Travel Souvenir - Indian Gondola

I have written about travel souvenir from J& K earlier. If you have not read it so far, you may do it so here.

Apart from that, on a recent travel, I realized that there is another heart warming gift that one can get from our very own Kashmir.

It is what the Gondola is to Venice.Yes, you guessed it right. It is the Shikara!
Not a single person who returns after touring Kashmir would have missed a ride in the Shikara. And a Shikara is a very apt gift that you can get for your loved ones back home.It will also remind you of your fantastic ride in the Dal lake and reminisce each moment spent in Kashmir.






These Shikaras are available in wood and in paper machie. Aren't these lovely? You tell me what else did you find enticing in Kashmir. And I always feel that a souvenir should also be such that it finds use in your everyday living.You can use these shikaras on your dining table as centerpieces. They can be alternatively lined with tissue & filled with mouth freshners like saunf ( fennel seeds) when you have guests at home.It will be a unique way to display your travel memento.

Hope you found this post interesting. For all those who are enjoying their vacation travelling... enjoy folks! and those who are stayed put, a DIY will be soon up here.You may try it out too.Take care all of you.

Travel Souvenir- J&K

It's time again to talk about  travel souvenir. We had been to Jammu long back but the small token that we carried from there still reminds me of the beautiful trip we had! That's the thing about souvenirs.They let you travel back in time.

Have you heard of Namdah?

Namdahs are basically chain stitch rugs. They are very popular because they are affordable and not only as a rug, they are even used as a wall covering, sofa backs and mats. The base of these rugs is called Namdahs which is basically felted wool and cotton. These are produced in vibrant colours in varying shapes and sizes. Namdahs use the kind of hooks which are called ari instead of the traditional needle. The specialty of theses needles are they cover much more area than the usual ones in the same time and therefore economical to use.





Mostly with a white and creamish base, these are colourful, warm & stylish. They are available in various sizes as carpets,rugs and mats.Choose your pick.

Also sharing with you a piece on travel souvenir that  I recently wrote  on Homz.in, which  is India’s premier destination for home design and décor.

Travel souvenir and a DIY

San Juan in Puerto Rico is known for its  Spanish colonial architecture.Some of the entrances and doorways are so enchanting,that one can easily spend a lazy afternoon roaming the streets and soaking in all that the city has to offer.

Take a glimpse..

I can easily spend my entire day outside this entrance!

Reminds me of our very own Goa!

Teal and rustic red with the metal work above...So so pretty!

I loved the sun-ray design in the turquoise blue colour!

And now for the thrilling part...these door replicas are sold as souvenirs.I came to know about this through another blog. Kunjan, thanks for introducing me to this beautiful craft! Mi Pequeno San Juan is one such shop that sell these handcrafted replicas and they are made here, in front of you right from scratch. They have rubber moulds for various designs.Handcrafted and hand painted, they make for excellent souvenir item.

Mi Pequeno San Juan's collection of doors

Door replicas...(pic courtesy from Kunjan Chabra's blog)

I was so intrigued by these, that I desperately wanted to try my hands on it.I only had terracotta clay for making it.Nevertheless, spent an afternoon trying it out.Let me know how it has turned out.



Just a basic model to satisfy my urge.

Anyways guys,enjoy the start to a fabulous New Year! All the love and luck to you.

Travel souvenir III- Aranmula Kannadi

'Kannadi' means mirror in Malyalam and Aranmula is a small village in the Indian state of Kerala.The Aranmula mirrors are a special kind in the sense that these are not the silvered glass mirrors.It is a front surface reflection  mirror which eliminates secondary reflections and aberrations. Aranmula kannadi is a handmade metal alloy mirror and the exact metals used in the alloy is kept as a family secret.Very few families are now engaged in the mysterious mirror making process.

Many metallurgists believe it to be an alloy of copper and tin but the proportion is still unknown.It is polished for several days to get the reflective surface.Every Kerala bride gets one such Aranmula Kannadi as part of her wedding trousseau.It is one among the eight auspicious or 'ashtamangalyam'.It is considered to bring luck,wealth and prosperity in one's home. Aranmula Kannadi are bestowed with Geographical Indication tag.



