If you haven’t read my last post, I went on my first trip in a WHOLE year to Assam, India during the month of March’21. It was a fun one week long vacation with my family – my soul was craving travel. While I am yet to really sit down and document my travel tale – I thought I’ll share with you the few but fun local handicrafts that I bought during my travel.
Shirt with Assamese Hand Work –
Red & white is the combination that women in Assam wear on special days. While I didn’t want to buy the traditional saree (because I don’t really wear sarees) but I was intrigued when I spotted this shirt in a handloom store and without second thought picked it up. I usually wear more subtle colours – but I LOVED this instantly.
Cane Bag –
I fell in love with these cane bags the second I saw them – they are quirky and way more sustainable than other bags. I’d love to pair this up with a fun outfit just for photos (:-P).
Traditional Assamese Wraparound skirt –
This is a special buy. I picked it up from a remote river island (Majuli) from a cooperation run by local women who work together to produce these pieces. They didn’t have a lot of variety and were more expensive than other places but it felt totally worth it. And look how gorgeous it is…
Straw Backpack –
Again – how cute is this backpack? It isn’t very big but its perfect for a day out in the city. Again a very aesthetic and fun bag.
Souvenir Magnets –
We always buy magnets for our fridge whenever we travel. We found these tiny magnets representing the local Assamese man and woman – perfect for our fridge door which is over stacked already.
A Wooden Rhino –
If you aren’t aware, Assam is home to One Horned Rhinos and Gibbons (monkey species). It is well known for its national parks and wildlife. Hence, we picked up a wooden rhino as a keepsake.
A Coin Necklace –
This necklace is so pretty and unique. I just had to get it.
Stole with local handwork –
This pretty colour combination!
These are the fun little handicrafts that we picked up on this trip. I’ve been trying to shop less, so this was sort of a splurge.
Which one did you like best? What recent shopping have you done?
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wow these are amazing I loved each one of your things which you bought. But if you ask me to choose one I will choose Coin Necklace. Because I love collecting different necklaces. Many I collected from Shilparamam in Hyderabad but lately I haven’t visited there due to on going Pandemic. I hope you had a great time in Assam 🙂
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I love that necklace so much. I collect a lot of earrings but just have a small necklace collection. Ohh I haven’t been to Shilparamam but I did pick up a ton of bangles from the Charminar market during my visit. 🙂
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Wow I too love collecting earrings. You visited Charminar and bought bangles also that is so kool. Everyone who visits Hyderabad love to visit Charminar. I too bought bangles from there and I love them.
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These are beautiful pieces you got
I loved the cane bag more..its co.fortable and I can rock it with any simple outfit
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Thank you! I love how the bags I got are simple yet aesthetic enough to take any outfit up a notch. 🙂 🙂
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Each one of them are soo good but my heart is set on that backpack…its sooooo cuutteee
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RIGHT? That backpack is adorbs! I can just imagine a whole Instagram post dedicated to a nice outfit+that backpack. 😀 😀
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I love buying gifts and souvenirs on holidays. It’s been a long time since I travelled and I can’t wait to start having holidays again. You have bought some beautiful pieces that will forever remind you of your lovely trip.
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True! I love having these little pieces of the trip that remind me of that fun memories of the trip. I hope you get to travel soon! ❤ ❤
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Your straw backpack is enviable! It’s so cute, I’d wear it everywhere 😆
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Hehe – I love that backpack too! I can’t wait to use it and photograph it. 😀
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I can’t wait too see it😁
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Ooohhh! That straw bag and those magnets are hearts 💕. Your refrigerator looks like a little souvenir from around the world. 🥺🥺🥺
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Our refrigerator is this tiny world map of all the countries we’ve visited and the MANY yet to be visited. 🙂 I love collecting magnets and keychains.
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I am really fascinated to go to Assam after when I read somewhere about it that tempts me more to visit there.
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North East is beautiful. I really want to visit Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh next. 🙂
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Northeast is totally unexplored from my end.
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These are some great picks 👏👏👏
I like that backpack the most, it’s so cute 💓💓💓
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That backpack I saw from the car while we were passing the shop – I made us go back and pick it up! 😀 😀
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These are so pretty– I loved the necklace and the cane bag, so cute! 🙂 🙂
It’s been so long since I’ve traveled, but I love collecting souvenirs too, specifically keychains :).
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THAT necklace I love too! The bags were so cute – not the most useful since I usually prefer bigger bags but they were so aesthetic that I had to get them! 😀
I love collecting souvenirs too – I have a keychain from every country I’ve visited. 🙂
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Haha! I do the same! 😳 Sometimes the aesthetic is more important than practicality! 😄😂
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LOOVVE the shirt, the cane bag, and the backpack! U have good taste 😍😍😍
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Haha – thanks! Everything was so pretty in Assam – the local handicrafts are gorgeous! They are into very natural, earthy products. I had a hard time stopping myself from buying everything.
