COLLAGE : Interview with Sally Holkar of WomenWeave Charitable Trust

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Wednesday, 02nd October
COLLAGE : Interview with Sally Holkar of WomenWeav...

CLICK ON THE GOLD ARROW BELOW FOR A MAHESHWAR, INDIA TRAVEL GUIDE

SALLY HOLKAR SHARES HER NOMAD-CHIC LIFE:

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
I am inspired by color and texture. By smiles. By hard work and intelligent decisions. By watching young weavers develop into Business Weavers through The Handloom School, one of our major projects. Kindness, sharing, laughing, good food and projects that benefit the marginalized people of this world inspire me.

HOW DO YOU CHANNEL YOUR NOMAD SELF AT HOME?
At home, I am perhaps more a nomad than anywhere else in the world. My own home, on the banks of the Narmada River, has only a few token walls, no doors or windows, and is open to all birds, chipmunks and other creatures that might wish to wander through. I walk, I swim, and I stay in touch with the world through the Internet. I have select house (or, in this case, un-house) guests. And almost everyday someone from somewhere else in the world wanders through our center to see the women weave and admire their textiles.

WHAT IS THE BEST TRAVEL EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE EVER HAD?
I have crossed the Pacific in a yacht for six months, driven from London to India in a Range Rover, been on safari in Africa, wandered all over the Himalayas, scuba dived the most beautiful waters of the world, criss-crossed India in all manner of vehicles, and collected recipes in many princely palaces.It's hard to say which has been the best experience. I think perhaps driving about in a convoy of Jeeps, all over '70's India, brought the most intriguing encounters, and gave me a window on a world that no longer exists.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU GIVE WOMEN TRAVELLERS?
Think of yourself as a traveller, not a woman traveller. Try not to have dinner alone. It’s very lonely. Better to have an early supper at a crowded, lively cafe, over a great glass of wine, as you watch the world go by. Walk as much as you can- that's the way to see things. Ignore the comments and glances.

2014