Graduation Project : A Tale of Tales

A TA L E O F TA L E S V IS UAL S TORY TE LLIN G

GRADUATION PROJ E C T AT

Gaatha Handicrafts

R A C HA N A S HE T E D E P T . OF F AS H ION C OMMUNIC ATION (2 01 5-2 01 9 )

NA TI O NA L I NS T I T U T E O F F A S H I O N T E C H N O L O G Y G ANDH IN AG AR - 2 01 9

A TA L E O F TA L E S V IS UAL S TORY TE LLIN G

GRADUATION PROJ E C T AT

Gaatha Handicrafts

R A C HA N A S HE T E D E P T . OF F AS H ION C OMMUNIC ATION (2 01 5-2 01 9 )

NA TI O NA L I NS T I T U T E O F F A S H I O N T E C H N O L O G Y G ANDH IN AG AR - 2 01 9

Published in the Year 2019.

National Insitute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) (Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India) GH-0 Circle, Gandhinagar - 382007 Gujarat, India.

Tel. : 079-23240832, 23240834, 23265000 Fax : 079-23240772 www.nift.ac.in/gandhinagar Copyright

Rachana Shete 2019

This document is originally submitted as a part of academic leanring at National Insitute of Fashion Technology, Gandhinagar and is for academic purpose only.

The opinions expressed in this document are solely those of the author and NIFT does not bear any responsibility for the nature of its content.

Reproduction of any part of this document must acknowledge the author and NIFT, Gandhinagar.

Edited and Designed by : Rachana Shete Email: rachana.h.shete@gmail.com

FACULTY MENTOR CERTIFICATE This is to certify that this project work entitled “A Tale of Tales“ from Gaatha Handicrafts, Ahmedabad is based on Rachana Shete’s original research and design work conducted under the guidance of Ms. Jalpa Vanikar towards partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of Bachelor’s Degree in Design (Fashion Communication) from the National Insitute of Fashion Technology, Gandhinagar.

Place: Date:

Signature of Faculty Mentor

Name, Designation, Organization and Location

JURY CERTIFICATE This is to certify that Ms. Rachana Shete is a bonafide student of Fashion Communication Department of National Institute of Fashion Technology (Batch 2015-19), Gandhinagar and that she has succesfully completed her final Graduation Project entitled “A Tale of Tales“ from Gaatha Handicrafts, Ahmedabad and has been conferred the professional degree for successfully fulfilling the academic requirements and accomplishing the professional tasks entrusted by the Industry sponsor.

The Evaluation Jury Name and Designation :

CC : Fashion Communication Department National Institute of Fashion Technology, Gandhinagar.

Date :

Signatures :

DISCLAIMER This work has not been copied from any other resources. Materials, wherever sourced have been given credits. The document consists of authentic and original work. It is an outcome of the Graduation Project at Gaatha Handicrafts, Ahmedabad. No portion of this has been copied from any other sources. It supports the application for degree qualification to this institute and imbibes on National Institute of Fashion Technology’s learning. All the art works solely belong to the author Ms. Rachana Shete and the company Gaatha Handicrafts, Ahmedabad.

Name of the Student and Signature

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Through my journey of four year as a Communication Student at NIFT, Gandhinagar, I’ve learned a lot of things that were easily the most helpful in order to complete this graduation project. As a matter of fact, this research internship under Gaatha Handicrafts, proved to be a defining point of my career- as it led me to the facts I realised I could take up and execute single-handedly, only bringing about a certainess of the path I would like to chose in the future. It is an honour to convey my gratitude to the organisation as well as everyone who has helped me complete this project as whole.

I would like to thank Gaatha Handicrafts for accepting me as an intern and giving me the absolute mind and creative space in order to explore under their brand name. It gave me an opportunity to learn tremendously about handicrafts, about personal relations and work ethics, in totality- the whole design process that must be followed to achieve a result. And also learning to make videos.

