The Thursday Ladies Club in Besant Nagar organised a gala carnival recently that brought together several women from across the city who showcased their varied talent that was also a source of income for them. The revenue from stall bookings and sale of eatables were donated to charitable causes.
Held at the Adyar-Shastri Nagar Welfare Association's Community Hall in Shastri Nagar, the carnival had something of interest to everyone who flocked it over two days. There were stalls selling anything from bauble to intricate paintings. The food stalls, organised by the members of the ladies club themselves, was a big draw.
The celebration got off to a colourful start with Chandra Lakshman, film and TV artist, cutting the ribbon. She went round the stalls and congratulated the club members for their impressive show.
Aparna Srinivasan, an expert in parchment craft, had a stall that displayed her personalised gift items such as greeting cards, book marks, gift boxes and special photo frames, besides her paintings. Seetha Nagarajan showcased jewels procured from Surat, Jaipur and Mumbai. K.S. Lakshmi was selling saris, dress materials and tops brought from Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa. Usha Sivaramakrishnan sold jute bags which she makes in her own manufacturing unit in Thiruvanmiyur. ISKCON had a stall selling agarbathis and photos of idols. Differently-abled persons from Nandini Voice for the Deprived showcased the handicraft items that they had made themselves.
K. Narasimhalu, who is affected by Cerebral Palsy and who draws with his foot, displayed his creations that included paintings and greeting cards. Beside him were two girls from the Andhra Mahila Sabha selling articles made by physically challenged girls and mentally challenged boys at AMS. The items included embroidered hand kerchiefs, hand-made greeting cards and pen stands.
In the food stalls section, manned by the club members, halwa, vadai, dosa, chappatis and bhel puri sold like hot cakes. All the food stuff at the stalls were prepared by the members themselves, said Savithri Kalidas, secretary of the club. Revathy, joint secretary, said that Rs. 50,000 was donated to the Good Will Foundation that takes care of visually challenged girls and Rs. 10,000 to the Kanchi Kamakoti Sankara Medical Trust in Besant Nagar. Mythili Rajendran, Deputy Secretary, Industries Department, and Dr. Mythili Bhaskar, former Dean of Stanley Medical College and presently Registrar of Savitha University were the chief guests on the second day. They handed over the donations to representatives of the two organisations.
“Besides this, we also fund certain projects throughout the year such as donating provisions to Anbu Karangal, Andhra Mahila Sabha and Kaakum Karangal,” Mrs. Revathy said. The club also sponsors the education of four girls in Avvai Home.
