Meet the Artisans

Handbags

Amar Bahadur

Amar Bahadur is one of the Master Crafstman at the Nepal Leprosy Trust.  He realized that he had leprosy when he was about 16 years old.  Cast out from his village, he wandered the foothills of the Himalayas until he learned about a leprosy hospital, three days walk from the town that he was in.  Upon reaching the hospital, he asked if there was anyone who could cure him of his leprosy. He was introduced to the doctor, who reached out and gave him a big hug – the first touch that he had received in a long time.  “In that moment, my heart was healed,” Amar says.  And he knew that if his heart could be healed, his body could be healed too.

Years later, Amar was living at a government house for the poor when a British missionary named Eileen Lodge arrived one day to tell the men about an opportunity to learn the skill of working with leather so that they could earn their own living and no longer live day to day, begging and depending upon the government for their food.  Most of the men were very suspicious, especially because Mrs. Lodge was white and not a Hindu.  But Amar recalled the positive interaction he had had with the doctor at the leprosy hospital and took a risk on Mrs. Lodge’s offer.  That was almost 20 years ago, and now Amar helps other men and women affected by leprosy gain their own dignity and hope through the design and production of the beautiful handbags offered by Jubilee Traders.

Silver Jewelry

Kumar Gartauala

Notes from the Field:  Nikki Davidson, April 2007
We were introduced to Kumar Gartauala through our friends at Yak and Yeti Jewelry.  He works with four other members of his family in their workshop, located in a small village outside of the Kathmandu.  The family lives on the top floor and works on the ground floor in a simple shop that produces incredibly beautiful and ornate jewelry!  As Americans, we were definitely a novelty for the village children who all lined up to watch us talk with the silversmiths.  All of the artisans quickly gave up their stools for us to sit on, ordered up a round of Fanta, and began to tell us about their craft.  The artisans in this workshop are especially talented in “carving” silver, using tools and techniques similar to those used by leather workers.  They walked us through the process – start to finish – of how they create boxes, lockets, and 3D pictures with the silver.  “Next time,” they said, “You must stay longer…and bring your friends!”  An offer we plan to take them up on! 

Table Linens

All of the Jubilee Traders linens are produced by artisans using a traditional method of hand-block printing that has been an important art in the Rajasthan region of India for generations.  If you look closely, you can sometimes identify the borders of the blocks and verify the handmade process.  From start to finish, each tablecloth takes 7-10 days to create.  True works of art!