CHAP Foundation and the Creative Works of the Women of Kullu Valley at International Roerich Memorial Trust
It so happened that the main theme and the main characters of the exhibitions, which opened on May 28, 2023 in the IRMT, were women and their creativity. On that day, an exhibition of paintings by women artists from the "WE" group (Chandigarh) was opened in the Exhibition Hall; then in the Conference Hall of IRMT, women from villages and towns of Kullu Valley presented their arts and crafts.
The organizer of the women's handicrafts exhibition was the Civic Help and Progress Foundation (CHAP). The Foundation is headquartered in Delhi (a Section 8 Company (NGO), and one of its branches operates in Kullu, with the main goal of increasing women's opportunities in promoting their employment in the mountainous rural areas. A team of enterprising community activists, led by Aparna, a lawyer from Delhi and Founding director of CHAP Foundation, are teaching village women and girls traditional and modern knitting techniquesof knitting and needlepoint to village women and girls; organize exhibitions and sales of their products; and help them set up craft communities, or self-help groups. Several such self-help groups from Naggar, Katrain and other places participated in the exhibition at the Roerich Estate.
Activists of the CHAP Foundation also promote various projects aimed, on the one hand, at the preservation of the unique cultural and natural heritage of Kullu, on the other hand, at the development of tourism in the region. It is no coincidence that the Chief Guest of the exhibition was Mrs. Sunayana Sharma, District Tourism Development Officer.
The exhibition and sale was a great success. Wool socks and mufflerswith traditional colorful ornaments, knitted toys and finger puppets, rubber bands and decorations, bookmarks and knitted napkins filled the hall with bright colors and intricate patterns; and friendly smiling women lighted it up with warmth and cordiality.
