It is so easy for us to romanticise about living in a village surrounded by pristine locations, drinking the matka wala paani and sleeping under the stars. It’s all very good to crave for the ‘simplicity’ and the easy pace of living. Can we find it in our minds and hearts first? Look within rather than outside.
Is the village life really such a good life at all? The day to day struggles and general lack of facilities can be unnerving from whatever very little I have seen. A trip to a remote village and even a small town can give one an idea of how diverse the country is and how wide the divide. We are strangers in our own country.
I have often wondered why people come from villages to towns and live in complete squalor. One only needs to visit a few to realize that the growth prospects are so stunted that anything seems better.
Then again is it our fault? We living in the cities are also facing our own set of problems. We have our own compulsions.
It is true that things change and evolution is heartless. What is irrelevant today will become extinct tomorrow. It is only right that this is how it should happen. But is the speed of change bringing us to a point where we will begin to feel disoriented as a group?
No one can answer that. It is too big a question and there are too many influences to be able to arrest or even align the march of technical growth.
The best option might be to create a harmonious balance. Rather than leave all of the old behind for the new it will be most beneficial blend. We think there is a fine line we can walk and save what is important by making it relevant. The human hand is by far the most complex machine ever invented. It can create and improvise like none other can.
If we can appreciate the simple things that make life meaningful, if we can just stop short of the point where our own inventions become our masters, if we can make an attempt to bridge the gaps that exist between our “heritages” and “lifestyle” then we can co exist in a symbiosis of energies.
So we let the embroidery become a part of our home decor also, and if the young girl wants to wear the Banarasi weave as a scarf and not a saaree we are more than happy to facilitate it. If we see acceptance of the intricate filigree motifs as a bookmark, as a wine glass charm or even as an everyday earring then we would have simply found a contemporary application of an ancient technique.
We believe that hand crafting stands for the finest quality in the world and does not need excuses. Yes there are always variances between hand crafted products but there lies the charm and not the error.
As long as we are able to preserve the essence, and that is always a challenging fine line, of the elements we deal with, we at Tarusa are sure that the journey will be both exciting and fulfilling.
