Day 14 - Around Jaipur

Today, we visited a textile factory that I didn’t expect to find interesting—but it turned out to be impressive. It’s not a typical factory; it’s part of a government-funded program aimed at reducing farmer suicides during droughts. Before the program, around 4,000 farmers had taken their lives, but since it started, that number has dropped to zero in four years. The manager, who has lived in Sydney since 96 spends three months a year back here to oversee it and expand it.

The factory helps local communities by teaching them to make carpets or do block printing, providing tools, equipment, and a guaranteed market for their textiles. It’s designed as a source of extra income rather than a replacement for farming. It reminded me of a ‘work-for-welfare’ model. They even produce camel-hair carpets and are working with the Northern Territory government to teach Indigenous communities to gather camel hair—generating income by catching and releasing camels after shearing.

We couldn’t resist buying a carpet runner; it was about a third of what we’d pay in Australia and is stain- and dirt-proof. They gave a great demo. We didn’t expect many sales from our tour, but around 20 people ended up buying rugs, some as large as 3m x 4m, with shipping to Australia included.

One room had bed sheets and clothing.
They also had a Sikh demonstrating wearing a Turban. He was very funny. They had high-quality, hand-block-printed cotton sheets at great prices. Naturally, we stocked up there too.

In the afternoon, we strolled back to the wine shop (more of a beer and spirits shop), enjoyed a few drinks, and returned to the hotel for a relaxing end to the day.”

Youtube video link
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