I would like to thank my faculty mentor- Ms. Jalpa Vanikar, our Course Co-ordinator,Dr. Hir Vyas, and our faculty, Mr. Asit Bhatt for their valuable time and feedback, without which I would never have gotten the inspiration to take up projects upon myself that made the final cut.

I would like to express my special gratitude towards Ms. Shivani Dhar, the Director and CEO at Gaatha, and also my industry mentor, who sat with me until late nights to come to a concept that I visualised through her eyes, and vice versa. Also, Kiran Bhaiya, our immediate go-to person in any crisis/help situation, who was always there to sort out the angles and other technical issues if we had any.

I would like to thank my co-intern, Harshit Gupta for being a constant support and helping me through the times where I faced difficulties sorting out a concept or shooting with a particular angle. I would also like to thank my best friend, Avi Agarwal for sticking through the thick and thin, and making me believe that the whole experience would be worth it.

I would like to thank all my faculties and mentors at NIFT, Gandhinagar who have indirectly helped me to come to a point where I can take up professional projects upon myself and make a go at them without thinking twice about the technicalities or difficulties. I would like to thank my friends who have been a part of this entire four year process, and have helped with the necessary knowledge and support whenever necessary.

Last, but not the least, I’d like to thank my parents and my brother, who have been a constant back bone through the four months of this internship.

Thank you, all.

Rachana Shete.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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‘About Gaatha Handicrafts’ About the Organisation My Job | My Main Objectives Scope of Graduation Project Gaatha’s Environment Work Hierarchy

‘My Aim’ To retain the value of crafts and promote them sensitively, essentially by conceptualising, contemporarising, yet retaining the visual language of Gaatha.

‘Part 1 : Video Campaigns’

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‘KOI’ Project 1 : Video Project Conceptualising, Process Based Inputs, Photography, Social Media Posts, Concept Notes, Mood Boards, Art Direction.

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‘Serene Summers’ Project 2 : Video Project Conceptualising, Processes Photography, Social Media Posts, Concept Notes, Mood Boards, Art Direction.

Other Video Projects‘Summer Pops’

Bead Jewellery Video Project

‘Quirky Taps’

Ceremic Magnet Video Project

‘Part 2 : Photo Campaigns’

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‘Paint Me A Dream’ Project 3 : Photography Project Conceptualising, Content Writing, Process Based Development of Concept, Social Media Posts, Mood Boards, Art Direction.

‘With Love, Khichdi’ Project 4 : Photography Project Conceptualising, Content Writing, Process Based Development of Concept, Social Media Posts, Mood Boards, Art Direction.

‘Conclusion’ A final overview of my experience and time at Gaatha.

Learning Outcomes Work Ethics A Final Thank You.

ABOUT GAATHA HANDICRAFTS Gaatha Handicrafts began in the year 2009, when a group of three craft enthusiasts from NID sat together to conjure a project that was a face to so many artisans from around the country. It started as a project that told the uncountable stories behind the wrinkled palms of craftsmen- each one foretold an experience the world was kept from. Gaatha was a link between the art of story-telling, and the people who were eager to hear what really went down in producing hand-crafted goods made with a pure heart and a desire only more pure than the heart itself.

Shivani Dhar, Sumiran Pandya and Himanshu Khar, the main visionaries at Gaatha, began travelling around the country in search of stories. Back in the day, no other brand was doing blogs on crafts- running an entire website over the stories of the artisans was just a creative way to reach out to the people and tell them about the dying crafts of India. Slowly, the documenting resulted in buy and selling of the crafts, and Gaatha simutaneously bagged it’s reputation as an e-commerce website as well.

The campaigns at Gaatha have always been organic like the products itself, but what really makes the shoots and content differ is the personal touch of feelings- the very emotions that bring us all together, whether an artisan, a student or a parent - is what has made the brand stand out the most.

On an intern level, we got to explore a lot from the start-up environment.

