It is not known exactly when and how Ganesh Chaturthi was first celebrated. But according to the historian Shri Rajwade, the earliest Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations can be traced back to the times of the reigns of dynasties as Satavahana, Rashtrakuta and Chalukya. Historical files reveal that Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations were initiated in Maharashtra by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaja, the great Maratha ruler, to promote culture of nationalism; Shivaji – the ruler felt that people need to come together, hence he started the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi and it had continued ever since. Peshwas also celebrated the festival because they worshiped Lord Ganapati as their family deity. It is said that after the end of Peshwa rule, Ganesh Chaturthi remained a family affair in Maharashtra from the period of 1818 to 1892. People used to bring the Ganesh statues and celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi at home.

This festival is intrinsically connected to India’s freedom struggle. While Ganesh Chaturthi has been celebrated in Indian homes from time immemorial, it was Lokmanya Tilak who made this festival a public celebration. In 1893 he organized the first public Ganesh Chaturthi in order to create unity and awareness about the freedom struggle among the masses. Since then, it has become a hugely popular public festival while continuing to be a private family occasion as well. 1857 was a landmark year for India and more so in the context of Indian freedom. It was the year of Sepoy Mutiny, an armed rebellion against the ruling British Empire by the Indian soldiers. This was the first war that India waged to gain back her independence from her white rulers. Though unsuccessful, this battle marked the beginning of the Indian struggle for independence. Many orators, leaders and freedom fighters all over India teamed to put up a united resistance to the British domination. Greatly esteemed by the Indian people, especially of Maharashtra, Tilak was commonly referred to as “Lokmanya” or “he who is regarded by the people”. It was Tilak, who brought back the tradition of Ganesh Chaturthi and reshaped the annual Ganesh festival from private family celebrations into a grand public event.

Tilak saw how Lord Ganesha was worshipped by the upper section as well as the rank and file of India. The visionary in him realized the cultural importance of this deity and he popularised Ganesha Chaturthi as a National Festival. He did it with gaiety to bridge the gap between the Brahmins and the non-Brahmins and he found an appropriate context in which to build a new grassroots unity between them. He brought unity between the two layers of society as he recognized that it was the need of the hour to fight against the British in Maharashtra. He knew that India couldn’t fight her rulers until she solved the differences within her own. Hence, to unite all social classes Tilak chose Ganesha as a rallying point for Indian protest against British rule because of his wide appeal as “the god for Everyman”.

It was around 1893, during the budding stages of Indian nationalism, that Tilak began to organize the Ganesh Utsav as a social and religious function. He was the first to put in large public images of Ganesha in pavilions and establish the tradition of their immersion on the tenth day. The festival facilitated community participation and involvement in the form of learned discourses, dance dramas, poetry recital, musical concerts, debates, etc. It served as a meeting place for common people of all castes and communities, at a time when all social and political gatherings were forbidden by the British Empire for fear of conspiracies to be hatched against them. An important festival during the Peshwa era, Ganesha Chaturthi acquired at this time a more organized form all over India largely due to Lokmanya’s efforts.

Since then, Ganesh Chaturthi has been celebrated throughout Maharashtra as also in other states with great community enthusiasm and participation. With the independence of India in 1947, it was proclaimed to be a national festival.

Today, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in the states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and many other parts of India. The festival is elaborately celebrated and the preparations begin months in advance. Days before the actual worship, homes are cleaned and marquees erected at street corners to house the idols of the Lord. Elaborate arrangements are made for lighting, decoration, mirrors and flowers. The artisans who make the idols of Ganesh compete with each other to make bigger and better sculptures. The sizes of the relatively larger ones range anywhere from 10 meters to 30 meters in height. During the festival days, the Lord is worshipped with great devotion and prayer services are performed daily. The duration of the Lord’s stay varies from place to place; once the worship is complete, the statues are carried on decorated floats to be immersed in the sea after one, three, five, seven and ten days. Thousands of processions come together on the beaches to immerse the holy idols in the sea.

It is being celebrated with enthusiasm by Indians staying in the US, France, Dubai, Germany, Australia, UK and several other countries. The aartis, dhol-tasha performances and cultural programmes have brought together friends and families staying abroad. Lord Ganesh is most worshipped God by the Hindus and he is most adored one. He is called ‘Vighnaharta’ meaning he removes all obstacles and allows success in all endeavours.

