[Nfb-krafters-korner] crafts and classes

[Jean Parker]

Dear All:

Thanks for the many craft suggestions and information.  I really appreciate it and will consider them all!

Further to the question of traditional crafts in India I want to make some clarifications.  I grew up in America and then came to India as an adult.

Traditional crafts in India are as diverse as the country is.  Clothing is often very decrative using embroidery, beadwork and small mirrors woven into the cloth.  There is a particular type of embroidery done in Kashmir with silver or gold matalic thread.  It is very tactile and sometimes three dementional.  There are as many kinds of embroidery and weaving as you can imagine.  Wood crafting is there as well as metal work etc.

One problem is getting someone to teach these things to blind people.  Some blind people make candles or do baskets of some kind.  

Although crafts can certainly be found in cities, much of this work is done in villages.  Much of it done not necessarily for enjoyment but as piece work to make a living or to make something practical for everyday use.  Also, these things can be geographically specific or particular to a certain caste or group.  For example chicken embroidery work is found mostly in north India and is produced by people of a certain region who belong to a particular caste.  

So these things are done as professions rather than as hobbies.  There are exceptions of course but it's not like you sign up at some local place to take a class in weaving or ceramics.  The choices for this are quite limited.  

Thanks again for the info as these all sound like good ideas and easy to create.  
I like the idea of email classes as well.  I take classes online and teach in a Master's level university program online as well and it really is effective. Since these are asynchronis meaning you don't have to be online at any specific time, it works well for me and the often irradic power situation.  We use a lot of battery backup but some appliances consume to much energy and can't be used on the battery backup.  Also, our power cuts often go well beyond the length of the battery.   
As far as class timing, morning time in America is evening for us so that works the best.  Of course very late at night in America is morning for us so that also works but mostly people don't want to stay up that late unless they are on the west coast.

Again, thanks for all the help.  Asking questions is fine, that's how we all learn.

Jean