Friends of Mewar founder Padmaja Kuamri Parmar has conceptualized an exclusive stole design steeped in the beauty and traditions of Mewar in collaboration with Aavaran, an indigenous brand and craft platform founded by Alka Sharma in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India.

A hundred stoles featuring a design inspired by Gangaur, a multi-day Mewar festival that holds a special significance for women, will be distributed in the US along with the story of its development to support future women’s empowerment initiatives. The design depicts a Maharana and his court in traditional attire riding in a Gangaur boat on Lake Pichola as it heads towards the iconic City Palace. It further portrays the grandeur mood with motifs such as lotus flowers and pigeons, often found in abundance in the region.

The naturally dyed stoles are crafted in a textile factory in Udaipur that employs over 100 women artisans and supports more than 200 women across five independently run training and production centers in villages around Udaipur operated by Aavaran’s non-government organization COSVI Udaipur. At these centers, they undergo training in stitching, embroidery, button making, and other indigenous crafts like the revival and preservation of the local technique of Dabu. This mud-resist hand block printing traces its history back to Akola in the Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan, which also happens to be a former Mewar capital. The signature indigo blues are a unique testimony to the craft, representing sustainability while empowering the local artisans. Their work with other natural dyes in various fabrics, including traditional embroidery techniques, pays homage to India’s rich heritage, seamlessly blending with contemporary designs making Aavaran a hallmark of sustainable fashion and clothing.

This collaboration between Aavaran and Friends of Mewar is a result of a deep commitment to women’s economic empowerment by both teams to positively impact the lives of women and to further preserve the rich cultural heritage and art of Udaipur.

We strongly feel that education is the one thing every child in the world deserves. But it breaks our heart to know that more than 3 million children are living on the streets of India and about 50% of children still long for a school. Promoting education is the only answer.

Government Girls’ Senior Secondary School located in Jagdish Chowk, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India has close and emotional ties with the House of Mewar. When girls’ education was not a popular idea, and most girls grew up doing household work and getting married at a young age, Maharana Shambhu Singhji of Udaipur brought a wave of change. He took an unconventional step and constructed Maharana Girls High School in 1864 A.D. at Jadgish Chowk, Udaipur. Today, this school comes under the Directorate of Education, Government of Rajasthan, and is a place where 500 students learn with a dream of a better life.

Unfortunately over the years, the school’s classrooms, building, entrance, utilities, and laboratories were on their way to becoming ruins. The school no longer looked like a school, and due to the historical connection and the idea of empowering these girl students, we took on the task of upgrading the educational environment and infrastructure along with the help of the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation.

Thanks to your donations we successfully accomplished this project! We completed the conservation work of the school’s administrative block, restored the western open courtyard, developed a science and mathematics laboratory and advanced the learning facilities for the students all around.

If the thought of brightening a child’s future inspires you, you can help us build and aid more schools like Government Girls’ Senior Secondary School.