May the blessings of Sri Ganesha always be upon you all! May He remove all the obstacles that stand in your path! May He give on you all material prosperity as well as liberation!

Marathi theatre has always been regarded as one of the most culturally rich theatre traditions in the country. Right from the 18^th century the Marathi theatre has been present. It seems King Patwardhan of Sangli requested novelist Vishnu Bhave to write an evocative play for entertaining his guests and Bhave wrote ‘Sita Swayamvar’ which was performed on November 5, 1843, in that princely state. It was inspired by Karnataka’s folk theatre form of Yakshagana.

The Marathi stage has evolved in Bombay (now Mumbai) because this city has always been a business city; it had the infrastructure and money which helped the formal performers to grow. Because of the majority Maharashtrian workers community in the city who lived in the chawls the free time was used to practice dramas, keertans, pravachans and powadas. The artists used to practice in whatever space was available to them; sometimes varandahs, staircases and the open grounds. Lavanis such as “Mumbai Nagari Badi Banka, Jashi Ravanachi dusari Lanka” by Patthe Bapurao and Annabhau Sathe’s “Mazi Mumbai, Arthat Muumbai Konachi” were super duper hits those days. People flocked to the theatres to watch these lavanis.

Maharashtra has had long theatrical tradition, one of its early references is found in cave inscriptions at Nashik. Marathi theatre started flourishing in the middle of the 19th century. It includes forms like Sangeet Natak (Musical drama), Tamasha (folk dance), Ekpatri prayog etc. It continues to have a marked presence in the State of Maharashtra. Marhathi theatre is not famous outside Maharashtra; maybe because Marathi as a language is quite difficult and a lot of stress is laid on the richness of the language by the writers; the gamut of Marathi dramas ranges from humorous social plays, farces, historical plays, musical, to experimental plays and serious drama. We have seen the likes of Annabhau Kirloskar, P. L. Deshpande, Vijay Tendulkar, and Mahesh Elkunchwar, Bhalaji Pendharkar, Raja Paranjape, Annabhu Sathe, Vinda Karandikar, Arun Sadhu, P. K. Atre, Daya Pawar etc who were known and are known even today for their par excellence.  But, there is one big problem in staging a drama and continuing it for long time. We find Marathi dramas live a short life span, though some of them have great content. They are forgotten easily. Perhaps it is because Maharashtra faces multiculturalism and therefore the Marathi theatre takes a backset. Most importantly, Marathi theatre faces many political and social undercurrents. There is a sea change in terms of quality and context which are changing like never before. The conditions today cannot be compared to the previous decade.

Marathi Theatre can be described as never-ending energy; live moments, live interaction, superb dialogues, and great backdrops of stage, superb background music scores, and a strong tradition of 150 years which can never die. Besides, Marathi dramas are sharp, witty and very rich in content. They make you think even hours after you’ve watched a show. Marathi theatre is evolving with newer ideas, newer concepts and much more experiments. The new breed of directors is experimenting with forms of theatre. No other place in India has so much of ‘commercial theatre’ like that in Maharashtra. If you have three movie shows in Plaza, the theatre bang opposite to it, Shivaji Mandir, has three shows of plays on the same day.

The various genres of Marathi scripts are also a reason for people to watch plays. Comedy, serious depiction of the society, political satires, musicals, romantic, tragedy, rags to riches stories and mission – it has it all. Marathi theatre fascinates its viewers with its large variety.

The cultural connection of Mumbai and Pune with its regional theatre shows that the stage is not dying, it is experimenting and it has long way to go. It has managed to carve a special niche and that’s reason enough to say that there’s plenty of hope for the art in the state of Maharashtra.

Both cinema and drama are based on story. Both drama and cinema depend primarily on performers who resent and communicate the story to the audience. A stage play or a screenplay is like reading a novel. Dramas are livelier and thrilling as you see the actor’s performance right in front. The audience can clap and applaud the actors on the stage. The actors also in response give their best dialogue delivery, voice modulation, gestures thus bringing in more energy in the theater. Drama is on the spot. There are not takes and retakes; it delivers effect on the spot therefore it connects with the viewers more honestly. Drama is more difficult for an actor.

