What hits you first is the blaze of colour. Everywhere. The floor, the walls, the floor... each a colorful profusion of the best that this country has to offer in the way of art and craft. Tucked away in a tiny corner of Malleswaram, one of Bangalore's most exclusive residential locales, lies this glowing tribute to the artistry and imagination of the thousands of India's unsung craftsmen. INDUS TREE. It's the garden city's trendiest shopping place. And with good reason. Started by an enterprising trio of - one can only call them ladies - Indus Tree is a pleasant and welcome addition to our fair (?) town.
Neelam and Poonam are both designers from the prestigious NID(no lack of talent here I assure you) and Geeta - the MD has been a voluntary worker with tribal groups and their like for years. Pooling their resources, they have brought hope for discerning shoppers in Bangalore. Sourcing their material from NGO's and co-operative groups they have come up with surprising - and stunning - results.
In a corner of the shop is a huge stand. Filled with goblets and jugs and glasses and bowls and decanters... of exquisite design. And colours that reflect the rainbow. Burnished orange, emerald greens, sea blue, brilliant magenta...each transluscent and reflecting light with poetic beauty. Or if fabric is your thing...feast your eyes on chikan work curtains, tie and die slip covers - in authentic vegetable dyes, in colours you'd never imagine. Plus an array of wicker and inlay furniture that breathe the essence of India. Add to all this a collection of lace furnishings( hand woven ofcourse), carpets, household utility articles, paper mache bowls, stuffed toys made from jute string and colored cotton...and suddenly you're prouder than ever of your Glorious Indian heritage.
Indus Tree. Grab yourself a piece of authentic India. At an authentically Indian price. From Rs 35 onwards, Indus Tree offers a little something for every one. Keeping in tradition with the country whose colour and verve it echoes. A tribute to the skill and talent of a countless number of Indians who tirelessly continue to keep our art and culture alive in this kaliedoscopic era.
