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Ennela

M, Durga of Ennela shares the dreams and aspirations of the organization:

"Ennela means 'Moonlight' in the Telugu dialect of Andra Pradesh. Our mission is to improve the economic condition of craftspeople, especially women, through traditional arts. The women of Andra Pradesh have very little or no source of income. They live in darkness, so through our organization, we want to give them some light, and this is how we came up with this name, 'Ennela.' We are a non-governmental organization based in south India formed in 1996, by five people who love traditional crafts.

"The women from the Andra Pradesh countryside have been surviving on age-old traditional crafts, like Banjara needle work. Since they have no knowledge on how to market their products, they survive on very little income. When we formed our organization, we started by offering vocational training, community education, and income generation through art.

"We have spread our efforts through many sectors across India, and about 5000 artisans are directly involved with our organization. We started with Banjara crafts, since women were most familiar with this art. Banjara people are nomadic, who travel all over India, mostly Andra Pradesh and Gujarat.

"At first it was difficult to train them, because they didn't have any educational background, but slowly and through our team efforts, they have begun to understand the concepts of good quality of work, design, and color coordinating. Banjara needlework is mostly rustic, with random patterns. However, in order to meet today's standards, we strive to make them neater featuring well-blended color schemes.

"Another traditional art form that we are promoting is thread painting on handmade paper, which is eco-friendly. Thread painting originated in China centuries ago, and it is believed to have been introduced in India by Chinese travelers. Thread painting is a blend of arts and crafts. Without using paints and brushes, artisans paint creative designs by stitching with colorful threads. The effect of the tread painting creates a wonderful illusion. Using this technique, we make a varied range of products like wall hangings, greeting cards, calendars, etc. The themes mostly reflect village life, flora and fauna.

"We are also working bamboo and cane basketry, which we hope to expand in near future.

"It gives us immense joy to be able to preserve India's artistic legacy by assisting artisans living in dire economic situations. The proceeds from the sale of all Ennela products directly benefits the artisans.

"We are humbled by Novica's invitation to join their international team. It will provide the right channel for Indian artisans and craft lovers across the globe to meet. We have participated in several exhibitions throughout India, and now Novica offers us the perfect platform to reach people all over the world."