Mehndi! (Henna)

For our final evening in India, we all got the chance to have some Henna designs done on our hands and feet! The lady who did the artwork was Rajiv's neighbor and now travels all around the world to do it for people - she was amazing and so fast!!
Henna, or Mehndi in the Hindi language, is a natural dye from ground henna leaves mixed with an oil. The paste is applied to the hands in the same way frosting can be applied to a cake with a decorating bag. I told her she should open her own cake decorating store!! The paste can be applied in thin or thick lines and usually forms intricate lace-like designs. The henna paste dries on the skin in about an hour and is then rubbed off, revealing a light orange tattoo. Throughout the next 24 hours, the dye will change from light to dark pretty durastically. Henna stays on the skin for about 1-3 weeks following application.

It was really fun for us to watch this form of Indian design and take a little piece of Indian culture back home with us. Here's a short video of the process and a photo of the finished product!

a few more pics...

The best auditorium seats at National Institute of Design.

Paparazzi!

With our driver, Menice!

Learning how to spin thread from cotton!

papa-papa razzi!

Hey all! Just a few quick updates...we're currently in Ahmedebad for day two of three! Yesterday we toured the National Institute of Design, the National Innovation Center, and then finished off the day shopping for fabrics and various other trinkets. Today we visited the Calico Museum (incredible!), visited where Gandhi spent 15 years of his life and got to learn how to spin cotton into thread. Then Casey, Peggy, Haley, and I ventured out VIA RICKSHAW to a little market in the Old City. Besides Peggy distracting a motor-scooterist and causing him to hit a man...we managed to stay safe on our own! It was quite an experience! Tomorrow we are meeting with Arvind- a denim weaving mill and then heading back to Mumbai. Sadly, Lauren will be leaving us tomorrow night and heading back to the US, but I'm sure she's about ready after her 3 months here. We've loved being able to travel with her and having her here to answer all of our many questions. She really fell in love with India this summer and her experience is truly inspiring! Be sure to check out her blog http://culturevagabond.blogspot.com/ for more!

So about this paparazzi--- We were in Mumbai for two days before Ahmedebad, and we did some touristy sightseeing to the Gateway of India and Fashion Street. We quickly learned that wherever crowds are- we are likely to be picked out of that crowd and the camera phones start clicking! We had to keep moving so that the crowds wouldn't gather, but as soon as we stopped.....they were following right behind us. Casey had a good solution of just taking pix of them back, and she managed to get some nice inspiration shots of the crazy jeans the Indian guys wear. Our trip to the mall tonight included some paparazzi as well...but also some delicious cookies and chocolate shakes!