Both drama and cinema share certain common features; they both use sets, props, costumes, music and other sound effects. Communication is the essence in both drama and cinema. Even in the silent era, films relied heavily on human speech that was understood through contextual instinct; a combination of gesture, facial expression, and lip reading; and inserts of printed, projected text. If a drama is dull or boring viewers crate a commotion whereas if a cinema is boring they simply walk out of the theatre. Bothe cinema and drama have their fan following. Everybody cannot enjoy drama; an audience that has been raised on films, do not enjoy dramas.

Marathi theatre has come a long way. While Gujarati, Hindi or English theatre is ‘merely weekend theatre’, catering to the thinking and upper class, Marathi theatre is all about the masses mainly because of the way it gets people to relate to the script. Mumbai and Pune are hubs of Marathi plays. In Mumbai and Pune, there are these niche classes of people who usually do not miss watching a play every week. Mumbai is the economic capital and Pune is the cultural capital of Maharashtra state. There are at least 15-20 theatres in Mumbai which host only Marathi plays right from Prabhadevi to Thane: Rabindra Natya Mandir, Shivaji Natya Mandir, Ranga Sharda, Dinanath, Gadkari Rangayatan and many more theatres are witness to the love Mumbaikars have for this art form. And in Pune: Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir, Tilak Smarak Mandir, Bharat Natya Mandir, Sudarshan Hall, Moreshwar Hall, Yashwantrao Chavan Natya Mandir etc are famous for Mrathi drama lovers. Mumbai and Pune showcase the love for performing art relatively much more, compared to other cities like Bangalore or New Delhi which relatively have fewer auditoriums.

The amount of theatre that is being done on the commercial as well as parallel stage in Marathi cannot be compared to any other regional theatre today. It is facing some technical, political and financial problems today, which I am sure, will be sorted out sooner or later. The Marathi theatre scene is the most happening in the whole of India.

Malshej ghat is about 154 km from Mumbai situated in Pune district. Malshej is near Ahmednagar also. But in Mumbai from Kalyan station it can be reached in 1.5 hrs by road via NH3 to Bhiwandi and turn towards Murbad or take state highway via Kalyan, Murbad, Saralgaon and Vaishakhare. From Pune you need to take Pune-Nashik highway (NH-50) to Alephata and turn left on Kalyan-Ahmednagar Highway (SH-222) drive towards Kalyan.

The breathtaking site is snuggled in the lofty rugged hills of the Western Ghats. It is a home to avian population such as quails, rails, crakes, flamingos and cuckoos. The Month of December marks the start of winter season in Malshej Ghat. Temperature ranges between 12°C to 30°C. And the winter lasts till end of February. This mountain pass has a divine clam. You will see shades of green, brown, blues due to variety of flora and fauna. The brightness of the site and the hilly terrain makes it an attractive trekking site too. It’s a superb site for hikers and trekkers. Malshej Ghat offers the trekkers a variety and number of fascinating offshoots of treks because of the breezy ambiance surrounded by dense forest; it offers challenges to daring trekkers to move through the most beautiful places around the pass. It is the perfect place to explore the peaks of hills and the dense forests of the hill station through rock climbing and trekking in winter. The wintery afternoons are simply pleasant to soak in the sunlight.

Malshej ghat is gifted with a range of mountains, waterfalls, hills and forests which as a result provides you with many places to do adventure sport and trekking. Places like the Darkoba peak, Nane ghat, Ajoba hill fort, Jivdhan chawand fort are the favorite spots for trekkers and attracts the travelers and the tourists. However 2 places you should never miss are Harishchandragadh and Nane ghat.

It is one of the most famous sites in rainy season for the fascinating rainfalls. A sightseeing tour of Malshej Ghat is particularly recommended during the monsoons when the falls become more turbulent and the gushing showers rain freshen the tress, the paths, everything in sight. If you like the falling water currents stand under some of the waterfalls; the fresh flowing unpolluted water sprays will energize you for sure. Trek into the forest surrounding Malshej Ghat which boaster verity of dense, tall stately trees, which are an amazing sight to behold. What makes Malshej attractive? It’s a nice view of valleys. The view from behind the MTDC resort is a must-see.

