16th Yellow Ribbon NGO fair in Pune

Pune, 2nd October 2023: Pune’s annual festival is back, for the 16th time in a row from from 5th – 9th October. The evergreen Yellow Ribbon NGO Fair organised by Ishanya Foundation at Pune’s first lifestyle destination, Creaticity ( formerly Ishanya) is back to signal that Pune’s Festive Shopping Season is now open!!

YRNF as everyone calls it is a five day carnival which has exhibitors that include Weavers, Artisans and Farmers from NGOs, SHGs and Social Enterprises from the length and breadth of India. Besides Maharashtra the participants travel from Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal, Telangana, Orrisa, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar to our cultural capital Pune.

The wide range of products includes handmade, natural, organic, upcycled, recycled, eco-friendly goods for the fashionable and health conscious people of Pune and beyond. While shopping, a chat with these exhibitors will amaze you, one can get to know more about some of the traditional weaving and handicraft techniques, organic farming, making of A2 ghee & natural and pure honey, advantages of cooking and eating from cookware/serveware made from clay, wood or metal as well as the benefits of upcycling, recycling and sustainability. Product categories are many, festive décor, artifacts, totes, clutches, fabrics, sarees, dresses, chaniya choli, cookware and serve ware (clay, brass, kaasa, wood & iron), fashion jewellery, pure honey, organic jaggery, A2 ghee, dry fruits, farm fresh vegetables, millets, spices, pickles, snacks, the list goes on ,the 150 stalls will satisfy the festive shopper’s appetite.( including authentic Maharashtrian delicacies).

There is something for all ages and all walks of life. Homemakers, service professionals, business owners everyone will find something that they need at the YRNF. Be it for individual and corporate gifting, families or friends,festive shopping will be on full display at this 25,000 sqft indoor/outdoor fair.

Mrs.Parul Mehta, Trustee , Ishanya Foundation said that ‘This year’s theme – ‘Shop2Care Shop2Share’ is a warm and cheerful call to all of Pune to visit the 16th Yellow Ribbon NGO fair at Creaticity, encourage the various NGOs by shopping , thereby caring and bringing smiles to several hundred families during these festive times, and of course ,do enjoy your shopping with lots of fun and happiness’

Ishanya Foundation which organizes the fair every year aims to
• Revive and showcase our traditional , yet slowly fading arts and handmade methods.
• Promote sustainable and eco-friendly manufacturing techniques for upcycled, recycled and bio-degradable products
• Enable and encourage earnings of several NGOs, SHGs, Farmers, Social Enterprises, Artisans and Weavers.

The 16th YRNF is a shopper’s delight. Fun, excitement and festivity will be in the air for 5 days from 5th – 9th October. There are hourly lucky draws, children’s play activities and plenty of action throughout. Once done with the shopping our customers can enjoy authentic local food delicacies such as Puran Poli, Thalipeeth, Baigan Bharta, Pithala Bhakri, Tava Pullao, Millet rotis, at the adjoining exclusive food-court.

Yellow Ribbon Fair promises to be a lovely day out with family and friends.The joy of shopping and caring is guaranteed at this 5 day fair, being held at Creaticity Mall( formerly Ishanya),oppGolf course,Yerawada,Pune.

Close of draft.

TESTIMONIALS:
Some of the featured NGOs at the fair and their specialities:
1. Pammi Chikankari, Lucknow – Mr. Hyder
• 4th generation award winning artisans of Chikankari craft.
• Every piece has PURE hand embroidery made with concentration, precision and above all out of love for the craft
• Each kurta requires over 3 months and 8 to 9 different people at different stages of its making!
• Products are sold all over the world

2. Saath Foundation – Tangalia & Rajkot Patola, Surendranagar, Gujarat -(Bela Joshi)
• Patola weave is a 900 years old art and Tangalia is a 700 years old art
• Saath Foundation helps these dying arts by extending support to the weavers in sourcing raw materials at competitive prices, product innovation and finding new markets for improving sales.

3. Kapileshwar Mohanto, Kotpad Thann Fabric, Orrisa – 9937654014 (Mohanto)
• It is an ancestral art. Even today it is made using traditional techniques
• Made by tribals on traditional wooden looms
• Fabric goes through a tedious production process using cow dung, oil and natural dyes

4. Pabiben, Kutchi embroidered bags and gifting articles, Kutch Gujarat –(Nilesh Priyadarshi)
• Pabiben a Rabari lady is the first women artisan to introduce her own brand in the country
• 300 plus nomadic Rabari tribal women from Kutch, Gujarat earn their livelihood through this initiative.
• Winner of over 30 State, National and International awards and participant in KBC and Shark Tank, India
• Pabibags have also featured in Bollywood and Hollywood movies

5. ReCharkha, Recycled Lifestyle products – (Amita)
• They create livelihood opportunities for tribal Women and Youth, as they manually weave fabric from Waste Plastic using a traditional CHARKHA (Spindle) and HANDLOOM.
• The fabric is then used to make consumer products such as handbags, fashion accessories, office utilities and home décor products.
• Their present focus is to resolve the issue of waste management, particularly that of the non-biodegradable and difficult-to-recycle plastic waste.

