In the book ‘What India can Teach us’, Max Muller defines two very different Indias – one is the India of today, of the cities and towns and the other India, thousands of years old, is that of the village communities. As a foreign tourist in India, staying in five star hotelss and travelling by fancy cars, one is most likely to miss out on the second India, the truer of the two. Similarly, as a tourist in my own country, while I had often been to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal, what I did not realise was that I was missing out on a more humble, yet strikingly important part of our heritage.  Located a few miles away from the glorious Taj, on the Fatehabad Road, are the marble factories of Agra. One among these is Zainub Exports.

Inlay work in progress

Engaged in a wide range of marble inlay work, workers at the Zainub Exports unit are treated just like family. It is, after all, a family tradition, an invaluable inheritance from the Mughal ancestors. Ask Mr. M. Ajeed Shirazi, a sixteenth generation entrepreneur and he will point out how his family has been running these factories since Mughal times. I listen to his narration but my mind has wandered off to another era, an era when the great ruler Shah Jahan added a grand legacy of structures during his reign. What must it have been like? Mr. Shirazi tells me how precious and semi precious stones used for the Taj Mahal were imported from all over the world, even in the seventeenth century. How much wealth, power and prestige must the royal highness have commanded? Then, I look at the humble figure in front of me. If it weren’t for Mr. Shirazi and his family, I might never have discovered the intricacies of marble structures and how it links us to our glorious past.

The different kinds of marbles on display

As a twenty-first century citizen, even though I am spellbound by the work of the artisans, I can’t help but ask the obvious question. Is there any money in the marble business? Mr. Shirazi hesitates, “This year the business was hit because of the slowdown abroad. Otherwise, we have many foreign tourists and clients who buy our products abroad.” From our discussions, I gauge that the major problem is that of marble sellers in bigger cities. They sell lower quality products, bringing down the price. How can a genuine product compete unless customers can spot and care for the difference? Problems cloud over the horizon. Yet, the satisfaction from this work is unmatched. For Mr. Shirazi, the work represents a culture, a legacy, a history he cannot trample carelessly. He holds it dear. There are always opportunities of work elsewhere, but he chooses to keep the glory of India untarnished. In the process, he helps many workers, who know nothing but marble.

The Final Work!

Take the case of thirty-two year old Mohammad Haneed, one of the workers. Born and brought up in Agra, Haneed joined this work right after high school. Zainub Exports is providing livelihood to many such artisans. They also have a place to train workers and thereafter employ them. I am surprised to see how much these workers know about different types of marbles. They repeatedly tell me that the blue stone is semi precious Lapis lazuli. I can hardly pronounce it right. What was the orange one, I ask for the fifth time. “The orange stone is carnelian. It’s the one that shines when you put a flashlight against it,” comes the answer. While I am filled with awe and pride to see this hardworking group of people, at the back of my head, all I can think of is trying to remember what these stones are called! Next time, I don’t want to feel like a tourist in my own country.

Zainub Exports:

Manufacture of Marble Inlay Work and Indian Handicrafts

Contact Details
Mailing Address:
18/160A, Fatehabad Road, Purani Mandi,
Tajganj, (opp. Kailash Talkies),
Agra-282001, Uttar Pradesh, INDIA

Contact No:
+919319127303
+919927860470

Email Ids:
zainubexport@yahoo.co.in
info@zainubexport.com
www.zainubexport.com

Spiti, a tranquil valley in Himachal Pradesh at an average altitude of 3600 meters is home to around 10,000 Buddhists. Spiti Ecosphere is a social enterprise formed by the collaborative effort of the local community and professionals from diverse backgrounds with the aim of creating sustainable livelihoods linked to nature and culture conservation.

Spiti Ecosphere is focussing on the economic empowerment, development and conservation of the region through their range of products and services. These include the following:

• Eco Travel which takes us close and personal with the mighty Himalayas and the nature & culture of Spiti. It is an initiative to promote eco-tourism in the region. Eco Travel offers various options to the discerning traveler ranging from a Spiritual Sojourn of the monasteries to the Pugmarks where one gets to track the elusive snow leopard and the Himalayan wolf in the midst of this treasure trove of biological diversity.
• Organics – Spiti’s unique ecosystem is richly endowed with various indigenous species. Ecosphere has streamlined the process for extracting and sourcing these rare Himalayan herbs including SeaBuckthorn popularly known as the “Wonder Berry”
• Conservation – Mountain ecosystem and economics share a symbiotic relationship, and maintaining the balance with the environment is critical to the sustainability of livelihoods. Muse, Spiti SeaBuckthorn Society and Spiti Trans-Himalyan Action Group have been working in the region on the issues of climate change, promoting renewable energy, waste management and the Dhangkar initiative. Dhangkar, originally called Dhakkar meaning ‘citadel on a cliff’, was the erstwhile capital of Spiti . The Dhangkar Monastery is one of the five major monastic centres in Spiti and belongs to the Gelug–pa sect of Vajrayana Buddhism. It is a heritage conservation site in a state of despair listed in the ‘World’s Hundred Most Endangered Sites’ by the World Monuments Watch Program. Check out www.dhangkar.com to know more about Dhangkar

In the near future, Ecosphere plans to come up with some very innovative projects. One of them includes “Environment education in schools”, the belief being that awareness about the environment should start early by educating children in schools. They are also planning to come up with a short documentary showcasing the Spiti way of living and at the same time sensitising travelers and communities on how to ensure that it remains preserved.

