DAY 3
Day three began with an insanely early start to the morning and headed towards our next destination minutes after finishing another delicious breakfast at the Taj President. Our whole experience has been extremely rich, especially in regards to the sheer number and variety of people we have already been able to meet. This is something I am very aware would not have been possible on a usual student trip to India.
Upon our arrival at Village Dhanivali (where TechnoCraft industries is based) we were blessed with rice grains and given red Tika's (a dot of paint between the eyebrows) as well as a single primrose flower. Already having noticed the welcoming nature of the locals we had encountered, this blessing was still a very touching surprise. I later learnt that the Tika is the most traditional form of welcome that celebrates the guest in a similar manner as a god. A variety of flowers could be given in greeting but the rose was considered the freshest. (I currently have this flower pressed between 2 of the books I bought so hopefully it'll last the trip).
We were given a three hour, in depth tour and explanation of the factory machinery, the processes that the cotton goes through and reasoning why. The tour began with 2 expansive rooms full to the ceiling with huge bags of raw cotton. Walking around the insides of the factory, we were surprised that neither shoes nor face masks were compulsory for the workers. Used to the cool and wet of Scotland, the sheer heat and humidity that existed inside the buildings left the majority of us feeling very faint by the time lunch time rolled around. We were led through rooms where cotton was sorted, cleaned, twisted and pulled multiple times into yarn, then material, and finally the clothes themselves. We were also shown the material testing rooms where the cotton is weighed and tested for strength and durability. The most recent project of TechnoCraft Industries is a method of dyeing threads so that more complex and fashion conscious fabrics could be manufactured within the factory walls and we were lucky enough to see samples of materials that this new dyeing process would be able to produce.
The encouragement to enjoy mangoes and watermelon slices with salt and pepper came as a shock but even more surprising was the discovery that it was really, really good. The lady who told us to try it was thrilled when a number of us returned for seconds. Being the hottest day of the trek so far (well over 30 degrees!) the fruit was a refreshing must have, made all the more better with the seasoning.
After lunch we were treated to a Q and A session with key founding members of TechnoCraft Industries which was recorded and should be available for your viewing pleasure soon!