The organisation is built up by people with deep rooted values, cultures and traditions that reflect in the shoots that we undergo as well; where each element is placed with love and care that is visible in the frame too.

Gaatha’s main objectives are simple and effective, something that the brand has depended on over more than a year. The main urge was to see beyond the artefact, telling tales associated with the handicrafts and the processes as well. They also believed in building a healthy relation with the artisans, and co-creating magnificent pieces, only increasing the scope of design in craft. But moreove, it is the sustainability of the hand crafted produce that required attention and promotion, and Gaatha was the perfect platform to begin that with.

Gaatha Handicrafts was a warm experience that taught me a lot of things- about life, cultures, technicalities and also some different kinds of teas!

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MY JOB Conceptualiser | Campaign Manager | Stylist | Art Director Photographer | Videographer

MY MAIN OBJECTIVES To Promote the Handmade Goods

Handicrafts are diminishing, and this project essentially focuses on contemporary revival of traditional crafts.

To Promote Crafts as Master Pieces

Enforcing a single hand crafted piece as opposed to a mass produced one, giving it the right value and importance to the craft.

To Promote Crafts as a Democracy

Of the people, for the people, by the people.

To Build Stories through Crafts

Imbibing an emotional qoutient based on stories that are common to allthe artisans, the buyers, you and me.

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SCOPE OF GRADUATION PROJECT For all my four years at NIFT, I have had the strong urge to built a unique concept that reflects my own self, as well as tells a story that relates to more than just me. Story-telling has been my favourite part of each conversation, be it an anecdote that took place a week ago, the story of a movie or narrating my inner-most fears to my parents. It has always been about the experience that has to be conveyed and mood that has to be built in order to personify what I felt to the other person.

Mostly focusing on my story-building interests and the will to explore new media, I chose Gaatha to proceed with my graduation project. Being attached to the tagline : ‘ A Tale of Crafts’, my main aim was to focus on building up concepts that were common to a wide array of audience that Gaatha served; to feed them the culture, but also modernize it in a way that every segment of the viewers was convinced of the fact that we are not only traditional, but also contemporary in our own personal ways.

Being given the creative freedom with a choice of media, my soul aim was to formulate stories that everybody could relate to, that everybody, atleast once had felt or longed to feel in order to gain a memorable experience. I mainly chose videography as a suitable medium to portray the products, alongside necessary photo shoots that the e-commerce aspect of the brand demanded.

Handicrafts always brought an emotional qoutient in the picture, making them more couture and one-piece-only than anything else. The amount of time and effort put into the making is what fascinated me the mostforcing me to think about what the artisan must’ve felt like while creating the pieces.

This project was an attempt to focus on what had to be shown, with a constant consious effort focusing on what not to.

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GAATHA’S ENVIRONMENT When the founder’s of Gaatha began their journey with documenting and blogging about the crafts, they didn’t only study the roots of the art, but also discovered some connecting dots between the history of craft production and the contemporary cultural scenario around them, the lives of artisans and moreover the depleting dependency on the production of crafts. As a result, they began learning about the buyerseller relations alongside co-creating art pieces with artisans, helping them launch Gaatha as an e-commerce website as well.

Being mainly under Shivani Ma’am’s wing, I learned a lot about the authenticity and emotional appeal that craft’s had to offer. She taught me how every different stitch in a handcrafted piece can only be accounted as a golden change that cannot be reproduced, giving the piece it’s unique character, discounting it as a mere mistake. Though the founders loved documenting the crafts, during my course of project Shivani ma’am barely got to visit clusters which only gave us more time to understand the working of craft sector. Even after a decade, there are numerous more crafts that remain undocumented and unexposedmaking them the first target for Shivani ma’am to focus on.

With a diversity of products and designs to offer, the craft sector of India is widely spread across the country, some places so remote that one couldn’t easily reach due to poor connectivity- only resulting in less awareness regarding the crafts. The increase in recognisation for handmade had also increased forgery and knock off crafts which easily fooled the buyers, due to failure of understanding the craft. There was a minimal understanding of the processes of crafts, with a lack of undertanding why the peice was so important and held such great value.

