Manual spinners and weavers

Manual handspinning....Gandhi was a handspinner and a weaver in the latter part of his years.

weaver...we were taking a tea break...tea at three.

manual weaving

P. Mary is the eldest of her five member household. They live in a three-room home with a new baby on the way.

Handloomers

These are pictures from two villages; Srivilliputhur and Sublapuram, Madurai westside. These folks concentrate on manual weaving and looming. Right now, most of the people here only have enough work for about 10 days out of one month. I want to change that for them...let's give them something to do!

Fair Trade Farming

Mr. S. Palanichamy taking us on a tour down the main road of Vannampatti.

The village children out for a break from class; they almost trampled me when I pulled out my camera...

lunchbreak "tiffen" (food), menu: Chilli-fried chicken,veg khurma with chapatti... i love any kind of fried chicken. Masala-fried fish was also on today's special.

Mr. S. Palanichamy with his family and neighbors in the Vannampatti village. Everyone in this village is either tied to or sustained by cotton farming.The men in the background in the button- ups are Mr. Vishvaasam and Mr. Saravanan, the guys that hosted me and bring education and knowledge to the farmers.

Mr. S. Palanichamy's daughters with the cotton that has been picked and cleaned.

Mr. Jeyaraj with Mrs. Jeyaraj showing off the grandbaby

Vannampatti Catholic school children. There are also Hindu and Muslim families in the village.

There are 16 different farmers "groups". Mr Jeyaraj is the president of the local farmers federation and showed me around his farm.

This rooster was very curious and hated my camera
Indigenous cotton variety

Peanuts and banana plants...here the peanuts are simply called "groundnuts" in english.

Mr. S. Palanichamy with some cotton...fresh picked!

The Fair Trade vision here is based on four different components that are the basis of the NGO's work, my interest, and the well being of all the people involved . They are:

1. No child labor is used
2. No use of chemical pesticides in the growing of the cotton
3. Equal wages for equal work
4. Social development, meaning the farmers meet together on a regular basis, share ideas, discuss problems and create relationships.



One other thing that should be noted; the farmers use something called "menu" (FYM farmyard menu) which is a mix of organics as fertilizer consisting of compost and manure that eliminates the use of chemical fertilizers as well...this cotton is not "certified" organic...but will be in the future.(we are working on that)

In 2006, 80 farmers were involved in the fair trade program. Due to climatic problems and social conflicts, 40 farmers produced cotton on 100 acres (2.5 acres each). The farmers grow the cotton along with the pulse called "Bengal Gram" (chickpeasचिक्क्पास ) for consumption. The cotton is a very old, indigenous variety that has been in this valley for a long time, but they are now experimenting with some new ones that boost production very carefully. The local NGOs are monitoring the progress... but for now this variety is what I am using for my market bags. It is spun into a 10-15 ply size which is not recommended for clothing or bedding but is still perfect for my needs. This year there are 177 farmers from 8 villages in the fair trade program, and growing!

Madurai fair trade cotton tour

taking a break with some of the weavers

Ms. S. Audaiammal, Ms. G. Saraswathi, Ms. G.Rajeswari, Ms. M. Devarani, and Ms. S. Victoria Mary

Mr. P. Nachiar
I just arrived back in Pondicherry from spending a week in Madurai, and what a whirlwind! Madurai is where my market bags are going to be made. I met with the CEO and staff of ETCIndia and what a great meeting. We got a lot of logistics sorted out, business plan and contracts discussed, and had an inspiring brainstorm on the future for all the farmers and laborers involved. I visited the shops and some homes of people that will be working, and visited the farms where the cotton will be grown and harvested. Right now in a village outside of Dindigul,which is a town north of Madurai, the farmers and laborers just finished a harvest and we are going take this production for our first round of fair trade bags! The pics above are just a few that I have just finished resizing for the web, and alot more are on the way. I am so excited because I got to meet everyone; the farmers,field laborers,spinners,weavers, and the family of stitchers. From exchanging questions and answers through my translator in the villages, I am acutely aware of how family-oriented each process will be. Most of the workers in each process (from picking cotton to stitching) are entirely related and dependent on this work, and through the success of my project, they will be able to live a better existence and their children will be able to reap the benefits. Its a family affair- which is really a soft spot for me because I hold my own family in my thoughts and prayers constantly. I will be posting alot more detailed information and pictures in the days to come about my trip.

Cemetary

(Sorry for the "offcenteredness"....better view here)




I went to a local cemetary to see how South Indians bury their Christian dead. The cemetary that I visited however seemed to have more French graves than Tamil ones but it was interesting to see the contrast from the cemetaries back home.

Pondicherry Botanical Garden

(can't fix it yet...please be patient...for better viewing)


This picture browser includes some photos that I took at the Pondicherry Botanical Garden.