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Two-day Gandhi Santhe draws good response at Heggodu
The two-day Gandhi Santhe, organized by Charaka, a women’s industrial cooperative society, at its work center, Shramajeevi Ashrama here on Saturday and Sunday, received a good response, with visitors turning up from Shivamogga, Bengaluru, Mysuru, and villages across Sagara taluk to explore stalls of handloom and other village-industry products.
Held as part of Charaka’s Gandhi Pravasa, a sustainable tourism initiative, the event brought together stalls selling Charaka’s own products alongside handmade goods from Haveri, Dharwad, Mandya, and other districts. Shivamogga MP B.Y. Raghavendra inaugurated the event on Saturday.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Raghavendra said that support to rural-based industry would help local people and avoid migration to big cities. Besides, the model being adopted by Charaka was environment-friendly and helped the downtrodden sections of society.
Mr. Prasanna, noted theatre personality and founder of Charaka, said the purpose of Gandhi Santhe was to make pure, quality rural products accessible to consumers and wholesale buyers. “If the villagers go to towns and announce that their products—oil, cloth—are pure, the people would not believe them. We are doing this exercise to welcome the consumers, designers, and big entrepreneurs in big cities to visit our place and examine how these products are made,” he said.
Another objective of the event was to ensure artisans earn at least ₹800 to ₹900 a day where they stay. “Only then can young people return to this field, and overheating planets can begin to cool. Only then can everyone find work and lead a simple life,” he said.
The inaugural day also saw the foundation stone laid for a new museum building on the campus. The event was organized in association with the Kavi-Kavya Trust, Desi Trust, Jeevanmukhi, and the Department of Tourism. Charaka Society president Mahalakshmi, CEO Terrence Peter, and others were present.
The Hindu·4 hours ago·1 min read
