Artisan Story :
Vandana Suresh Parad
Overview
Vandana is a 21 years old unmarried woman. She has completed her 12th grade in the field of arts. She was always keen about art and had always wanted to learn any form of art. She lives in Aangaon with her parents and her 34 years old elder brother. He is the bread earner of the family. Her mother is a housewife and her father helps her mother with household chores and grocery shopping. She came to know about Tisserindia from few ladies in her village who have been associated with Tisserindia already. Before this workshop, she used to earn by doing tailoring. She has taken her training under trainer Yamini Nath which was a 21 days training in the year 2019. She is part of UNDP UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM and LTI- LARSEN AND TOURBO. She had made masks, patchwork on sarees and dupattas and cushion covers by showing her excellent warli painting skills she acquired from this workshop. She earns Rs.15 per mask, Rs.70 for patchwork per saree/dupatta and Rs.45
per cushion cover.
Experiences And Challenges:
“I am so lucky to attend this workshop as I was unable to figure how to get into this field that always excited me”. Says Vandana. Her curiosity grew when she heard about the workshop and since then she just involved herself in the world of Warli painting. Initially, she faced difficulty with the minute details and difficult patterns but then her trainer made a cake walk for her later as she personally looked into every artisan out there and solved her issues very calmly. She is now ready to turn everything artistic with her warli painting as she have had the best experience with Tisserindia. The trainer was super friendly and cordial with her that made her doubts getting cleared at that very moment because there was no hesitation. She actually understood that art is just not any pattern but a kind of therapy and works like a stress buster whenever she is stressed. It is meditation that provides relief from all the negativity.
Future Plans:
Her family being supportive, she is willing to pursue her career in making things that can look beautiful if there is warli painting on it. She will continue working with Tisserindia and also wishes to be a part of training program and teach women like her who are unaware of their capabilities and help them earn some livelihood if given a chance. Just like Tisserindia was a backbone for her, she wishes to pass her learnings and help women grow. “Never taking a step back as Tisserindia has given me a new life” says Vandana.