At a time like this, Gaatha became an important link between the craftsmen and people with an interest in crafts, helping them learn the authenticity and importance of this sector. Gaatha is a conscious effort to make the buyers realise the true value of every piece, alongside the story behind the value. This transparency between the craftsman and buyers is what has kept the most initial vision of Gaatha intact.

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GAATHA HANDICRAFTS FOUNDERS Shivani Dhar, Sumiran Pandya, Himanshu Khar.

(Documenting the crafts, the main heads behind Gaatha.)

SALES AND ACCOUNTS

CREATIVES

Sandeep Bhai, Raghvendra Bhai.

Kiran Pandya

(Managing the accounts and sales of Gaatha)

(Photography, Keeping the website upto date, managing the contacts and supplies.)

UNOFFICIAL HELP

INTERNS

Rajendra Bhai

Harshit Gupta Rachana Shete

(Packing and managing delivery of the orders, contact between the artisan and supply management, peon.)

(Photography, Videography, Conceptualising, Campaign Managers, etc.)

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MY AIM To retain the value of crafts and promote them sensitively, essentially by conceptualising, contemporarising, yet retaining the visual language of Gaatha.

Conceptualiser | Campaign Manager | Stylist | Art Director Photographer | Videographer

‘This project was an attempt to focus on what has to be shown, with a constant consious effort focusing on what not to.’

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PART 1 Video Campaigns

1. KOI

KOI

‘KOI’ was a part of the first in-house design collection that Gaatha launched this Summer. It consisted of an assemblage of sets including - Kaftan summerwears, bags, scarves, mobile pouches, coin pouches and a pair of fish belts.

CONCEPT NOTE : A step aside from the monotony of daily life, this collection was a splash of colors. Vibrant hues splattered across the old walls, much like the glistening streamline Koi fishes in Koi Ponds, these three girls stepped out in ensembles that were stripped, patched and flowy- a top to bottom summer ensemble- for vacations, office or as a pull over comfort wear.

“

Jumping with glee, And into the monotonous pond...

Three Koi Fishes, Colored the clear waters braw.

Scarves and capes, Bags and Sequins, Stripped glistening scales, Painting the raw canvas...

These girls are fishes, Enjoying the daylight with awe.

”

This collection was called KOI based on the patches of fishes attached to surprising areas of the collections. The collection was more than an ensemble, it was a colorful silhouette, much like that of these koi fishes which distinguish them from the other types of the same.

Video Link : https://youtu.be/NYfmiwoKJIg

Photography And Videography, Concept, Styling : Rachana Shete Make Up : Isha Mehta Models : Vasundhara, Ayushi Pandit and Shanaya Shah.

Assistance: Avi Agarwal, Harshit Gupta

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Picture Credit : http://www.fleetingartstudio.co.uk/product/zen-koi-wall-art-print

‘KOI’ THE MYTH Belonging to the ancient Chinese and Japanese cultures, the Koi fishes have always been considered as warriors. According to the most prominent tale, ages ago, a big shoal of koi fishes swam across the Yellow River. Against the current, they arrived at the foot of a waterfall, determined to swim to the top. Half the school was washed away by the strong current, becoming a subject to be laughed upon by the demons in surrounding jungle. After ages of jumping and trying to make it to the top of the waterfall, one koi fish finally made it.

The gods recognized the koi for its perseverance and determination and turned it into a golden dragon, the image of power and strength.

Koi fishes are associated with positive imagery. Because of the dragon legend, they are known as symbols of strength and perseverance, as seen in their determinative struggle upstream. And because of the lone koi that made it to the top of the waterfall, they are also known as symbols of a destiny fulfilled.

Dwelling from the dark, colorful and beautiful koi ponds, these fishes color the waters with their beautiful brocaded skins.

