an exciting week

We are having a quietly exciting week in the workshop, all has started well.

Praveen and I are working hard at learning exactly how to do everything, so here he is working out how to use the stud machine[ a few of our clients like lots and lots of studs]

I feel very brave I have learnt how to use the Industral sewing machine- they go so fast!! and I am scared of running over my fingers....when I was teaching felt and Textiles etc I knew so much about what to look out for because if there was a mistake you could make- I would have found it somewhere along the line. I must say now I am making friends with the machine I love the speed :) Like driving- go fast baby!!

I do appreciate the little shrine behind me and hope Ganesha is looking over my shoulder- he is always a big help on a learning curve.
To run the workshop effectively we need to be actively involoved, it is interesting as well, hanging out with the guys working for us, getting to see thier strengths and discussing what we make, how to go about it and what improvements they can see to polish off the deisgns or make construction easier.
Satisfaction of satisfaction is we have a pile of properly graded patterns building up on the shelf, and garments are being cut with an eye on not wasting fabric.
We can re-cycle all our offcuts, someone comes around every so often and takes fabric scrap away to be re-cycled- oh joy.

Rangit - sitting here with me is a young man who has worked for us at the hotel for the last year, when we closed the hotel we offered him a job with us....doing this and that, certainly helping with cooking [he is an excellent cook] looking after our homestay rooms [all of which have not eventuated this year] and now he is at the workshop doing a fine job. He is an intelligent; and I am learning witty young man, rather nervous and shy so he stutters sometimes but as he relaxes we are seeing more of him.
He has always been very hard working and conscientious, and this week we discovered more of why he is so focused, barely into his 20's he supports his whole afmily. His father rarley works, his Mum is almost blind, and he has a younger brother. His new wife recently joined the family and we were asked for lunch.....they are so poor, there house was at the very back of the village, up against the rocky slope of the mountain, one room for a family of 5 - all spick and span, but meagre.

Dinner was a vegatrian feast- his new wife cooked and she is a treasure- this was so nicely done- bhindi or lady fingers vegetable, besan gatta which is like a Rajastahni version of ghocchi in a spicey gravy- wonderful, they can be like lumps of glue, pickles, chappati and puri.

And Rangit, showing us the family trasure, their alter to the Gods. He is a good young man, we have suggested he learn everything he can at the workshop, tailors get a much better wage than hotel workers and cooks....so he can improve his work posotion and he has jumped in, taken over the stud machine already, eyeing off the sewing machines. He will go far and is sensible, we are lucky to have him work for us.

His home yard. a splash of rian came when we were visiting, a real blessing from the God's although the family gosts were unimpressed

Where Papa sleeps

Driving down through the village, this is the rural poor of Rajasthan....fallen lower in some areas because of water problems.

And Govindgarh again!! yes we are adicted, last time there we were picking up some work and Om-ji was making a pair like this for someone- Praveen's eyes just lit up- I want, I want. I had to laugh as his reaction was so gut level.

Where else but Rajasthan can your husband wear shoes covered in sparkly studs, edged in pink witha  love heart on top and everyone around is impressed by the shoes- oh what a place!!
must email a picture to my sons though because they will tease him mercilessly.

We just love watching Om-ji work, he is truely a master of his trade, the sureness of his hands and skills.

Oh and here is a picture of his bottom- I got caught by Praveen taking a photo of a man's bum!!

I am just fastinated by the dhotis the village men wera- diaphonous cotton all bunched up into a nappy like arrangement around the crutch. they would be very cool on your legs but also hide 'eveyrthing'....they are rather bunched up at the back to it lends a bit of a rooster look to the guys profile...mesmerising.