye Foundation provided the funds for importing sophisticated pashmina processing machines from Scotland, for building a complex comprising seven large weaving halls, rooms for spinnng and processing of wool, stores for raw materials and finished products, administrative offices and four buses to transport women from their villages to the production center and back.
Between 2000 and 2003 another 300 women were trained and Panchaculi became a brand name in the local market, domestically and abroad.
Panchachuli procures the bulk of its wool, namely pasmina and lambswool, from the highlands of Tibet where founder Ms. Mukti Dutta and women employees go trekking over in 22,000 ft. high passes to buy wool from Tibetan nomads around Lake Manasarovar and Mt. Kailash. They are officially recognized traders by both the Indian and Chinese governments, who have allowed them access to these restricted areas.
Women also work with nettle fiber and oak silk procured locally through traditional methods of growing and processing, and have plans to work with hemp fiber.
I was particularly impressed with the beauty of the natural colors, the soft texture and the delicately intricate weaves. This photo is a display at Sasha where the Panchchuli Women Weavers are currently exhibiting their products til Dec. 24.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Merry Christmustard!
Close your eyes and look inside yourself. There you will find the gift you can give to your friends and your community...and the world.
But in the meantime, it's time to play Secret Santa gift exchange at Mustard Seeds Library!! While sipping hot cocoa, kids exchanged small gifts with their friends and sang Christmas songs. In the evening we took it out on the streets, doing two rounds of carols in the parks of our apartment complex -- It certainly was not a silent night.
But in the meantime, it's time to play Secret Santa gift exchange at Mustard Seeds Library!! While sipping hot cocoa, kids exchanged small gifts with their friends and sang Christmas songs. In the evening we took it out on the streets, doing two rounds of carols in the parks of our apartment complex -- It certainly was not a silent night.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Time to focus
Around this time of year, one starts thinking about winding up the year that's finished and planning what to do next year. Recently I wrote up a short statement about Mustard Seeds that explains to a certain extent what we are trying to achieve here. I'd like to share it with all our fellow mustard seeds!
Mustard Seeds is a conceptual project for community-based action on a small scale started by Maura Hurley and Gautam Basu in a suburb of Kolkata, India. The name comes from the mustard seed spice which is an important ingredient in regional Bengali cooking. Although it is a very tiny seed, it gives a potent and delicious flavor to dishes that just wouldn't taste the same without it. Mustard Seeds aims to do small-scale, peopel-to-people projects that connect those living inside and outside Kolkata.
Mustard Seeds began in 1997 with the help of friends and family outside of India who donated books and financial contributions. The very first project was setting up a children's library and activity space in one room of their flat for young people in the neighborhood. With school and study pressure being so high in Kolkata, children feel happy to come to the library and browse through the book collection, go wild with paints, write a poem, do a craft project, or have a story read to them. The library has organized coloring contests, poster contests with environmental themes, visits to local social welfare projects, and always has a big Earth Day celebration in April. Children help maintain a small garden space, Malancha, that used to be a garbage heap and raise funds for a children's rehabilitation center in south Kolkata, RCFC.
Besides the library, Mustard Seeds self-published a children's book entitled To the Local Bazaar with a simple story that uses illustrations by a traditional story scroll artist from the village of Medinipur. Sales of this book and the postcard set that was also printed give a little more support to this artist and her family. More books that use traditional artwork are set to be published too. Mustard Seed also creates outlets for some of the budding fair-trade producer groups in Kolkata to sell their products while at the same time spreading the story of women's and rural development issues in this region.
Among various projects, currently Mustard Seed members sell jams and pickles for Ankur Kala, a women's center in Kolkata that trains destitute women to become skilled and self-empowered. Greeting cards made by physically and mentally challenged individuals at Silence and Asha Niketan, two organizations that work to make people with disabilities lead more independent. lifestyles, are also available at the library as well as cards from SUCHANA, The Uttor Chandipur Early Learning Group located outside of Shantiniketan. Profits go right back to the groups that produce them to sustain their important work.
Through numerous small networkings, Mustard Seeds works to encourage others to get to know more about the many worthwhile NGO efforts going on in Kolkata through the sale of products, written commentaries, or visits to the actual sites. Mustard Seeds does not aim to become a huge organization with a central office, but instead to inspire other individuals and families to do something on a small-scale that makes a difference to another person. Why not become a Mustard Seed yourself? What blooms where you are planted is a creative and never-ending process!
Feel free to contact us.
Mustard Seeds is a conceptual project for community-based action on a small scale started by Maura Hurley and Gautam Basu in a suburb of Kolkata, India. The name comes from the mustard seed spice which is an important ingredient in regional Bengali cooking. Although it is a very tiny seed, it gives a potent and delicious flavor to dishes that just wouldn't taste the same without it. Mustard Seeds aims to do small-scale, peopel-to-people projects that connect those living inside and outside Kolkata.
Mustard Seeds began in 1997 with the help of friends and family outside of India who donated books and financial contributions. The very first project was setting up a children's library and activity space in one room of their flat for young people in the neighborhood. With school and study pressure being so high in Kolkata, children feel happy to come to the library and browse through the book collection, go wild with paints, write a poem, do a craft project, or have a story read to them. The library has organized coloring contests, poster contests with environmental themes, visits to local social welfare projects, and always has a big Earth Day celebration in April. Children help maintain a small garden space, Malancha, that used to be a garbage heap and raise funds for a children's rehabilitation center in south Kolkata, RCFC.
Besides the library, Mustard Seeds self-published a children's book entitled To the Local Bazaar with a simple story that uses illustrations by a traditional story scroll artist from the village of Medinipur. Sales of this book and the postcard set that was also printed give a little more support to this artist and her family. More books that use traditional artwork are set to be published too. Mustard Seed also creates outlets for some of the budding fair-trade producer groups in Kolkata to sell their products while at the same time spreading the story of women's and rural development issues in this region.
Among various projects, currently Mustard Seed members sell jams and pickles for Ankur Kala, a women's center in Kolkata that trains destitute women to become skilled and self-empowered. Greeting cards made by physically and mentally challenged individuals at Silence and Asha Niketan, two organizations that work to make people with disabilities lead more independent. lifestyles, are also available at the library as well as cards from SUCHANA, The Uttor Chandipur Early Learning Group located outside of Shantiniketan. Profits go right back to the groups that produce them to sustain their important work.
Through numerous small networkings, Mustard Seeds works to encourage others to get to know more about the many worthwhile NGO efforts going on in Kolkata through the sale of products, written commentaries, or visits to the actual sites. Mustard Seeds does not aim to become a huge organization with a central office, but instead to inspire other individuals and families to do something on a small-scale that makes a difference to another person. Why not become a Mustard Seed yourself? What blooms where you are planted is a creative and never-ending process!
Feel free to contact us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)