Lotus Bazaar: The South Asian journey

South Asia is famed for its exotic arts and crafts. The recent Lotus Bazaar, organised by the Asian Heritage Foundation, in Delhi was proof enough that South Asia's repute is more than fabled. Small cooperatives, home based workers, NGOs, artisans and designers from South Asian countries had four field days to show off their best products--ranging from palate-tickling spices and organic foods, to colourful home accessories, easy on the eye attire, art and other bric-a- brac.

Meanwhile, curious crowds milled around musicians from Rajasthan and Bengal or headed for the food festival called Sanjha Chulha that offered the best cuisine of nine South Asian countries to Delhiites.

Making the journey from Dhaka to Delhi, the relatively small Jatra stall had shoppers leafing through story-based folk art paintings, breathing in at some rare aromatic oils or gazing at colourful little decorative pieces and delicately embroidered dupattas.

At the Jatra stall one met up with Lubna Marium, of Shadhona repute and an active presence at Jatra. “The Lotus Bazaar is symbolic of a larger programme that has the potential to connect grassroots artisans in the nine South Asian countries,” she explains.

The programme in question is “Sasian Journey”, a trans-disciplinary programme being steered by the Asian Heritage Foundation and the renowned Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) in engagement with the Smithsonian Institution, USA. The collaboration includes leading NGOs of South Asia, the World Bank, UNDP and other bodies.

A major outcome of the project is a series of events that promote South Asian culture at the Smithsonian Institution's Folklife Programme from June-July 2018 at the National Mall, Washington DC, USA. The programme will then be replicated at other locations. According to the organisers “The journey will highlight the sub-continent's most vulnerable but tenacious skilled poor as the rich repositories of cultural resources with an enormous potential for decentralised employment and revenue generation.”