6. Seva Nidhi Trust – Project 1000, Handcrafted lifestyle products, Maharashtra – (Ritu Saraf)
• PROJECT 1000 is a social enterprise based in rural India to inspire and empower backcountry women to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams and unlock their full potential with an aim that every women earns Rs 1000 a day.
• Innovative lifestyle products are handcrafted through creative upcycling
• Weavers only use natural and functional fabrics to create luxurious home furnishings and fashion accessories.
• The manufacturing process is zero carbon emission and environmentally friendly using traditional techniques like weaving on wooden looms, crochet and macrame.
• All products are made with sustainability as the end goal. Manufacturing process generates Zero water, air and noise pollution, zero use of non-renewable energy, zero plastic, zero wastage and both product and packaging are bio-degradable

7. Sabang Mat Centre, Chattais, Yoga mats, Coasters, Table Mats etc, West Bengal – (Mr. Chandan)
• All their products are made using Risobium grass that is left over after bigger mats are made from tall grass by others.
• Grass is coloured using local plants and tress as dyes
• Supports several local women earn livelihood
• Supplied 20,000 yoga mats on International Yoga Day to New Delhi

8. Acacia Wood – Kitchen & Dining, West Bengal – (Ashish Das)
• All products are made from Neem wood and polished with mustard oil
• Each product is made from single piece of wood (does not have any joints). Neem is also stronger than other wood (such as mango wood), hence, these products are more durable.
• No colour or chemicals are used
• Products are eco-friendly since the wood is procured from trees that fall due to natural disaster or are felled for infrastructure projects

9. Kaansyam, Kitchen and Dining, Hyderabad – (Dr Diptimayee Das)
• They make hand hammered Brass (Pital) cookware and Kaasa serve ware
• When hot food is cooked/served in Steel, Aluminium, Non-stick, Melamine, Ceramic or Plastic containers there is always a chemical reaction that makes the food unhealthy
• Cooking in Brass and eating in Kaasa utensils boosts immunity and balances the three doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha)
• Thus, as a healthy living option and to revive a dying art, after considerable research Dr Diptimayee Das has sourced handmade metal cookware and serveware from artisans in Orrisa.

10. Maati Gramin Kala Kendra, Rajasthan – Raftar Singh
• They are into Pottery since many generations.
• Entire family works here, they do not need to employ any outsider
• All products (Pots, pans, glasses, jugs, cookware, etc.) are made with organic clay.
• They are based in a small village in Rajasthan away from factories and chemicals. They use fresh water, free of chemicals. Hence the clay is free of pollution and chemical toxins which makes it safe for cooking and dining purposes.
• Since they do not own a retail store the only source of sales is participation in exhibitions.

11. Samruddhi Agro, Millets and cold pressed oils – 9404327853 (Phadtare)
• They sell ready to eat foods made from millets such as Jowar, Ragi & Bajri
• Their products are gluten free, residue free and free of harmful micro-organisms
• Winner of several awards, products are exported all across the world – USA, Dubai, South Africa to name a few
• They have different types of cold pressed oil sourced from farmers across Maharashtra

12. Saarvay, Organic jaggery, Pune –(Madhavi)
• This is the first wholly women operated jaggery plant in the country
• They make 100% chemical and preservative free Jaggery powder
• Instead of chemical they using herbal products such as herbal lime and okra juice to make jaggery from organic sugarcane
• A unique technology is used to maintain hygiene and nutrition value while make jaggery powder from jaggery blocks

13. Phogat Bee Aphiary, Organic Honey, Haryana –(Phogat)
• They make 100% Pure Honey. It has no preservatives or additives.
• They have won several awards at State and National level
• Ten varieties of honey are available, each with a unique health benefit.
• The medicinal properties of their honey supports healing of liver ailments, common cough and cold, controlling diabetes, getting better immunity and more.
• They employ local women farmers for processing, packaging.
• Some honey varieties – Tulsi, Mustard, Ajwain, Jamun, Litchi, Sesame, Multi Flora…

The fair is open from 11.00 am to 9 pm from 5th to 9th Oct 2023.

Head to the Yellow Ribbon NGO fair at Creaticity, Pune’s own creative living campus, home to over 100 national and international furniture/furnishing brands, a delightful range of Restaurants and cuisines, children’s activity centre and plenty more. Take home warm memories and the joy of shopping for a cause.