Submitted by Jaclyn Janes on the 2017 winter session program in India sponsored by the Department of English…
One of the final things I’d like to reflect on from India is the idea of sustainable living and self-sufficiency. During our program, we have visited many artisans, herbalists and average people who produce their own products from scratch, using hard work and patience. Pictured is a woman who works at a Tibetan refugee center, where they sheer their own animals, make the yarn, dye it with natural colors and weave it into beautiful, warm jackets and scarves and intricate rugs. Most of what this woman wears was made right in this compound. I think this is a beautiful production model for sustainable, natural clothing, that employs the use of local resources. It’s easy to tell that these northern Indian women have a different mindset than the average American. I mean, I’ve never even baked a cake from scratch, let alone made my own clothes from scratch, but I would love to bring more of this self-sufficient Indian mindset to America and let people around me know that it is a lot more possible than they think to make something for themselves. I think I am personally going to start with an herb garden which is a small step towards growing something for myself instead of importing it from far away. Yet, there are other steps people can take, like taking advantage of farmer markets and supporting local artisans before they patronize a department store. Any small steps lend themselves to a more sustainable lifestyle and will make you proud of your local talent, like these women are of their designs.