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PHASE 1: BRAINSTORMING

MAKE UP AND HAIR :

PHASE 2 : REFERENCES

LOCATION :

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PHASE 3 : STORY BOARDING

Bags Stop Motion Video, Link : https://www.instagram.com/p/BwKRCCQnHTx/

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PHASE 4 : FINAL PRODUCTIONS

MAKING VIDEO

Making Video, Link : https://www.instagram.com/p/BwPXrGjHo4r/

The making of these garments was one of the things to be focused on. Since Shivani ma’am had herself prepared and designed the entire collection from Kadappa Cotton sarees of Andra Pradesh, she chose to stick patches of fishes over the areas which needed some maintenance. Her way of thinking wsa contemporary, giving the entire bunch of products that came in a set both quirky and multi-functional.

This video was a snippet of how the garments were made, the details and the stitching, the attachments of trimmings, etc that made the Koi fishes stand out and swim against the horizontal currents of the fabric.

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FINAL VIDEO

Final Name of the Collection and Video : KOI Date : 16th April’19 Models : Shanaya Shah, Vasundhara, Ayushi Pandit Location : Old Library, Manek Chowk, Ahmedabad Total No. Of Garments shot : 15 ensembles, 15 pairs of bags as well.

Total Time of Video: 00:52seconds (For Instagram Format) Edited on: Adobe Premiere Pro Song: Oceans by the Tigers in the Sky (Credited in caption) Assited by: Harshit Gupta and Avi Agarwal Make Up: Isha Mehta Designed by: Shivani Dhar, CEO Gaatha Handicrafts Shop Link : http://shop.gaatha.com/index.php?route=product/ category&path=1091 Video Link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYfmiwoKJIg

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2. SERENE SUMMERS

SERENE SUMMERS

‘SERENE SUMMERS’ was another assorted combination sale from the inventory at Gaatha. It consisted of Silk Ajrakh sarees, glass jewellery and kashmiri aari embroidered chudi daar sets. This was the first video I every attempted, at the break of summers- personifying the arrival of the season.

CONCEPT NOTE : Between two best friends, love is always ‘Constant’. Based on the song Constant by Mogli, this concept stumbled upon me; This is a story of two best friends spending a day out at the break of summers. Simple, and chic, it focuses on the products and the jewellery more, along with a special knack for compositions and arrangements.

“

Do you remember the cherry tree, Grew old so they took it away Where I found you, my love.

For i found you.

We can sit for ages folding paper balls And fill in all the holes in our drunken souls.

You're the constant.

”

(Lyrics from Constant by Mogli)

Video Link : https://youtu.be/71o23kVOYkQ

Photography, Videography, Concept, Make Up, Styling : Rachana Shete Models : Ariva Shah, Khushi Agarwal Assistance: Avi Agarwal, Avisha

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PHASE 1: BRAINSTORMING

MAKE UP AND HAIR :

PHASE 2 : REFERENCES

LOCATION :

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INITIAL CONCEPT BOARDS

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PHASE 3 : STORY BOARDING

PHASE 4 : FINAL PRODUCTIONS

INSTAGRAM UPDATES

With the break of this concept, we decided to post some pre-launch videos that counted upto the main video bit. It had two snippets of the girls’ fingers, and also a few snippets of the garments that didn’t get uploaded, as we directly settled on the final short fashion film.

Being my first ever video shoot, this project was shot keeping in mind primararily the focus on garments, the compositions and the jewellery that had to be reinforced after it’s former shoot. This was purely a mood video, with a hidden agenda to sell the garments as well.

The Instagram page was used to upload this video, alongwith rightful credits and tags that would help the video reach out to more people.

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FINAL VIDEO

Final Name of the Collection and Video : Serene Summers Date : 22nd March’19 Models : Khushi Agarwal, Ariva Shah Location : Parimal Garden, Ahmedabad Total No. Of Garments shot : 1 Silk Ajrak Saree, Kashmiri embroidered kurta set, glass jewellery.