Aranmula kannadi is 100% handmade.It is a unique kind of handheld mirror and hence a little pricey too! The diameter of the reflective surface of the mirror, the shape ,the frame size and the art work on it all are factors that contribute to the pricing of the Aranmula Kannadi.



If you happen to be in Kerala and want something unique that gives a taste of the region,you can have a look at these handmade beauties.

Images: Pinterest

Travel Souvenir part II

Next in line to the Travel Souvenir series is Azulejos from Goa!

Azulejos are hand painted ceramic tiles that comes in bold colours especially  in blue color.I am sure you will fall in love with their pretty designs. Azulejos are actually of Portuguese origin but as Goa adopted these beauties over time, Goa has become popular for these tiled beauties- Azulejos.

Apart from the cosy & warm Goan architecture, these tiles represent the old world charm and spirit of true Goa.Classically, it is a square plaque of ceramic material, one side of which is decorated and glazed. They were primarily introduced as decoration over flat plastered surfaces, floors, walls and even ceilings.Blue and white combination of azulejos are the most preferred ones though you can have them in yellow,green and some other variants too!

There are many stores that custom make these tiles according to one's colour,size and design specification.

Mario Miranda's tiles found in Velha Goa Galleria

Ineresting Fact: The word Azulejos stems from the Arabic word 'Zellige' meaning little polished stone contrary to the popular belief  that it stemmed from the portuguese word Azule meaning 'blue'

Next time you are in Goa do not miss your chance to own a piece of Goa.

Some places where you can buy Azulejos are:

Azulejos De Goa | Zarina Towers, St. Inez, Panjim, Goa | +91 982 2976867 / 985 093 0253

De Goa Ceramics | Almeida Ville, off Braganza Pereira Road, behind Vishal Bldg., St. Inez, Panjim, Goa 403 001 | +91 832 2420812 / 832 2422149

Velha Goa Galleria | House No. 191 Rua de Ourem, Fontainhas, Panjim, Goa | +91 832 2426628

Barefoot | House No. 1/26, 31st January Road, Panjim, Goa | +91 997 0939277 / 832 2436815

Hope this helps. To read the previous Travel souvenir series go to Kavad art

Image courtesy: Pinterest

Travel souvenirs (part I)

Starting today, every month I plan to post an interesting souvenir you can carry back from your travel. Knowing that you are carrying a piece of history along with you, will only make it worth treasuring and you a proud owner! .These souvenirs  are handmade and  are significant in the way it is made.

Let us start with an interesting painted wooden art form -KAAVAD ART from Rajasthan. The specialty of these story box is, it conveys a story through the pictures drawn laboriously on to them They look like small temples or shrines and as each door opens it tells you a part of the story. These stories are generally mythological taken from the Ramayana, Krishna leela, life of Buddha or the Mahabharata. This art is said to be about 2000 yrs old and has existed from the time of King Vikramaditya of Ujjain. The boxes can have one to twelve doors.The type of wood used to make the kaavad art is either mango or sangwani wood.

story box 

Each door opens to reveal a story

A group of hereditary craftsmen from the Chittoragarh district in Rajasthan, both male and female artisan are still engaged in the process of making Kaavad. The storytellers or the Kaavriya Bhats are commissioned for these boxes.The storytellers open these boxes in a pattern or sequence with the events in narration. After the story is over, there is a small drawer at the bottom of such boxes where in, the audience is asked to keep a small donation.

An artist at work

This must have been an interesting form of passing  time, before the electronic era set in, as the kaavariya proceeded from one village to another narrating the stories and I can imagine an audience awestruck by the wonderful narration.

Though our kids are hooked on to the television, laptop,i-pads and the tablets, am sure, given a choice and a master storyteller they will soon give up their arms and legs to own a kaavad. After all don't we see them enjoying an animated versions of these mythological stories even now?

Now tell me isn't this an amazing gift  and souvenir item that you can treasure for a lifetime. Kids particularly, enjoy stories and what better than having a visual representation of the same...Go for it, the next time, you are in Rajasthan. It will be worth every penny paid!