The Picnic

"Mom, please let me go for the school picnic!" 

It was her last year at school.

Mona was hopeful that her mother would finally give her the permission.

It was now or never.

"But, Mona, it's a place that you have already seen! Haven't we visited that tourist-spot so many times?" 

Mona didn't argue.

PHOTO PROMPT © Ted Strutz

She Bloomed And Glowed

The King was roaming around the streets like a commoner.

He saw the most exquisite beauty he had ever set his eyes upon.  

“Are you for real?”

Her delicate body glowed like a celestial-being. 

He fell in love.

She definitely was fit for a king.

How lovely his palace will look with her around! 

PHOTO PROMPT - David Stewart

Geographical Indications (GIs) of Odisha

First, here are some questions for you. Please answer them honestly.

Are we proud of our culture and heritage?

Many of us will answer in the positive.

Are we aware and interested to learn more about our native state and nation?

We may answer- "Of course!" and cross question- "Haven't we learned enough about this in school?"

Do we know about Geographical Indications (GI) of our state and country?

Many have perhaps never heard this term before, and do not know what it means.

And, no, this is not taught in schools.

How many GIs of Odisha can you spot on the cover?

It feels great to share the cover of my first #eBook -
"Geographical Indications (GIs) of Odisha".
My eBook will be released on 25 May, 2020 during #BlogchatterEBook Carnival @blogchatter site.

Can you identify the #GIs on cover? #OdishaGI #GIsofIndia #KnowYourGI #COMINGSOON pic.twitter.com/aNgnASwacB

— anitaexplorer (@anitaexplorer) May 20, 2020

Next Talent

The crowd was getting impatient.

People had come from far to witness their home-grown band 'Next Talent' that had achieved much success. 

Pappu and Team were also waiting. 

The organizers invited them and had a word with them.

They were soon on stage giving their performance. 

PHOTO PROMPT - CEAyr

Zealously Use And Promote Geographical Indications #OdishaGI #GIsofIndia

The previous post - YES To Geographical Indications; NO to Fake Products, and the present one- Zealously Use And Promote Geographical Indications, both stress on saying yes and using and promoting authentic GI products. (And avoiding the fake products.)

Know About GIs

How can we zealously use and promote Geographical Indications if we have no idea what they are or are clueless about their existence?

How can we acknowledge someone or something when we are not aware of their presence? 

First, we need to know about them, learn about their importance, and be in a position to understand how and why they are worthy to deserve our acknowledgement and praise.

We need to read and learn about them from reliable sources (as there is a lot of misinformation and fake news.)

Do you know how many GI products does your district or state have? What are they? 

Time to find out.

GIs of Odisha

YES To Geographical Indications; NO To Fake Products #OdishaGI #GIsofIndia

A Geographical Indication (GI) is an agricultural, natural or a manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory.

GI is an Intellectual Property Right (IPR) that is a community right.

An agricultural, natural or a manufactured cultural product is awarded this GI tag to protect manufacturers/producers, who produce these unique and genuine products. GI products have brand value in the domestic and international markets.

GI tag ensures-

ü  Legal protection 

ü  Brand-awareness

ü  Brand-recall

ü  Research & documentation

ü  Reputation for the region/state

ü  Premium pricing

ü  Additional business with extra demand

ü  Increase in sales and exports

ü  Economic prosperity of producers

We must say YES to GI products, but NO to fake products. 

As the GI products are so popular and much in demand, some traders copy thename of the GI and the  attractive designs. One can find many such fabrics and sarees masquerading as Banaras silk, Kalamkari, Chanderi, Sambalpuri Bandha, Khandua etc. in the market.

Sambalpuri Saree has got GI, but designs r copied by Rajasthan & Gujarat mill-owners.#protect #Odisha #weavers #IPR@otvnews has highlighted.
Quick action & heavy penalty agnst wrongdoers reqd. Confiscate illegal products.
Why duplicate sarees available in market? @smritiirani pic.twitter.com/7ijVPbX3T5

— anitaexplorer (@anitaexplorer) May 6, 2018

The distinctive patterns are copied and "printed" on cotton sarees. Then, such machine-made, fake sarees/fabrics/bedsheets that are not handwoven, are sold at low prices like Rs 350-600 (i.e. about 1/10th to 1/20th of the price), while the original handloom saree price starts from Rs 3500-Rs 7000 depending on the material, whether cotton or silk.

Here is an example- The lady in this photograph is wearing a printed cotton saree that has the copied Bomkai design. Bomkai Saree And Fabrics is a GI. But, those who do not know about this, will not understand.
The brand is "Bharat Vijaya". And this is not the only brand.
This writer has clicked scores of pictures of other GI designs too...
Why should they copy traditional designs of sarees that are GIs and legally protected?

Pipli Applique Work #OdishaGI #KnowYourGI #GIsofIndia

Have you seen such applique work wall-hangings before?

Pipli Applique Work Image courtesy

This is the Pipli Applique Work, a handicraft of Odisha, India.

Pipli Applique Work has earned the Geographical Indication (GI) Tag in 2008, and can be found all over the world.
However, many are not aware of its place of origin. 

Araku Valley Arabica Coffee #OdishaGI #GIsofIndia #KnowYourGI

We start with a quiz question.

Have you heard of Araku Valley?

It is a picturesque valley near Vishakhapatnam (Vizag) of Andhra Pradesh (AP). A simple Google search gives up many results about this place in "AP".

A special variety of coffee is grown in this valley.

Coffee Board of India had applied for the Geographical Indication (GI) tag of "Araku Valley Arabica Coffee." 

However, apart from Andhra Pradesh, parts of Odisha too were included in the same application. 

Registered Proprietors And Authorised Users of Geographical Indications (GIs) #OdishaGI #KnowYourGI

A Geographical Indication certificate/tag is used to identify goods having unique or special characteristics and originating from a definite geographical area.

In December 1999, Parliament passed the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act 1999. This Act seeks to provide for the registration and protection of Geographical Indications relating to goods in India. This Act is administered by the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks, who is the Registrar of Geographical Indications. The Geographical Indications Registry is located at Chennai.

About Geographical Indication (GI)

GI is an indication that:

·  Is used to identify agricultural, natural, or manufactured goods originating in a specific area,

·  Originates from a definite territory in India (or world),

·  Has a special quality or characteristics unique to the geographical indication.

Sambalpuri Bandha Saree - GI of Odisha, India

Some examples of Geographical Indications of India:

Darjeeling Tea, Basmati Rice, Sambalpuri Bandha Saree & Fabrics, Nagpur Orange, Odisha Rasagola etc.

Those Were The Days

Richi was showing her photographs to her grandchildren.

They saw many people were sitting and eating. The younger version of their grandmother was also there.

"Now where is this place? Looks like you are celebrating your birthday!" 

"These places are called 'restaurants'. When I was young, we used to have many such places to hang-out and enjoy food and drinks."

PHOTO PROMPT - Dale Rogerson

The kids looked at one another.