We'll try to post more pix soon! bye for now,
~~~Christine

Hey everyone!
Christine nicely put today's adventure into the market by saying it was "quite an experience." I must be honest and say that it was absolutely insane! I feel guilty for causing unintentional distractions on the rickshaws... although I can probably blame it on Haley's blond hair (people can't help but stare her down - and the bold teenagers don't shy away from a personal pic with her!) The market is packed with everything... from goats, cows and dogs to rolling suitcases, bananas, and stuffed elephants! Rickshaws and motorcycles were coming in all directions and I was honestly holding hands with Haley to stick together. All in all, we had a great time and I will never forget this Ahmedebad market.

I am excited for Arvind Mills tomorrow. Their clientele includes GAP, Calvin Klein, and Levi Strauss!
I realized I haven't posted anything about the Taj Mahal. It was pretty incredible and I love the story behind it...how it was built out of love by the King for his wife. It is also amazing how many talented hands went into carving the marble. You see the amazing architecture from afar, but the intricate designs in the marble are just as impressive.
More later! Thanks for following!
-Peggy

Rewind: JCP visit!

We have to rewind a few days to talk about our JCPenney visit!! It was FANTASTIC! A huge thank you goes out to Tom Gorski at our Dallas office for connecting us with the Mr. Adil Raza, the Vice President and Regional Director of South Asia, Middle East, and Europe.

We were able to tour the JCPenney offices and meet the wonderful people who work there. Peggy even got to meet one of the ladies she corresponded with while at JCP in Dallas! Mr. Raza shared with us his role overseeing all aspects of JCPenney's business on this side of the world and also shared his outlook on the direction of the garment manufacturing business in the next ten years. As the wealth of the current labor force increases, business will move to poorer parts of the world. He believes a lot of manufacturing will remain in Bangladesh for at least 10 years because they have a huge population to sustain it. After this eye-opening meeting, we were able to see two of the nearby factories JCP works with: Sarla Fabrics - a fabric dying and printing factory, and Shahi Exports - India's largest garment manufacturer.

Sarla works with many top apparel companies such as H&M, JCP, Zara, Target, Wal-Mart, and GAP, and we even got to see 60,000 meters of material being printed for GAP! We were impressed by the many processes the fabric must go through PERFECTLY in order to pass color, hand feel, and strength tests. Every little step has to be precisely calculated, closely monitored, and perfectly executed! We know from experience how precisely designers check these aspects, so it's incredible that these factories can deliver! After a brief Q&A over some delicious Dominos pizza, we proceeded to Shahi Exports.

Shahi produces apparel for companies such as Hugo Boss, A&F, Calvin Klein, JCP, Kohls, H&M, Target, and Zara. Mr. Rohit Kaushik, Divisional Merchandising Manager, showed us around and answered our many questions. We toured the factory and saw all processes from pattern making, cutting, embroidery, sewing, approval, and preparation for shipment. Seeing how each of these steps occurs on such a huge scale was enlightening...the seemingly small decisions we make as designers, such as changing the color of one stripe on a plaid, creates quite a bit of work in the factory! It was helpful to hear tips from Mr. Kaushik on communicating clearly.

Out to dinner at the Great Kebab Factory

Dinner with Rajiv's family.

Hello tourist.

Peggy attempting to help the ladies at Sahaj!

The gorgeous sunrise over the Ganges.

PICTURES!!!!!

V-A-R-A-N-A-S-I

Three forms of transportation in one day can wear you out! 5 hour car ride from Agra to New Delhi. 1 hour flight from New Delhi to Varanasi, and boat ride on the Ganges!!

I don't think I have ever put a hand in the Ohio river, let alone bathe or wash my clothes in the water. I am fortunate! Imagine the Ohio river 5 times wider, 50 times muddier, although somehow 1,000 times more remarkable! We walked down the dirt road to the river banks and a wood plank boat was docked at the side. It was pitch dark and I totally trusted the boy with the striped shirt (only about my brother, Michael's age - 16) to hold my hand and step over the murky water onto the boat. The boy started the motor and the man with the grey beard in the back steered. Instantly it was like we were in a different world! My camera was useless as I tried to get the stars, the bridge, the silk shops, the steps going into the water, the people playing, bathing, and washing clothes, and the street vendors that could be seen through the building gaps. I felt so safe, calm, peaceful and appreciative...until Christine and I started flipping out about the possibility of a hole in the boat or running out of fuel.  We pulled up to the banks, and walked up the steps to the market. It didn't take long to bargain and spend 1500 rupees on beads. :)  I gave a little boy a piece of my Trident gum and he gave me his autograph with a heart around it!! The hospitality at our cottage in Varanasi is most appreciated! I can't wait to wake up in the morning to explore the area and see the town in daylight.
I am so thankful for the water we have at home - for the shower, washing machine, drinking water, swim club :) Whenever you are around clean water today, give thanks!
