FAIR TRADE TOUR

“There is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and unhappiness”

– Mahatma Gandhi

India is famous for its culture, natural and social diversity. This travel takes you to weavers, craft people, potters, farmers and artisans to learn and experience their blessed talents. This enables you to experience various agricultural practices, stay with their families and be part of their Activities.

Weaver’s trails help you to understand and learn about natural dying and spirit of Khadi. This journey makes you understand the decentralized production and importance of village industries. This helps you to meet the people who weave your clothes and produce your food.

Be part of their production and build your trust in them.

In this interesting tour programme Kabani tries to trace the trail of many an interesting Fair Trade movements in South India. There are countless traditional crafts being practised by local communities to make a living like, hand weaving, traditional pottery, terracotta ornaments, crafts made of wood and bamboo etc;

People who are associated with these crafts are struggling to market it and most of the revenues from the sale go to middleman. In this contest, it’s really interesting to experience the Fair Trade movement in action and explore the whole supply chain.Khadi played an important role in India’s freedom struggle movement and it taught people the importance of self-sustainability and virtues of decentralized production. In this programme, our guests are introduced to some amazing people and

Khadi played an important role in India’s freedom struggle movement and it taught people the importance of self-sustainability and virtues of decentralized production. In this programme, our guests are introduced to some amazing people and organisations who strives to revive Khadi and empower the marginalised population.

As you take this journey, you travel along an age old path, exploring some historic places, heritage sites, temple towns and some stunning landscape. Get to know India and it’s people through this road not taken.

Itinerary:

• The journey starts from Mysore with an introduction about sustainable living and a visit to an organic farmer’s market in the up town.
• Once we move out of this historic city with some great heritage architecture, a world opens up in front of us, with swathes of lush green paddy fields and sugarcane fields.
• On the way to the temple town of Melukote we pass by many a sleepy villages and interesting ladscape, dotting with lakes and hills.
  This age old temple town is home to an organisation called Janapada Seva Trust, founded by an astute Gandhian Mr. Surendra Kougali and his wife, with an objective of reviving the age old weaving tradition.
  At the khadi weaving centre at the ‘Hosa Jeevana Daari’ campus, we could be part of the weaving process and observe how natural dyes are being used to give different colors to the yarn.
  The khadi weaving unit here is one of the few in India where organic dyes are used. An interaction with the Kougali family helps us to learn more about the challenges faced by the local community and the objectives of the organisation.
• A visit to the centuries old hill top temple assures some stunning views. A trip to the traditinal silk weavers colony is another attraction.