What a palava

I had a very very hectic couple of days. I couldn't find the silk I needed to make the jewellery pouches, so ended up going to a trusty source- Madras !

I flew into Madras/Chennai with Kingfisher airlines, got a rickshaw at the airport, bought nearly 300 metres of saree silk, had the maddest rush back to the airport and flew back with Jet airlines up to Jaipur. In and out in under 2 hours !

I am really dissappointed as I was contemplating going down there anyway to pay a visit to some friends in Pondicherry. If I had been more organised this would have been possible. Never mind, at least I got to see some familiar places and enjoyed my rushing around topped off with some nice traditional Indian food- pongal and coconut chutney and a special dosa for good measure, definately favourites.

All this has meant that as per usual there will be a couple of buisy buisy days as I go to the gold smith, silver smith, artists who paint the lacquer earrings and tailor. Plus I am sure that I will have to be on the phone to the bank, as they are determined to kindly block my card each and every time I exit the gentle hills of West Sussex.

Today was finished off by finding some old sarees for a client and a lot of plain shot silk, these items I bought in Jaipur. I thought I might dip my toe into the shot silk world, wholesaling. I love he colours and the feel. Having done a little research on it before leaving, prices wise, I am planing on selling it at £5.50 a metre. Lets see. I bought just about 40 metres I think. If it goes well then I will make a more serious go of it.

Anyway, tomorrow will come far too quickly as I just start to get stuck into paperwork for the evening. One good thing is the postponed dinner at Swaleh's will be on for Saturday night. He also mentioned a wedding on Sunday but I think this will be pushing it as I get on the bus for Delhi that night.

I need sleep. Feel like, I don't know but very exciting all the same.

Good night India
dominic

Cows hurt

I have decided that everything is under control!

It is not usually as easy as this. Mainly due to the fact that I have 10-25 thousand bracelets to sort out usually. This trip is good for the mind and body, I am fairly relaxed and even able to tweak little bits and pieces that have taken a back seat for the last 6 months.

On Sunday I went for lunch with a supplier of silver. He comes from a very large family who seem to have their fingers in too many samosas. The family business started out over 50 years ago, selling beauty products. Now they have several jewellery shops and a rather large hotel.

Mutton was on the menu again. I arrived at the house / hotel, where 25 family members live, at 2 pm. Walking into the massive foyer I stumbled across a group of men sat down and eating, I was hastily asked to join them. “ No thanks, I’m here to eat with Abdullah”. “ Ah, ok, ok sit down take a pepsi out of the fridge meanwhile sit down and eat “. So I did, very nice too. Abdullah made an entrance as I was halfway through my 3rd Chapatti and special dahl ( apparently it took 12 hours to make) which was delicious. “ Dominic, come we eat nah?” So I ate some more whilst sitting at a table in the foyer with all types of guests and numerous relatives wafting in and out. It was all slightly surreal but thoroughly enjoyable at the same time.

I spent the next few hours walking slowly into town and taking photos. Locals here in Jaipur are only too happy to be part of a photo, you can have a real laugh with them posing for the photo and asking them to smile “ a bit more, no just a little bit more, and more, oh I think your friend has a bigger smile than you….”
Apart from taking photos I also got speared in the hip by a cow’s horn. That was painful. The cow went to quickly lick his right flank and took me out on the way there. Thank god I was side on !

It just started to rain. I am a little wet as I have been standing outside talking to a tour bus driver. I didn’t catch his name because he had drunk most of the 45% alcohol rum bottle he was holding. He promised me he wasn’t going to drive that evening. “Drink and drive Dumnik never never only sing and drive.” Put the music on, I said. And he did, then started to jig around his van like a mad man. Then another half drunk man came over and we were all brothers!I declined the numerous offers to sit in the “co pilot’s seat” with the excuse that I had been sat down all day. All very funny.

O.k. Im off to make a phone call.

Good night from India…
dominic

Come back tomorrow

Please come back tomorrow for some funny things, pictures of some silver and more. Paperwork means I dont have time to blog today.

Good evening from India

Slack but enjoyable day

Whilst going for a walk quite late last night I bumped into someone I knew….
Jamil :“ So you come to mine and we have a party”.
Me: “er, nice to see you and all that but I think I may go back and get some rest Jamil”.
Jamil “ Such nonsense you are talking, come we have bangra music tonight, you will love it,
You know I have many friends that have jewellery shops you will enjoying talking to them”.

Now usually as soon as I hear I can be introduced to someone’s relative or friend regarding jewellery shops I go the other way. But Jamil I have known for a few years now, here is a very affable rickshaw driver, so anyway I ended up going to the party.

Predictably I didn’t have the most productive day. I wasn’t hung over because I don’t like drink but getting in at gone 4 takes the blame. It was a good party, there was a distinct lack of women, meaning there weren’t any, but still I had a genuinely interesting and funny time, the group of friends there were dancing wildly without inhibition, quite refreshing. This is another thing I like about this country people do tend to be much more friendly. I often go up to people or may just start chatting to the person next to me at a queue or in a restaurant or bus, no one will look at you strangely. Quizically , yes. This happens on occasion, you may be talking to someone and a group of people will surround you and just listen. Again I find it quite funny and charming.

12.30 afternoon came. I was meant to be at the shipping agents he invited myself and Swaleh for lunch. I got there at 12.35 having realized that I had left my laptop and passport in full view in my bedroom, I let it go, not wanting to be late.

