"Great art picks up where nature ends."
- Marc Chagall
This workshop will teach you the delightful art of making jewellery out of natural materials such as seeds and grasses found all around us. You will learn from our in-house Santhal tribal artist and medicine-man how to make beautiful artwork, either for gifts or for your own use. And all that while you immerse in Dularia's rich and vibrant natural surroundings and tribal foods and culture.
THIS WORKSHOP IS MEANT FOR YOU IF…
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YOU LOVE TO CREATE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL FROM NATURE
YOU ENJOY HANDS-ON LEARNING
You want to learn the art of jewellery-making using 100% natural materials. You'd love to create diverse works of art that you can wear yourself or give away as gifts.
YOU LOVE IMMERSING IN NATURE AND WITH AN INDIGENOUS TRIBAL CULTURE
You enjoy learning-by-doing in a group, while being guided by an experienced artist who has dedicated many years to practicing the art of natural jewellery-making and is keen to pass his knowledge to you.
You thrive in the midst of nature, on a regenerative farm with natural buildings, and you would love to immerse in a nature-connected tribal culture, their food and ways of living.
MEET YOUR TEACHER
Sona Murmu is a Santhal tribal artist who is an expert in natural jewellery-making from seeds and grasses that he collects from his village surroundings. He is multi-talented and is a very capable wood carver, natural builder, and a medicine man with a huge wealth of knowledge in medicinal herbs found all around us. As one of Dularia's entrepreneurs, he has traveled around India making and selling his natural jewellery.
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COMPONENTS OF OUR WORKSHOP
HANDS-ON JEWELLERY-MAKING
You'll learn the art of tribal jewellery-making in a step-wise fashion, starting with making the basic knots, and progressing to making more sophisticated items such as earrings, necklaces, pendants, and bangles. All materials and tools will be provided to you.
TRIBAL IMMERSION ACTIVITIES
In addition to jewellery-making, you'll be able to immerse in the Santhal tribal culture. You'll learn how to make plates and bowls out of Saal leaves and eat on them. You'll have a village walk and visit a one-of-a-kind Santhal tribal museum. You'll also enjoy many tribal delicacies cooked on woodfire and can participate in making them if you wish.
Sona Murmu was superb in teaching and explaining the processes of using dried grass, seeds, ropes and wires to make beautiful pieces of jewellery. We learnt many different knots and designs. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience, including stay in the beautiful Earthhome and eating nutritious food cooked on the woodfired stove using fresh vegetables from the garden. Here you can see me wearing the pendant I made. Thank you Dularia!
Ranu Dattagupta, retired school principal
Food & Accommodation
We have three options for accommodation:
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in our gorgeous Earthhome (limited to four people on a first-come, first serve basis)
- in your own tent with own bedding pitched in the middle of our food forest. Shared showers and toilets are available on the premises.
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In any of the surrounding guest-houses. Two options are Panchabati Resort ( 850 m away from Dularia) or Khoai Village Resort (2.7 km away from Dularia).
Meals consist of simple yet wholesome vegetarian food containing fresh vegetables and greens harvested from our farm, and often cooked on our wood-fired stove in the Santhal tribal tradition. We serve two big meals plus fruit, tea and snacks to keep you well-fed and energized for the tasks of the day.
DETAILS
DATES
​Dec 27- 29, 2024
Arrival is suggested on Dec 27 by 9 am latest, and departure is at 5 pm on Dec 29.
Last date for registration: Dec 20, 2024.
PARTICIPANTS
Min 6 - Max 10
Book your spot soon as limited places are available! This is an intimate workshop where you'll meet like-minded people and get plenty of one-on-one attention from the instructors.
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FEES
Tuition fees: INR 6,000/-
Includes materials required for making jewellery, excludes food & accommodation. To book your spot, a non-refundable deposit of INR 3,000/- will be required.
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Food: INR 2,700/-
Includes all meals. Vegetarian meals using local tribal and Bengali recipes will be prepared using organic ingredients from the farm.
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Accommodation:
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In your own tent with own bedding: 600/-
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In our Earthhome (only 4 spots available, first-come, first serve basis): 3,000/-
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In guesthouse outside Dularia: please enquire with them directly
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All inclusive prices, including food and accommodation:
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In your own tent: 12,300/-
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In our Earthhome: 14,700/-
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In guesthouse: 11,700/- plus guesthouse charges
DAILY SCHEDULE
8:00 - 8:30: Breakfast with tea/coffee.
8:30 - 12:30: Morning session. These sessions will cover the core content of the course. All content will be hands-on. Tea/coffee plus a snack will be served. ​
12:30 - 14:30: Lunch and personal time​
14:30 - 17:00: Afternoon session. These sessions will cover the core content of the course. All content will be hands-on. Afternoon tea & snacks will be served.
18:00 - 19: 00: Dinner
19:00 - 21:00: Bon-fire, songs, sharing, relaxation. Participation is completely optional.
WHERE WE'RE LOCATED
Dularia is located in a rural setting, just ten kilometers away from Shantiniketan, which has been recently recognised as a UNESCO world heritage site for its historical and cultural value. This makes it all the more attractive to visit Dularia and to take a few days extra to visit the surroundings.
HOW TO REACH US
The closest train stations to Dularia are Prantik and Bolpur stations, and the closest airport is Durgapur.
If you want to come by flight, you could fly into Kolkata airport, followed by either a train journey from Howrah/ Sealdah stations to Bolpur/Prantik stations, or take a 4-hour taxi ride directly to Dularia. Alternately, you could fly into Durgapur airport, followed by a 2-hour taxi ride to Dularia. Kolkata has several more flight options than Durgapur does, so both airports have their advantages/disadvantages.
If you want to arrive by train, you can come to Bolpur/Prantik stations, and then take an electric rickshaw (Toto) to Dularia. There are better and faster train connections to Durgapur train
Have questions? Contact Us
Contact Sharmishtha Dattagupta (WhatsApp): +91-9831404006, email: dulariatrust@gmail.com
