GIVING BACK: UTSAV 2017
- 26 Oct 2017
- Sunaya
- Features
The designer exhibition at Cochin is quickly becoming the talk of the town for its firm stand on charity
We’ve all wanted to do our bit for society. My earliest memory of giving back is as a toddler, where my mother counted a few bills from her purse strings and placed them in my tiny palms for the occasional offering bag being passed around during church processions.
Whether it was religion that taught us to be selfless for the benefit of one’s soul, or our dear grandparents who imbibed in us the values of sharing, the idea of charitable giving instills a sense of inner peace in all of us. And that sense of selfless giving is exactly what a troop of committed women from Kottayam have been striving for since 1993.
A non-profit organisation serving the needy, the 1,100-membered Kottayam Ladies Circle No. 48 (KLC48) engage in multiple charitable activities, supporting key issues related to education, health and sanitation, and women and children empowerment, to name a few.
One of their most widely publicised outreach activities includes their annual fundraiser – UTSAV. Held at the Mammen Mappillai Hall in Kottayam on October 25 and 26, and The Centre Hotel Kochi on the October 28 this year, the 12 year old designer shopping festival ropes in big names from all across the country to support a common cause, proving to be a calendar event for attendees in both Kottayam and Kochi.
UTSAV still enjoys the first mover’s advantage and primarily brings in weavers and designers from outside the state to ensure exclusive pieces for all buyers. With established publications such as the Malayala Manorama and English Dailies to fall back to, the exhibition is shaping up to be the ideal platform for its shoppers (hailing from all round the state) to participate in charitable projects in and around the city.
Text: Aiswarya John