1.45pm comes around and we still haven’t left for the restaurant. This is typical but never mind. We went to a good open fronted “restaurant” by the main road to Delhi. Of course hygene standards have to incur a blind eye or even two blind eyes but this has never worried me and I enjoyed the meal immensely. Just a simple thali which consists of a big plate with all different types of pickles and vegetables together with the staple of rice and/or bread. It’s eat as much as you want for about 60p, so I did. No need to eat for the rest of the day!

Then a little work. I got my business cards printed as I always do here at a place called Triveni printers. I can highly recommend them for their efficiency, quality and price. The cards work out at least 10 or 15 times cheaper than in the UK. If anyone would like their contact details I will happily supply them. After the cards I did a little family shop and got all our photos developed. It’s the same as the cards, a lot cheaper, faster and just as good quality.

This evening, just a little paper work on the lawn to make up for the fact that I ve been a little slack today.

Good night from India.

I Love India

I love India. Some of the things it offers : The Himilaya mountains, deserts, beaches, historical cities, sweet rolling hills cosmopolitan cities, jungles, shanty towns, paddy fields, beautiful quaint villages. I can’t think of another country which is so diverse in it’s geography.

Today was a steady day. I am in Jaipur, capital of Rajasthan and capital of the gem world. It’s great here, as in lots of parts of India you can get anything made for you. The weather at the moment is about 22 and sunny in the day so it makes things all the more pleasant. Fortunately I have visited this city maybe 20 or 30 times so I have got to befriend a few good people. One of those good people is Swaleh. He helps me find the right people for the job in hand. Swaleh is 30, lives in a large house with extended family and generally works from 11 am – 11pm and is honest a person you are likely to find. When I am not able to come to India he will go and buy materials for me and make sure everyone is paid correctly. Swaleh’s wife is a wonderful cook, although I have never seen her, coming from a strict muslim household, I have often eaten her food. Very nice indeed. Infact I got invited to eat dinner with them in the coming 10 days. That makes 3 dinner invites in I think 3 days. The third came late this afternoon from the shipping agent – Shyam. I will let you know about these dinner appointments as and when they happen.

As you can see from the photos I picked out some earrings, these will be slightly adjusted with a silver hook instead of a nickel one.

Now it is about 11.45pm. I am sitting outside again on the veranda. It is pleasant and my wife swears half the reason I come here so often is to have a holiday. This I can tell you is not true. I promise that I am working. I am just lucky that I am fully stocked already on the sari bracelets meaning that there will be no laborious 12-14 hour days counting and checking for quality. But I must say, I am enjoying myself. I think I may go for a walk…

Below is a short video of a quick journey I made on the back of Swaleh's bike entering the walls of the Pink City.

Good night from India.

Back in India

So I am here again !

I've got roughly 2 weeks. My wife is back at home but is also very supportive. On the up side for her, my mother in law- Gianna is over from Italy for two weeks, so at least Silvia will be eating well and the kids will have an inexhaustable lady for affection and attention.

I arrived late last night. A fairly tiring journey 29 hours door to door. Delhi was pouring with rain so much so that the auto rickshaw's wiper blades weren't wiping. Me and Ranji (the driver), stopped for half an hour for a samosa and 2 cups of tea in some shack whilst the rain did it's best to make a new river. I don't like to bang on too much about how cheap certain things are in India or rather how expensive England is, but a smaosa and a cup of tea and I got change from 10p !

Eventually I got to my destination by government bus 8 hours later. The boy sitting next to me was a pleasent travel companion. He had just left his job in Bangalore the previous day and was pondering over two new job offers, one in Bangalore and one in Chandigarh. He was swaying towards Bangalore, this way he could have fun away from his parents who were apparantly on the look out for a suitable wife.

I found my guest house, it's really lovely, family run and with a big garden. I am currently, as I usually am in the evenings here, sitting outside on the veranda writing this. Every now and again there is a distant long winded honk from a train. It's quite pleasent. But it's also work.

Today I got hold of 16 Saris, and visited the gold smith, the silver smith a small silver shop and I even sold some bangles at a friends stand in the street ( see photo ).

12 more days are not enough. Orders have been put in for some very nice earrings. There are 3 types I am having made. Type 1. Enamel with silver hooks, highly colourful and great selling. My mother (she has a shop ) asked me to buy her some a couple of years back, they went very well. You may have seen them before at trade shows but not at the price I'm going to sell them at. Type 2. Very wearable silver earrings and very good looking ( sorry too difficult to describe ) with a stone, there are 3 types - chalcedony, labradorite or smoky topaz , if I remember well. And type 3. A simple solid silver flute earring.

I am a little worried about running out of money, it seems I did't bring enough. There is just so much to buy, bags bed covers, wooden trunks and more silk. There is even more I would like to have made.

In the way of food, I fell on my feet today. It's Eid ( a holy mulim holiday ), Zubair the shopkeeper insisted I share his mutton and rice. Waah, delicious. I did't need much convincing, free food is free food ! I'm quite sure he invited me for dinner at his house with his family on Sunday.

Tomorrow I shall go out into the markets again and talk money with my associate. I will introduce him properly to you soon- the most honest man around. I may well have a haircut as I'm here. Anyway for the time being I think I will have another Chai and go and chat to someone. See you tomorrow.

Good night from India.

ps. If you would like to place an order and are concerned that I am not around to fulfill it, don't be. I have a colleague working for me and I can take all orders via email.