Browsing by Author "Majumdar, Saloni"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Rural Immersion Programme: Sewa Bazaar
    (MICA, 2019) Mitra, Anushka; Prithviraj, Ashish; Todi, Devika; Sawant, Riya; Majumdar, Saloni; Mukherjee, Shriraj
    The Hansiba hoarding due to its typography and usage has faded over time. The cursive nature of the logo makes it hard for customers to locate the store- the ongoing construction work has made the matter worse. Rupa Ben has tried placing small standees near the gate however municipality ends up taking it away. To prevent this she has struck up a deal with the parking lot manager. She pays her a minimal amount every month to keep the Hansiba standee on the road. •The current layout of the store has a new entrance now, which opens directly to the billing counter and the apparel section. When one moves inside, we see small handmade stools placed here and there along with one picture of one of the SEWA weavers. Far inside are the handicrafts sections displaying cushions, rugs , bags, earrings and other accessories. •Indians mostly tourists from Delhi, Punjab and Maharashtra buy dupattas with intricate work. A lot of doctors frequent the store as well and they prefer minimalistic designs to suit their attire at work. •Foreigners visit store from Google and travel site suggestions. Word of mouth also plays a vital role in Hansiba sales as a lot of these people visit the store on recommendations of the hotel, guides, auto walas and online reviews. They often arrive early and eagerly wait for Rupa Ben to come and open the store. Rupa Ben has made a deal with the nearby chaiwala to keep her customers entertained, as they wait outside the store, till Rupa Ben arrives. •Europeans find it hard to get the perfect size due to the dissimilarity of the physical structure from Indian women. This is one of the reasons they prefer to buy stoles. The other reason being the cold climate of Europe. They prefer to buy designs with lesser stone work. Due to high use of washing machine in their country the mirrors tend to break, which they believe leads to bad luck. •Americans love everything blingy and prefer to buy heavy mirror work designs. •Students, when they complete their degrees often come to pick up souveneirs from Hansiba before leaving Ahmedabad, for their home town.