Useful items made from scratch

Malnad Mela, an exhibition-cum-sale held recently at the Golden Bead School, was all about creativity and innovation. Entrepreneurs and various self-help groups from different parts of the City participated in it. 

There were varied items at the event and plenty of interesting things to do at the mela. For instance, there were clothes made by self-help groups, to educate people on new concepts. Another group exhibited handmade and painted jewellery, which had been created by young teenagers.

“All the products that have been exhibited here are made by children. There are jute products, hand-painted jewellery and kurtas. The response has been very good; many people have been enquiring about as well as buying things. It will be a huge boost for the children,” says Sandhya, a member of the self-help group.

Monisha Lobo, an avid gardener and entrepreneur, displayed an interesting array of plants and shrubs, grown in funky little containers. “I started this as a hobby five years ago. Then, I went on to sell them to people who want to grow plants in their homes. There is no excuse to not grow plants in the house. I do container gardening — that is, suing different kinds of containers to grow plants. Some of them require low light, while others need a lot of sunlight. Accordingly, I decide where to keep them,” she says. Some of the plants she was displayed were staghorn ferns mounted on driftwood, as well as terrarium and echeveria. The containers were equally interesting; some were made of glass and other fashioned from old boots and filled with clay.

The crowd at the fair was obviously having a good time. “This fair is a huge lesson for all of us. Everything that has been displayed here is so innovative and can easily be made at home. I’ve picked up many ideas. I hope I’ll be able to use my old clothes to design some of the stuff I’ve seen here,” says Anita, a visitor.

Other interesting items were handmade diaries made from scraps of cloth, as well as bamboo brooms that had been converted into wall-hangings. 

“A broom connects us to so many things — our space, the ground and our hands, for instance.Once a broom is of no use, we discard it  — but I used them to make these small wall-hangings, which they can be used to decorate our homes,” explains Vishakha, who had put up a stall at the mela.