To know more about Spiti Ecosphere and the wonderful work they are carrying out in this beautiful valley of the Himalayas, visit their website at http://www.spitiecosphere.com/

You can also connect with them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=55566667952

For volunteering and other opportunities, mail them at info[at]spitiecosphere[dot]com

StoryTrails provides a unique way of learning about India. In stead of carrying out the usual touristy routes of sight-seeing and visiting the famous locations, StoryTrails adopts a new path. They carry out what they term as “Trails” which visitors can be a part of. These trails, to use their own words, are “a subtle presentation of some fascinating arts, customs and practices that are unique to the region, which we help our guests discover and learn about“.

We believe this is a great way to actually immerse yourself in the culture of the region and learn about India in your own way, at your own pace.

One such trail that was recently organized by StoryTrails was “The Animal Trail” in Chennai. The idea of this trail was to make children more comfortable with animals, and to dispel the fear and myths that children usually associate animals with. As part of this trail, the children were taken to the Blue Cross which is a shelter for abandoned and stray animals at Velachery.

This article by Kamini Mathai in the Times of India provides more details about this initiative by StoryTrails.

The other such “trails” carried about by StoryTrails include the Peacock Trail, Bazaar Trail and Family Trails.

Click here to check out their website and to participate in their unique way of knowing India better.

Located at Shri Kshetra Siddhagiri Math near Kolhapur city on the Bangalore-Pune highway, Siddhagiri Museum is indeed a unique project. Spanning over 7 acres with almost 80 main scenes and 300 statues, the Museum does a wonderful job of depicting a self-sufficient Indian village of the pre-Mughal era. Painstakingly carved with exquisite attention to detail, the museum is a must-see for its artistic beauty as well as the message it holds for one and all – a call to return to nature and restore equilibrium in our lives and environment.

The write-up on the website better surmises the purpose:

Each sculpture has a multi dimensional effect and lifestyle theme which Swamiji very keenly arranged each and every scene to make a proper visual story. In the total cluster the village demonstrate a self sufficient machinery within village. Barter economy, Interpersonal healthy happy relationship among villagers is reflected. The Museum projects the entire village as a single family, and as single family members in a joint family. No adulteration, no cut thought practice, no mad Rat Race, No pollution, but Caring, and delightful atmosphere, no bitter feeling, but fertile land, clean water, clean air, quality food, maximum use of natural resources, cattle field, livestock, job satisfaction. All these things are reflecting the beauty, Joy, satisfaction of human race and oneness with nature. It advises us to get back to nature, without disturbing the equilibrium of nature and many other things which are beyond our imagination.

Set in pristine surroundings, with an abundance of flora and fauna in its vicinity, the museum truly inspires simple living. Here you see the benefits of an unspoiled and clean atmosphere, the bonding between the people of a village who live as a single large family, and the joys of an uncomplicated family life. The scenes in fact seem so far from our ordinary lives that we might find it difficult to believe that people, including many of our forefathers, once lived in such conditions.

Even if you cannot make it to the physical site of the museum at present, they have made available an online tour on their website, which transports you and gives you a feel of the actual place. Here, they describe in detail the various aspects and characters of a typical model village in the days gone by. For example, the following picture depicts the abode of the ‘Joshi’ or village priest, along with a passage describing his functions and duties.

On your right, the first house is of the village priest. Being a highly educated person in the entire village, he performs the following duties, rites and rituals like weddings, thread ceremony, to find out auspicious day and moments for house building and house warming activities, digging of new wells, sowing seeds, punching of noses and ears etc. He meets his livelihood on ‘Dakshina’ (money offered to him by the villagers). He consults and then refers to the ‘Panchaang’ (almanac) for finding auspicious occasions. The priest also suggests instant remedies for ordinary ailments. He studies and also teaches the spiritual literature and books, inculcates culture in the people and acts as such etc. These persons are good councilors, preceptors and philosophers.
Lastly, the priest performs all rites and rituals from cradle to grave. They serve like a lighthouse for the villagers in evolution and preservation of rural culture.

Do visit this amazing village, and tell everyone about it. You never know how it might change your life!

Take their online tour at their website: http://www.siddhagirimuseum.org/
Link Courtesy: Pramod. Thanks a ton for this gem!