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I think we have the same taste 🙂 LOVE earthy products and LOVE colors!! ☺️
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Hello ma’am!
My name is Komal Shinde and currently am pursuing my Masters in Communication and Journalism.
Am actually doing research on analyzing the problems female bloggers face while sharing their experiences online through a blog.
So if I send you a questionnaire would you be interested in a zoomcall regarding the same.
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I can’t tell if this is a normal shopping haul for you or the result of pent-up-after-a-yr-of-no-travel shopping 😛 A minimalist, you are not? Heh, heh. I like the bags because of the chevron pattern and the bright red and white shirt, even though it’s not my favorite color. Enjoy!
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Haha – I did splurge a little but also managed to control my urge to shop even more. I usually shop a lot when travelling. I love the shirt even though it isn’t my favourite colour either – it just very accurately captures the essence of Assam. The bags had me going crazy! 🙂
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Ohhh nice haul! I have my eye on that straw backpack! But if I bring anymore backpacks home my husband will probably leave me lol I have some weird obsessed with backpacks, I have about 10 (one for every occasion) LOL no clue why… Yes I’ve done a heck of a lot of online shopping lol every few weeks I try to avoid the sites but every once in a while I get an itch and I just go nuts 😔🤪
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Every artwork is creative and beautiful. I appreciate your choice. I’m surprised how you get so many things for different uses and purposes. It was a wonderful read.
You are very much appreciated. Keep going on. 🤗❤🌻🌻🤜
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Thank you – I love supporting local handicrafts. India has so many local artisans – it makes me happy and proud to support their endeavours.😊
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The coin necklace and the backpack —GORGEOUS🧡
This really makes miss travelling so much. These kind of shopping are always filled with many beautiful memories and people. I can’t wait for this lockdown to end and for me to run out the door😬🤞🏽
I loved every pieces in here😘 x
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Yes – I love those two so much! I can’t wait to use the backpack!
I miss travelling too – it was so hard to not travel for a whole year. I hope you get to travel soon. ❤
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Sweet
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Glad that you visited Assam — my part of the country. Do plan your next trip to the other North Eastern states too. They won’t let you down either. 😊
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Definitely! Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh are on my bucket list. Which place are you from?
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M from Guwahati
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Beautiful shopping. Assam is in my bucketlist from a long time.
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They people who do this work put such love and beauty in each of their pieces. So glad you went on your trip so we could enjoy their talented work with you.
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As an Assamese, it is a little irksome for me to see people from the community given stereotypical features and made into dolls to be displayed as fridge magnets, but this is a phenomenon evident even in other places. I saw “Jarawa dolls” being sold in souvenir shops in Andaman, so I guess this is increasing, even among “domestic” tourists who are uncritically buying and gifting them. Also, a little correction is that Gibbons are not a monkey species. It’s an ape. In fact, it’s India’s only ape species.
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First, thank you for the information on the gibbons!
Second, I honestly didn’t notice any features on the magnets – till you pointed them out. I get we’re all sick of stereotypes – not all Indians are brown, are they? But if an Indian local can make money out of it- I don’t see what’s wrong with it. These weren’t bought with any ill intention and all the shopping done was to support local manufacturers who have been hit because of COVID and lesser tourism. I’m open to hear your views on it – if you are open to having a polite conversation.
Have a nice day! 🙂
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I agree with you on ensuring locals or smaller businesses gaining profits. However, I assume those magnets had a particular tribe/indigenous community being represented, perhaps the seller did specify the tribe to which their magnets dolls belong to? If not, then that might be quite a fallacy. I was pointing to them given stereotypical “mongoloid” features, not about that they are given brown skin. The problem lies in who is representing who? You see, Assam is a highly diverse region, which is why I also don’t think one particular souvenir like a doll or a particular weaving pattern can ever denote the essence of Assam (Just a personal opinion. There are multiple “essences” so to speak) and it’s not devoid of power dynamics between various communities. In a slightly more global consciousness, if not done ethically, these things amount to cultural appropriation. I ardently hope it was a local crafter unmediated by middle persons in their business. That’s just how much I can do actually. Hope
But I’m aware of you being devoid of ulterior motives. Seriously.
It so happens that reading on ethical ethnography lately have been making me look at these aspects. When European/American ethnographers travelled and researched non-western communities, they neglected how their work may appear to those within the community they were studying. So if someday, in the near future, a person belonging to the community of those dolls were to go through your blog, I’m sure they would have an opinion on it too. Whether it be good or bad, it’s just that their thoughts should be taken into account or given space. Thank you!
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