Craftwork, handmade perfumes, bags and jewellery, Jamia Bazaar held at India Islamic Centre from January 14 to January 16 had a lot to offer to all the visitors. Here, the participants were the girls from the backward section of Jamia Nagar who had put up stalls of Lucknawi kurta; handmade cushions, bags, jewellery, hair bands; locally made perfumes, toiletries, other household items and books. All reasonably priced between Rs. 20 - Rs. 800.
This happened as a result of the efforts of an NGO 'Centre for Equity and Inclusion' (CEQUIN), who was the most integral part of the whole affair. The CEQUIN had collaborated with designers from National Institute of Design (NID), who conducted intensive design and quality control workshops for these girls.
Sara Pilot, Chairperson, CEQUIN shares, "Many designers were involved in the process and lots of planning went into it. This is the second time we organised Jamia Bazaar and from last year's 15 participants, this year we had around 34 participants. Now, on an average, everyday 15 women comes to our center to know about what we teach."
Shama, a girl from the NGO says, "I had no source of income earlier. I was just interested in thread work and when I got in touch with this NGO, they gave me a platform to polish my skills. Today, I'm independent."
Today, CEQUIN is helping more than 1000 households of Jamia Nagar, all below poverty line, to live a dignified life by providing girls special training and also by eliminating the role of middlemen.
Jamia Bazaar also had 15 food stalls that served Kashmiri wazwaan, Mughlai food and other Indian recipes.

.

.

.