'Pote' maker
Women in rural Nepal wearing 'pote' necklaces
Colorful पोते necklaces with तिलहरी ,चवादी चोली with फरिया , nose and ears covered with huge gold
jewelry and flowers in the hair…..quintessential Nepalese beauty n all her
rustic charm.
'pote' (pronounced po-they) are colorful
glass beaded necklaces of various colors and length that women in Nepal wear as
one of the symbols of marriage, like a
wedding ring or red “sindoor” in the parting of your hair. Though not married,
I love the elegance of these handmade beads and wanted pieces that I could wear
occasionally. A trip to Nepal lead to the discovery of this wonderful artist who
created these necklaces and bracelets using pote and colorful jute strings in
his humble backyard. Although not so uncommon (as these beaded jewellery are
very often worn by several Nepalese women) he was still at this trade and trying
to eke a living out of this. I wondered why isn’t he farming anymore or occupying
himself in a trade more lucrative as the competition is clearly stiff in these parts.
To this he gave a broken smile as if to say ‘what would you city dwellers know?!'
No! A smile wasn’t good enough
for me…I wanted to know. My curiosity getting the better of me I enquired if I could buy some of the pieces
there and pat came the reply with the brightest of smiles. He thawed after my initial enquiries and was
ready to answer most of my questions. The astronomical prices of things, the
constant struggle to get his children better educated, the seasonal nature of
his crops left him with no option and he says he enjoys his work in some ways.
It makes him happy to see women like what he so painstakingly makes, every bead
that he so carefully puts together in beautiful colored strings. This is what
he has known all his life apart from farming. He can’t change his trade and
start afresh. It is too risky he says. So, he prefers staying away from his
family for months together, traveling from one city to another, trying to sell
these just so that he is able to catch up with his family’s growing needs.
I thought to myself, these are
just perfect for my dresses and they will go with my t-shirts alright so, I bought
several of these pieces and brought them back to India and tried selling it to
my friends. This way, I will not only help this man but also bring these
amazing colorful jewellery to all those who want it. What started with one man
and with some friends has gone up to a larger scale and now there are several
men and women who supply these 'pote' to us and we bring them to a large
network of people.
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