5th Sept., 2004
A Festival of Biodiversity, Creativity and Freedom
Navdanya and Delhi Tourism Transportation & Development Corporation (DTTDC) are jointly organizing “Origins – A festival of biodiversity, a festival of creativity and a festival of freedom” from 1st October to 7th October 2004 at Dilli Haat, New Delhi, to renew Gandhi’s vision of employment for all.
The festival envisions a society wherein every species has a future, every skill has respect, every pair of hands has work and every mind is active and creative. The festival will be inaugurated by some eminent Gandhians.
Objective of the Origins Festival:
* To establish the contribution that craft people and biodiversity-based economy are making to the national economy.
* It facilitates to bring awareness among the consumers about how these commodities are grown and processed to develop into a finished product.
* It would also serve as a platform to educate the public on how it contribute to the employment, livelihood, biodiversity and creating an eco-friendly environment.
* It would also provide market opportunities to the producers.
The Festival of Origins is envisioned to have components of living exhibits of biodiversity, plants as well as processing methods and the final product that give us food and clothing. Plants use in each sector would be displayed and craft people would be present to show how they conserve biodiversity into a product for daily use. For e.g. the exhibition segment on Khadi and Cotton Textile would have organic cotton plant, weaving and spinning khadi fibre with charkha, handloom weavers on a loom. Handloom and Khadi producers will also be available for the sale at stalls.
There will be 20 stalls spread all over Dilli Haat and arranged according to the six different themes, which include:
(a) Fibers of Freedom (Khadi/ Cotton) displaying 20–30 varieties of Khadi, khadi products like kurtas, silk products, publications on Gandhi, children spinning charkhas, samples of colour cotton, cotton plants, and most likely a operational miniature loom;
(b) Biodiversity for Health & Nutrition displaying medicinal plants, oil extracting machine, medicinal and health products, natural organic sweeteners, pulses, oils, millets, psuedo cereals, preserves, ready to eat items, 52 varieties of spices;
(c) Grasses of Biodiversity displaying different varieties of grasses and its products, including products from Golden grass like mats, pot cover, table mats and various other utility articles; Date palm leaves and Juna grass products like ladies handbags, table and flour mats and other items; Coir mats, toys, statues etc; Sabai grass bags; Coconut and Jute basket, Palm leaf products like mats; Bamboo baskets, bamboo winnow, bamboo sieve; athadi baskets besides ornaments made of grass leaves & seeds, ropes made of grass, mudha and chair made of different grasses, brooms made of various grasses as well as displaying live mat weaving,
(d) Aromas of Biodiversity displaying Aroma plants and its products; essential oils, itar, perfumes, soaps, incense sticks, incense cones and rose water,
(e) Friendly fibre – Jute/ Banana/ Sisal/ Arecanut displaying Jute plant fibres, Jute yarns, items made of Jute like sacking bags, Asian clothes, varieties of shopping bags, footwears, mats, runner, pot cover, file cover and Jute handicrafts; Arecanut plates and soup cups and Sisal products.
(f) Colours of Biodiversity displaying handloom tie and dye and Indigo tie and dye products.
The key events during the origins festivals in Dilli Haat (DH) include:
1st October 2004
Inauguration
at 5: 30 p.m.
Documentary film on Khadi
at 6:00 p.m. Open Theatre
2nd & 3rd October 2004
Children’s Art Workshop by Burmese Artist Sitt Nyein Aye
2:00 - 6:00 p.m.
at Meeting Room, Delhi Haat
A two-day celebration of Mahatma Gandhi and his many facets through paint brushes and paper.
For children who want to know Mahatma Gandhi through fun and creativity.
Learn from renowned Burmese artist Sitt Nyein Aye how to express the best thoughts and ideals through art.
2nd & 3rd October 2004
Screening of a documentary film on Khadi
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
4th October, 2004
Children’s Workshop on “Medicinal & Aromatic Plants”, “Flora & Fauna Cultivation”,
11:00 to 12:30p.m.
at Meeting Room, Dilli Haat
CIMAP, Lucknow will conduct workshop on “Medicinal and Aromatic Plants” while the workshop on “Flora and Fauna Cultivation”, & “How to increase Cotton productivity” will betaken by Central Institute of Cotton Research, Nagpur.
The workshop will focus on:
- Medicinal and aromatic plants for better health, its potential aspects.
- Domestication and natural conservation of these plants
- Value addition for herbal industries
- Use in cosmetic products
- Scientific awareness of these plants and its importance since ancient times.
- Display of coloured cotton
- How to increase the productivity of cotton
- Its uses in industries
- Importance of flora and fauna and its cultivation
5th October, 2004
Seminar on “Biodiversity, Crafts & Employment Generation”,
3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Open Theatre,
A seminar on “Biodiversity, Crafts and Employment Generation”, aims at the crafts people and policy makers working together, to conserve our biodiversity and to protect our biodiversity based craftsmanship and livelihoods. The Seminar will be divided into three sessions on
Khadi and Handloom
Handicrafts
Artisnal production of food and medicines
6th October 2004
Children’s Paper cutting Rangoli Art, 11:00 to 12:30 p.m.
Workshop with Sanjhi Art at Meeting Room,
Drawing, cutting and printing of images like leaves, trees, cartoons etc
- How to use them in glass painting, Rangoli, fabric painting etc.
- How to make greeting cards
7th October 2004
Children’s Workshop on “Biodiversity & Indigenous Seeds of India”
by Navdanya , 11:00 to 12:00 p.m.
at Meeting Hall,
Information on biodiversity
Seed Exhibition and identification
Works of Navdanya
Biodiversity register
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