Hello All!
As you have read/heard, I had been shouting about this from the rooftops for quite some time. Paper Precious put up a booth at a local craft exhibition, and I am very happy to note that it was a wonderful wonderful experience! From planning to set the booth up, to sitting out braving the chilly wind wearing slippers, to meeting some amazing people, it was all awesomeness packaged together.
We had to set the booth up early at 7.30 AM, and I was so excited and adrenaline-rushed, that I was unable to sleep at all the night before. It was probably the first time I woke up before the alarm went off! The fair was to take place in the parking lot of a local church, and when we reached there, I saw many booth owners already arrived and busy setting up their stalls. We were greeted by very friendly volunteers and participants. I had practiced putting up the booth at home, and was fairly confident that my helper and I could do it in half an hour straight, but the wind decided to play errant that day. Even though my display stands were weighed down with big heavy books, the wind kept knocking them off. At one unsuspecting moment, my Christmas tree, along with all the pretty handmade ornaments draped around it threatened to fly away into the neighbors booth. An hour into the setup, we had fairly stabilized everything and settled down to receive the first visitors of the day.
Putting up your work for complete strangers to see is the ultimate test for a craftsman. Strangers are not prejudiced to like it as your friends and family are. They have no obligation to kindly praise you, or motivate you in any manner. I watched with apprehension as people passed by my stall, some barely giving it a glance, but soon enough, people had started to stop in their tracks, take a long look at our stall (albeit from a distance), and then draw in for a closer look. People were very friendly, and soon we were engaging a lot of visitors into conversation about the craft and techniques involved. A couple of guys bought a few things, chatted for a long time, and left, only to return in a few minutes to take another look at the table. No doubt, I was beaming :)
The highlight of the day though was the people I came across. I love seeing people, observing them, and seeing bits of varied emotions and actions translate into the basic humanity that we are.
A little girl at the booth next to mine visited me at least five times throughout the day. She would just run over to the table, and keep looking at the items. Finally she convinced her mother to come along, and left only when she had bought a couple of items she had her heart set on. Oh the joys of seeing wonder and appreciation in innocent young eyes!
A lady from the booth across voluntarily gave her shawl to a shivering lady in the next booth. I am always humbled by such displays of such kindness and humanity.
Towards the end of the day, an elderly American gentleman stepped into the booth, looked around and asked me if I was from India. When I replied affirmatively, he proceeded to say "Yeh bohot accha hai" (This is very nice). It took all my effort to try not to fall backwards reeling with surprise. I managed to mumble a meek "Dhanyawaad" (Thank you). The gentleman proceeded to amaze me further by telling that he grew up in India as a kid, in Assam and Darjeeling, and had been to India every year for the past eight years. When I expressed my surprise at his remembering the language, he responded quietly "Hum Hindustani samajhta hai" (I can understand Hindi).
People never cease to amaze and awe me.
With such a wonderful experience at the first fair, I am very much looking forward to the next ones! Here are some pics from the fair -
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| The booth |
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| Resting for a while |
Cheers!
Manasee
