Fab India and some misleading tricks..

Many times when I explain about our Tula project to people they ask “ oh! Like fab India is it?” and I am seething in anger bcos it is no where near our Tula..

Not in idea, not in ideal, not in the holistic way.

For that matter I can say with all audacity that there are few projects that are as holistic as this across India..and that touches all livelihoods across a value chain..

Fab India is not even being honest.. that is a sham..

And hence be warned, if I or someone else talk about Tula don’t dare to compare it to FI.

The other day I had to take my friends who had come from Europe (on hols ) to a fab India showroom in Blore..

Why I took them is a long explanation and not very relevant here..

After all they really did start with some good ideals..they did help some weaving communities and some artisans..also took these artisan products and created a market (even if at huge margins)

 I thought let these gora friends spend some of their money on products of such artisans..

But now I regret..

On the first floor, there was a big poster on natural dyeing..

Needless to say, I was impressed..bcos across India u see many groups that work with hand loom (weavers) ignore the chemical dyeing part and the BT cotton poison at the production end..

So end up with such big polluters at the 2 ends and still weave a big magic..and talk (high) only of their handloom credits..

So that’s an improvement I thought..so I asked the sales person about which part of the hall had natural dyed..this person did not even understand natural dyed..he started saying these were done with cotton which is natural fibre..so before he could get to my goat I asked for a manager and asked her if she wud know..she said one or 2 garments at one end of that big hall were natural dyed..

So what is all this misleading tricks?  A big banner saying /natural dyes” then some posters on  natural dyeing here and there in that big hall misleading people to think almost all garments displayed are that!

If u thought that this could be an over sight or ignorance of the people in that floor, see the next floor..

As I entered I saw a big Gandhi’s poster, then a a few posters on khadi and hand spinning..

When I asked this person (wo)maning this floor, it was the same answer..those 2 garments there and one in this row is khadi…rest were not!
how misleading!! Does that tantamount to lying or is it like the advertisements that mislead and ‘intelligently lure’ you to things wrongly? Willful misleading?

So all that u see there isn’t handloom, neither all is khadi nor is it all natural dyed..

And we all have been thinking they have been the saviours of these dying arts..  
Beware! Next time do not be mislead..and donot be carried away and compare that to Tula!