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CHENNAI: About seven years ago, when Radha Parthasarathy visited Thandalam, a small village near
Arakkonam, she was left dispirited. The village, a pilgrimage centre between Tirupati and Kasi, lacked
even the basic sanitation and health facilities, with no toilets, no hospitals in proximity and poor condition
of schools.
The pitiful condition of the village however came as an awakening of sorts for Radha, who had retired
from her service with the Craft Council, and decided to utilise her time and energy in taking up the
responsibility of empowering the village. ³We built 241 toilets, one in every house.
We also rebuilt the village school with clean toilets for 330 children and renovated the age-old Adhikesava
Perumal and Siva temples in the village.´ However the most significant turning point for the village came
with the empowerment of its women.
Radha formed self-help groups for women thereby helping them sustain their families. They were taught
to prepare spice powders and ready-mix preparations like sambhar and rasam powder, vatha kuzhambu
powder, multi-purpose curry powders, paruppu podi, karivepillai podi and ready mixes for rava dosa,
Kanchipuram idli and adai, based on recipes given by reputed chefs.
³These podis are absolutely unprocessed and unadulterated. They are naturally made,´ says Radha.
The latest addition to the recipes of the Annapoorni self-help group are organic menus like the
panchakavya, and ancient, herbal concepts like agniastra and neemasthra biocides as opposed to
pesticides, which cause a high risk of chemical adversities when sprayed on plants.
³We have also started vermicomposting and collect all the garbage and segregate it. Our women make
paper bags that are regularly bought by Eco Corner in Mumbai. The women now earn about Rs 2000 to
Rs 2500 a month.´ This undertaking by Radha has many success stories. Winners Bakery, the charity
project by the Rotary Club of Madras now stocks the products made by Radha¶s women¶s selfhelp group.
Of what was a barren land of thorny bushes, Thandalam has certainly undergone a metamorphic
transition now and Radha can hardly conceal her excitement. ³Awareness has gone up in Thandalam,
among families and more importantly among the women folk. We have started a lab in the medical centre
for basic testing of blood pressure and urine. It¶s going to be under the supervision of Arjun Rajagopal
Sundaram Medical Foundation. Recently I had visitors from South Africa. The ladies cooked them lunch.
They wrote me a letter saying it¶s the cleanest place they had seen in this part of the country,´ she
gushes.

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Friday, November 20, 2009,12:41 [IST]
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Mumbai, Nov 20: Amid the Maharashtra government's campaign to reduce the number of alcoholism
cases, the state's Tribal Development Minister Babanrao Pachpute has proposed the idea of the
manufacturing 'herbal liquor'.
The minister has told the tribal community to take up manufacturing 'herbal liquor' from moha flowers
as a source of livelihood. Pachpute said that the idea was at the level of primary discussion with
tribals and manufacturers.

"We are getting information on how it can be implemented," he said.

Maharashtra has around 3.45 crore moha (bassia latifolia) trees. Flowers of the moha or mahua tree
yield liquor and its fruit yield oil.
"Around one kg of moha flowers can produce up to 350 ml of liquor and fill a 750 ml standard liquor
bottle when diluted," the former Forest Minister said.

However, the idea sees objection from the Opposition.

"Pachpute should come up with other ways for welfare of tribals. For tribals, what matters is
education and checking malnutrition," Shiv Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe said.
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Aavran Handloom Society - livelihood for 100 families

November 25, 2009 (India)


The bioRe Association started a small initiative of promoting

livelihood for its women self help groups through 10 Hand spinning
machines (Ambar Charkhas) in Sept 07. Today this initiative has
turned into a full process chain of organic handlooms known as
Aavran Handloom Society.

Aavran is a conglomerate of small Self Help Groups where 100

families get livelihood by producing organic handspun hand-woven
fabric. Around 70 women spinners, 25 young weavers and 25 other
families are making this initiative a unique cohesive effort for self
reliance. The roots of Aavran are closely connected to its promoting
organization bioRe Association. bioRe Foundation Switzerland
supported the bioRe Association in developing the required
infrastructure for the Aavran handloom society.

Aavran being a social enterprises believes in equality, quality, transparency, fair trade, and making locally global
products thus advancing with world by consolidating and valuing our traditional knowledge and culture. Aavran is
managed by hand spinners, weavers and its founding members from the youth club. Mr Rajendra Yadav a local
young man from a bioRe Youth club is leading the operations of the society. The vision of Aavran is to develop as a
quality service organisation promoting rural livelihood, encouraging economic independence of women and
complimenting ecologically friendly organisations in promotion of hand spun, hand woven natural fibres. 



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Govt of Orissa to set up more raw material banks 

February 08, 2010 (India) 
The Government of Orissa will increase the number of raw material banks in Orissa, which has 26 banks at present.
It will also release national-level tenders within two months in order to receive quality materials and accessories to
develop the textile sector.

Power-loom products can never stand at par with traditionally woven fabrics, in terms of quality and efficiency, as it
cannot be dyed with natural dyes, but still the artisans of unorganized sector are facing problems. A substantial
platform is required to be formed to provide them their share, said Mr. Laxmi Narayan Nayak, Textiles and
Handlooms Director.

Speaking at a roundtable on ³Inclusive development through fair trade approaches: Opportunities and challenges¶¶,
Ms. Anjali Behera, Handlooms and Textiles Secretary said, The artisans, who have played a crucial role to keep
traditional crafts and handlooms of the country alive, should be rewarded satisfactorily through trade fairs, said

Trade fairs create opportunities for small producers where they can receive proper prices for their products through
capacity building, market access, refinance, living wages, community development and sustainable income, she
added.

Trade fairs are mainly aimed at alleviation of poverty and promotion of entrepreneurship development, stated Mr. I.
Mallikarjuna, Executive Director of Fair Trade Forum (India). At present, there are around 75 listed organizations in
the country which share business of around Rs.2 billion in country¶s overall export of Rs. 180 billion, he added.

He further added that, initially, western markets had been targeted for product marketing; but now, as the trade
potential in domestic markets has improved with the emergence of huge middle-class buyers, these markets can be
tapped to offer adequate compensation to Indian artisans for their products. 



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