Total Time of Video: 01:10seconds Edited on: Adobe Premiere Pro Song: Constant by Mogli (Credited in caption) Assited by: Avisha and Avi Agarwal Make Up: Rachana Shete Shop Link : Multiple

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OTHER VIDEO PROJECTS

SUMMER POPS

Another part of the in-house Gaatha collection was the bead jewellery necklace and choker sets, which sold pretty amazing within the first couple of days itself. Consisting of both video snippet and a photoshoot, these pieces could be mixed and matched with anything, anywhere to add some quirk to the outfit.

More than a concept, this particular kind of campaign focused on the making. The making video for this particular collection received over 7K views, and no, only 6 pieces out of 18 are left.

Video Link : https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvt8SLSH9yZ/ Shop Link : http://shop.gaatha.com/index.php?route=product/ category&path=1084

Video Snippets :

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QUIRKY TAPS

This collection was designed by an artist named Ruddhi. These cute little ceramic slippers were actually fridge magnets. The collection also included some painted stone paper weights, but the real sellers were these little slippers. I made a stop motion animation film with these quirky tapping feet moving along. It was a 15-20sec promo, but it sold a good deal of these slippers.

Video Link : https://www.instagram.com/p/BvmSABFnL7f/ Shop Link : http://shop.gaatha.com/index.php?route=product/ category&path=1082

Video Snippets :

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PART 2 Photo Campaigns

PAINT ME A DREAM

PAINT ME A DREAM

This photo campaign was an effort to incorporate four products: Kalamkari sarees, Kaagazi Diaries and Stationary, Anagh Germain Silver Jewellery and Baluchari cushion covers. However, the cushion covers were later on replaced with Leather Fish Puppets, again designed by Shivani maam herself.

CONCEPT : The concept revolved around two girls who shared the same dream. It was a visual story, with supportive creative text that highlighted the situation and explained the context.

The story began with the girls having a little picnic in the garden. The scribble their dreams and aspirations in their notebooks and make future plans of seeing the world and becoming famous. They see a combined dream of becoming models, earning loads and spending it all on jewels and blings. Towards the end of the story, we realise that this story was narrated by the fishes- the true storytellers- who were only comparing their dreams to that of these girls. They do wish for jewels, too, but the kind that give them safer homes and cleaner waters.

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PHASE 1 : CONCEPT / MOOD BOARDS

The week of uploading : 19th Feb’19 - 23rd Feb’19 Skills Used : Styling, Photography, Composition and Make Up. Models : Aarathy and Shrena D’souza Assisted by : Harshit Gupta

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PHASE 2 : FINAL PRODUCTIONS

INSTAGRAM UPDATES The storyline was an easy peasy walk in for the Instagram viewers, with a simple grid format that first talked about the day’s concept and then potrayed the image.

Here, I also had a hand at creative writing for the posts- the smal poems that described the feeling of the shot and the day’s mood, etc.

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Shop Link : http://shop.gaatha.com/index. php?route=product/category&path=1054

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Shop Link : http://shop.gaatha.com/index. php?route=product/category&path=1056

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Shop Link : http://shop.gaatha.com/index. php?route=product/category&path=1057

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Shop Link : http://shop.gaatha.com/index. php?route=product/category&path=1058

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WITH LOVE, KHICHDI

WITH LOVE, KHICHDI

This photo campaign was initiated right during the week of Uttarayan (2nd week). It focused on nourishment. During the season of Uttarayn, people from different regions of India celebrate the happiness of first harvest. Different regions yield different crops and the most common diet of this time is a mixture of all of them- khichdi.

CONCEPT : The concept revolved around a woman who takes the different steps in order to cook the meal that shall nourish her family the most. Since we had a variety of items in this week’s window, we decided to mix them all: Woolen shawls,Khadi saree, Button Masala dresses, Cotton sarees, stoles and kidswear.

