Embroidered Mandala Motif Cotton Tote from India, "Mandala Fusion"

"Hello, I'm Anil from the vibrant state of Rajasthan. I come from a humble family of farmers as this is the main activity in our village. We were a big family of six brothers and three sisters, so it was great fun growing up together. I remember my childhood and youth as being fun and simple. Back then there were no such things as video games or amusement parks, so my friends and I would ride our bicycles in and around the village, and played outdoor games like marbles, badminton, football, etc.

"I studied up to 10th grade and since my village did not have higher education schools, I went to Alwar to do my further studies. I was always very keen on studying, so after finishing high school I moved to Jaipur to study, first a Bachelor's degree in commerce and then I later studied Law.

"After I finished my studies I got a job in Rajasthan roadways and during that time I was introduced to Babulal. He was already in the handcrafts sector and he was looking for some trustworthy person to help him. Ganpat, my friend and Novica featured artisan, introduced me to him and I started working with him. I learned a lot, including embroidery work, block printing, etc. Once I started working with him, I realized this is where I should be and left my job at the Rajasthan roadways.

"We do all kinds of furnishing and small furniture and have shown our works in various exhibitions in India and abroad. We work with many women artisans who specialize in hand embroidery, mirror work and patchwork, as well as in dori (cord) work. All together we work with many artisans in various villages, and it makes me very proud to be able to help artisans by providing them with work."