Jai Saree! So, that is how Himanshu greets people! An art curator plus unconditional love towards the notorious fabric equals The Saree Man. Dont get any ideas! Google The Saree Man and you will find a pair of kohl-lined dewy eyes haunting you. In a good way, of course! You find Himanshu Verma in seriously sober (good), but striking drapes. Boy oh boy, gratitude is his attitude when it comes to what people might think. Well, somebody is not limited by the fear factor! We are yet to do our research on Himanshu, The Saree Man. Please bear with us until we give our best!
Our search landed us up on Red Earth, a multi-disciplinary arts organization. Red Earth, Himanshu's own initiative in Delhi, curates and deals in Indian contemporary visual art as well as organises festivals and works with a range of art forms across styles and genres.
After a vigorous research, we came to know that he is also the person behind 1100 Walks and The Genda Phool Project. 1100 Walks is an end-to-end approach to the city where they celebrate every aspect of it ranging from heritage and food to religion. The best part, they also conduct workshops on the same. Lets say, an urban village walk festival!
The Genda Phool Project is a heart-felt tribute to the Marigold flower. Yes, you heard me right! For some reason unfathomable, I find The Genda Phool Project touching. For me up until now, marigold was just a flower. Himanshu has made a world out of it. I am sure nobody ever celebrated a flower on such a grandiose level. Its crystal clear that you dont have to be at the top of the pyramid to be glorified!
In the name of progress, Delhi Government relocated the flower markets of Fatehpuri, Connaught Place and Mehrauli to the landfill near Ghazipur. Himanshu initiated a walk, which is more of a soul-stirring tribute that starts from the old flower mandis and ends at the latest market. Seems they even distributed / planted marigold saplings just to retain the legend. In his video, he painstakingly presented gazillion slides on the marigold and its depiction. I was really surprised to see so many versions. I say, Jai Marigold...
The Saree Man
Our search landed us up on Red Earth, a multi-disciplinary arts organization. Red Earth, Himanshu's own initiative in Delhi, curates and deals in Indian contemporary visual art as well as organises festivals and works with a range of art forms across styles and genres.
Red Earth
After a vigorous research, we came to know that he is also the person behind 1100 Walks and The Genda Phool Project. 1100 Walks is an end-to-end approach to the city where they celebrate every aspect of it ranging from heritage and food to religion. The best part, they also conduct workshops on the same. Lets say, an urban village walk festival!
The Genda Phool Project is a heart-felt tribute to the Marigold flower. Yes, you heard me right! For some reason unfathomable, I find The Genda Phool Project touching. For me up until now, marigold was just a flower. Himanshu has made a world out of it. I am sure nobody ever celebrated a flower on such a grandiose level. Its crystal clear that you dont have to be at the top of the pyramid to be glorified!
In the name of progress, Delhi Government relocated the flower markets of Fatehpuri, Connaught Place and Mehrauli to the landfill near Ghazipur. Himanshu initiated a walk, which is more of a soul-stirring tribute that starts from the old flower mandis and ends at the latest market. Seems they even distributed / planted marigold saplings just to retain the legend. In his video, he painstakingly presented gazillion slides on the marigold and its depiction. I was really surprised to see so many versions. I say, Jai Marigold...
Courtesy - Pinterest
How could I forget the marigold-laden movies?
We wanted to introduce Himanshu, The Saree Man to you but ended up with Himanshu, the man with a cause. We are glad we did so because in this era, who has time to talk about a flower ? With all due respect, we thank Himanshu for enlightening us and help us see the world with a different perspective! We will be back very soon with Himanshu, The Saree Man! Mom says good things only come to people who wait, so one thing at a time!
Imagery and resource credit - Himanshu Verma
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