AVNI VARIA

Avani Varia admires the rich heritage of arts and crafts in her home country. She aspires to start and manage collaborative projects (National and International) with education, research, design, and tourism to safeguard Heritage and Arts along with sustainable income generation. An ideal inspiration is to work for international projects that represent India to the world via Arts, Design & Culture. Born in Varia community traditional potters in Gujarat, it is where she gets a sense of aesthetics and a love for arts and crafts..

What is your favourite word?
Eternal Nomad. If somebody would just sit down and observe my journey for the last 25 years, they'd say I am going nowhere. I, however, know where my life is heading. As an example, the Charkha results from my love for traditional handcraft skill. Be it any craft, I have learned it myself. I am very particular about studying a skill /art thoroughly before passing it on. But with the bigger picture, I do not want to settle down. I want to be an eternal nomad - travel the world and continue learning.

What was the moment in your life that made you Blossom into the person you are today?
As a child, I was distinctly shy. I mostly kept to myself. When I joined design school, I realized everyone had friends except me. I had no friends until then. That was when I started to understand myself better, identified the barriers, and started breaking them. I'd look at a group of people, pick out the ones I would like to be friends with, and strike a conversation. It was one of my first life experiments. I believe a lot of my blockades come with life experiences I've had. However, through self-awareness one can challenge and break them easily. This realization helped me become the person I am today and I am still working on myself. Ever since, I have travelled widely without being trapped in an identity cage. Only been exploring more that life has to offer.

What would you want the young boys & girls to learn from your journey?
Utilise your body. Use your hands. Be more observant. We often end up being more analytical than being experiential. My very idea of starting the Charkha project was to encourage people to use their hands, bring alignment of body and mind through this activity rather than it just being a Gandhian concept. It is scientifically proven that when you use both hands simultaneously while operating the Charkha, both sides of your brain gets activated. You feel blissful when you focus and get into a meditative state of mind. Technology and social media are essential, whereas nothing like the energy that derives when you work with your hands and feel the world, rather than just seeing the world.