The story began with the woman buying vegetables, pulses, masalas, and assorting them all together. Then she takes some time to nourish her soul and spends the afternoon doing what she loves. The she cooks the khichdi and nourishes her kids with it in the final frame.

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FINAL PRODUCTIONS

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She walks through the lane, and picks up the best. She thinks of her family & their well being. With a mixture of all these elements, she savors a dish that wishes to keep health at peace! She pulls the shawl across herself & moves back to her home to prepare something yummy for the heart & soul.

�

Shop Link : http://shop.gaatha.com/index. php?route=product/category&path=1024 Model : Neha Kolte

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“

With all her love, she sieves through the filters- Of health and prosperity. She picks the grains with care, for they nourish her family during these cold days. Wrapped in a khadi saree, she begins the journeyTo cook the meal, that everyone wants and deserves!

�

Shop Link : http://shop.gaatha.com/index. php?route=product/category&path=1025 Model : Shikha Chaurasia

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“

Within the city, she wanders around to find the perfect spices that are around... She fills her pocket with the sweet & tangy aromas... For her the nourishment isn't just healthy, but also tasty... these spices will give her Khichdi a savory twist!

�

Shop Link : http://shop.gaatha.com/index. php?route=product/category&path=1026 Model : Sladjana Zaware

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“

Her thoughts fly aimlessly, From kids, to food, And from her hobbies, to responsibilities.

She takes some time out to nourish her soul... For only a self satisfied spirit can satisfy a family and make it a home.

”

Shop Link : http://shop.gaatha.com/index. php?route=product/category&path=1027 Model : Shirley Bhatnagar

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Soul is nourished, It's time for the body now. She mixes all the ingredients, and adds love to top it all. She brews together the hot hot khichdi, to serve it to her folks.

�

Shop Link :http://shop.gaatha.com/index. php?route=product/category&path=1028

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“

The khichdi is ready- All cooked and served. She feeds her kids, with warmth and love.

Her strong will for nourishment, a sign of her motherhood, She hopes that they dream big, And achieve all they want!

�

Shop Link : http://shop.gaatha.com/index. php?route=product/category&path=1029

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CONCLUSION Gaatha has been one of the most valuable experiences that I’ve ever had. Right from the beginning, Shivani ma’am helped us with all our projects, taking out time from her busy schedule and prioritizing our issues as and when possible. The crew at Gaatha was remarkably helpful, friendly and quite knowledgeable of the things that we needed help with.

I got to learn a lot in the past four months, mostly about the scope that handicrafts have. Every mistake made in a small patch of hand embroidery is also beautiful, since it is one of a kind, and it could never be repeated even on purpose. A lot of things are important when it comes to reviving a dying craft and being able to promote it to the crowd as well. As a part of Gaatha, I am glad that I could be a part of this theory, even if in a small way.

Visually, Gaatha’s story telling technique had always been simple highly dependent on the aesthetics of the compositions - with less dependency on video story telling. I began shooting for Gaatha, and as a matter of fact, the videos worked out really well, only increasing the sales with a considerate amount. We made sure that the Instagram was not only active on a daily basis, but also kept an eye on the comments in order to increase the quality of work.

I learned a lot about work ethics and time management. Even though the unit had less staff (only about 10 including 2 interns), the work was judiciously done by everyone by the given slot of time.

I had an amazing experience working with new people, within an environment that gave me the opportunity to finally initiate my own projects, work them out and also produce them. We learned a lot about posing, how even the simplest of locations can turn out to do wonders and the fact that make up isn’t always necessary to make a woman look pretty in pictures!

Gaatha has many levels, rather than just shoots. It taught us to see a piece through the lens’ eye and capture the beautiful side of it. As Shivani ma’am always said, ‘There is always an angle that makes the product looks its best. You just have to find it!.’

As a matter of fact, Gaatha has helped me realise my passion for conceptualising fashion films, setting angles and creating visual stories through small snipets or videos for social media and using this tool as an extra promotional tool for marketing the products.

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