 P.S. John- When I get home, I will pull a "John McGrath" and put my head directly under the sink faucet! 
-Peggy

A flight only lasting 50 minutes from New Delhi to Varansi had us anxiously waiting for the next chapter in this Indian journey. We landed in the smallest airport I think any of us have ever been to. So cute yet hectic. Peggy and Haley, lucky holders of the window seats on our flight, informed us isle seaters of the beautiful scenery they witnessed of Varanasi. We were instantly excited for the city we were about to explore. Driving through the village, we noticed the drastic change from villages and towns we had experienced prior. There was a cleanliness and happy aura about the town that definitely had an effect on us. Snapping our cameras left and right, we captured images that appeared to be torn from pages of National Geographic as Peggy and I have continuously stated. The many aromas of the city we breathed in were ones of fresh mint leaves and burning wood. Monkeys climbed the rooftops much like Abu from Aladdin. The architecture, hanging clothes lines, outside markets and Indian dress screamed Aladdin to me. Being my favorite Disney movie of all time, we started singing its songs "street rat" and "a whole new world"! Singing is nothing out of the ordinary for our long car rides on this trip. We finally reached the most adorable and quaint cottage/guest house. Though it was dark when we arrived, we heard peacocks calling. I can't wait to see their bright feathers in the daylight tomorrow morning. Dogs, like in the rest of India, rest on the stone walkways, cooling off. Not to anyone's surprise, Peggy grabs my arm and obviously makes me go first, claiming they are going to get her or touch her as if it's a lion, tiger or bear, OH MY! Needless to say, we managed to walk by with no problem. ha Oh Pegs! :) The cruise on the river was the highlight of this trip for me thus far. This is exactly what I pictured India to be, but I was proven wrong. The scene we were gliding by was better and more than I could ever imagine. The local people celebrating their religious ceremonies near the river with fire and lit lillypads that they set off into the water, gorgeous stacked architecture layering on top each other, monkeys and dogs climbing the steps, and locals diligently at work. When we finally docked after a tranquil ride, we experienced real India. We were the only "tourists". We bargained with the merchants for beads and jewelry/stones. As Peggy previously mentioned, she and I met the most adorable little boy I have ever seen. He was about 7 yrs old and was bilingual, communicating to us with charm as he drew Peggy a heart with his name scribbled inside. How American! We took the same wooden boat back to the cottage and enjoyed a yummy Indian dinner prepared by the wonderful staff. Peggy and I cannot sleep as we are sweating in our beds with a very slow ceiling fan, no AC, and open windows. It's 110 degrees, easy. We're awaiting a 5:45 am alarm to get up and hike the trails, only to sweat some more, as if we haven't dripped sweat enough this trip already! We have had minimal sleep this trip- what's another day? I don't sleep anyways even at home in the Nati. This was quite the post tonight...it's the heat talking. Goodnight loves :) -Casey

The crazy life of fabric Part II

Dahod was great to see the smaller side of India's talented handicraft work. Sitting down with the villagers and actually talking and working with them was unforgettable! We were all laughing about the smallest things...how I put the wrong color beads on the stuffed elephant ornament, or how we all put yellow flowers in our hair. It was like we were all respectfully staring at each other, imagining our separate lives and how we were happy to meet, in the "small 100,000 person town."  On the way back from Dahod we were all getting tired, hungry and morale was low. Then Birla Cellulose appeared...the light at the end of the tunnel. We pulled into the courtyard area with the sign marked, GUEST HOUSE. First, it was the four bedrooms and bathrooms they provided, then it was an amazing five course dinner that awaited us! we were immediately impressed! Thank you Mr. Nymberg for this connection! We were happy to be off the congested road, and have space to walk around! Haley and Casey celebrated while doing cartwheels on the lawn. I attempted. The servers were laughing and watching from the kitchen area.
The next day Mr. Samuel, Senior VP of Marketing from Birla planned for a tour of their R&D center and the plant. Haley summed it up - fabric is not as simple as you may think! With the engineers, the impressive machinery and chemical processes, fabric has no limitations! It was something that we had all wondered about, and had an "idea" from school but to see the process up close is entirely different! The next thing we knew we were talking to Mr. Samuel over tea about future endeavors involving University of Cincinnati students and Birla Cellulose! I will let the others expand on JCPenney yesterday. I will say that it was a cool moment to meet Nidhi, the lady I had been emailing the past few weeks, regarding my design samples while at JCP!!! We got a pic :) Okay, almost to Agra...Taj Mahal here we come!
Miss everyone! Love, Pegs
p.s. Mar, thanks for being the best blog follower. I love you! wish you were here, although you would be super car sick! Traffic is the biggest surprise. I guess that is what happens when you have about 13 million people living in one area...go figure ha