For the Love of Handicrafts

by Sharanya Lyer

For the Love of Handicrafts

by Sharanya Lyer

因为热爱，因为珍惜，女孩娜塔莎辞掉了本可以给予她安定生活的工作，自己开了一家别致的小店。想知道她的店里有什么？走，一起去看看吧！

Natasha started a store years ago, which was a result of her love for travel and exploration. The store is a unique1)enterpriseto bring out some of the2)orientaland3)indigenouswork of the4)artisansfrom this vast Indian5)subcontinent.

At times when Gucci and Versace are6)reigningover the fashion industry, Natasha finds her very own artisans and weavers who have been left handicapped with the fad for these products. The store aims at7)revivingand patronizing these oriental treasures coming from remote parts of the country.

Natasha noticed her skill for some8)exquisitehandicrafts while she travelled across the country, and when she came back, these handicrafts were largely appreciated by her friends, so she started the store.

This9)remarkablestore has over 1000 precious handcrafted products, which includes bags,10)hand-woven11)sarees, indo-western clothes,12)antiques, masks and ethnic jewelry, and lots more. Interestingly, each of these products has a story behind it, from its origin to the land it belongs to. Through this venture, Natasha wishes to bring out these crafts that are made in the remote areas of our country, which otherwise aren’t noticed.

Natasha works with artisans from various parts of the country. She says, “I think I’m the only13)retailerwho feels sad to have my products sold! Here, each handicraft has its own story and I carefully14)handpickeach of them. Each of them are so unique and one of a kind indeed, hence I grow attached to them.”

Not only does the store aim to provide a unique and secure experience for its customers, it also collaborates with other designers and artisans who wish to list their products with them. “This is my endeavor in preserving and promoting these indigenous handicrafts that we have in our country and making it accessible to people all over the world. I often find some of these precious products in15)flea marketsand at throw away prices in some parts of the country,” she says. But after quitting a corporate job and starting her own venture, this lets Natasha travel, explore and dig deep into these oriental crafts and all that she is passionate about!

多年前，娜塔莎出于对旅行和探索的热爱开了一家小店。这家小店十分独特，它所售卖的是来自这个辽阔的印度次大陆的工匠们所制作的具有东方和本土特色的工艺品。

当古驰和范思哲开始占领时尚产业时，娜塔莎找到了那些因这股时尚热潮而被遗忘的手工业者和织布工们。她的小店旨在振兴和保护那些来自国家偏远地区的东方珍品。

娜塔莎在周游全国的时候，她发现了自己有着制作精美手工艺品方面的才能。而在旅行结束后，她制作的手工艺品又获得了众多朋友的赞赏，于是她便开了这家店。

这家非同寻常的小店拥有超过1000件珍贵的手工作品，包括包包、手织纱丽服、印度西式服装、古玩、面具，以及民族饰品等诸如此类的东西。有趣的是，这些作品背后都有一个故事，从它的起源到它的原产地。娜塔莎作出这种大胆的尝试，是希望能够挖掘出更多本国偏远地区的工艺品，否则，根本难以会有人注意到它们。

娜塔莎正和来自全国各个不同地区的手工业者们一起工作。“我想我是唯一一个卖出了商品还会觉得难过的商家了吧！在这里，每个手工艺品都有自己的故事，它们也是我精挑细选出来的。它们每一件都是如此独特，事实上也是独一无二的，因此我是在依附着它们成长。”她说道。

这家小店不仅旨在为客户提供一种独特且安全的体验，它还与其他希望展示出自己作品的设计师和手工艺者们合作。“我正在努力地保护和宣传我们国家这些独特的本土手工艺品，并引领它们走向世界各地。我在跳蚤市场经常能找到些珍贵的手工艺品，但有些地区的人们会把它们贱卖掉，”她说。但在辞掉了在大企业的工作并开始自己创业后，娜塔莎得到了一个机会去旅行、探索和挖掘这些东方工艺品，以及所有她热爱的东西！

1) enterprise ['entəpraɪz] n. 商号，商店

2) oriental [,ɔːrɪ'entl] adj. 东方的

3) indigenous [ɪn'dɪdʒɪnəs] adj. 本土的

4) artisan ['αːtɪzæn] n. 工匠，技工

5) subcontinent [,sʌb'kɒntɪnənt] n. 次大陆

6) reign [reɪn] v. 盛行，支配

7) revive [rɪ'vaɪv] v. 使……再流行

8) exquisite ['ekskwɪzɪt] adj. 精致的，精美的

9) remarkable [rɪ'mαːkəbl] adj. 不同寻常的，非凡的

10) hand-woven 手工编的，手织的

11) saree ['sαːrɪ] n. 纱丽服

12) antique [æn'tiːk] n. 古董，古玩

13) retailer ['riːteɪlə] n. 零售商

14) handpick ['hænd'pɪk] v. 仔细挑选，精选

15) flea market 跳蚤市场

一切皆因热爱

翻译：常青