In the rainy seasons Harishchandragadh is a beautiful spot which consists of a wide range of waterfalls in the hilly regions. Nane ghat has its own distinct beauty to offer in different seasons. In summer and winter, when there are no clouds, the view is totally soothing and has a dreamlike experience of passing through it and the view is really captivating. Those who are spiritually inclined can take the route from the Ozar and Lenyadri where you will find two swaymbhu Ganeshas namely Ozar and Lenyadri – both are included in the Ashthavinayaka temples. Swayambhu means “self-manifested” or that which is created in its own form.

The dense forest surrounding Malshej is home to tigers, leopards, rabbits and peacocks etc. The birthplace of legendary Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Shivneri Fort is not very far from Malshej Ghat; it’s hardly 40 kms from the place. Malshej is called the Prince of Shyadri mountain range. You should visit it to find why it is called the Prince.

The year is ending – take a short trip to Malshej to feel rejuvenated.

Last week I saw the movie Dr. Prakash baba Amte – The Real Hero starring Nana Patekar, Sonali Kulkarni & Mohan Agashe in lead roles. The Marathi film is a biopic based on the life of Dr. Prakash Amte – son of Baba Amte. The movie shows stark realities of lives of advasis – the Madia tribe from Gadchiroli district. The movie shows Dr. Prakash Apte, his wife Dr. Mandakini Amte and his colleague’s limitless struggle with the naive Madia tribal, struggle with wild animals, struggle with Naxalites and corrupt government officials for bringing in the basic requirements for the existence of the tribal people. Many scenes in the movie are chilling. The Amtes (Prakash and Mandakini) are oblivious of their destination in life. They see the pathetic conditions of the advasis who live like animals. In fact, the tribal people don’t even know that they are human. Both husband and wife decide to make Hemalkasa their home, they live with the Madia tribe people serving them.

The movie shows journey of the husband and wife doctor couple. It portrays their understanding, their thinking, and their similar aims and objectives while supporting each other. Both have forgone money, status, careers etc living in the deep jungle amongst most pathetic conditions. The movie shows both Dr.Amtes and their colleagues accepting life as it comes; all of them devoted to shaping the lives of the tribal people. Dr. Prakash Amte has been shown doing gynecology and ophthalmology operations. Dr.Amte uses his knowledge and reading to help patients in dire need of medical help. While watching the movie one thinks today’s medical world is highly clichéd.  The medical specialization has created a situation of “too many cooks in the kitchen”. Today’s academic medical centers are full of specialty teams, which cover all facets of health care. The composition of these teams includes a wide array of practitioners, ranging from allied health professionals, to student doctors training to obtain their medical degree.

Today’s patients are finding themselves caught amongst experts with numerous opinions surrounding their various medical ailments. They listen to too many specialists for their ailments. What happens when these recommendations begin to conflict? When reality sets in, the patient does not know who to turn to or how to proceed forward. This movie has shown two methodical medical practitioners using their common sense and expertise. I really appreciated his fact while watching the movie.

Dr. Prakash Amte is the son of Magsaysay awardee and legendry Baba Amte, he and his wife, Dr. Mandakini Amte were awarded the Magsaysay Award for ‘Community Leadership’ in 2008 for their benevolent work in the form of the ‘Lok Biradari Prakalp’ amongst the Madia Gonds in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.

Nana Patekar has played Dr. Prakash Amte effortlessly. His dialogue delivery, voice modulation, facial expressions, eye movements, and body language every bit of his screen presence is awesome. His dialogue delivery in Marathi is as dynamic as in Hindi. The dialogues written by Adv. Samruddhi Porey are heart-touching and full of wisdom. The cinematographer Mahesh Anye has done an incredible job with lighting and breathtaking photography. Patekar has portrayed Dr. Praksh Amte with incisive emotions. There are innumerable scenes in the movie which will dampen your eyes. I think no other actor would fit the role of Prakash Amte on screen. And, beautiful Sonali Kulkarni has supported Nana Patekar with equal brilliance and intensity. Both Patekar and Sonali Kulkarni make a wonderful screen pair.

We all live our life cribbing for countless and unfulfilled needs and demands; we live a monotonous routine, and are never contended in our lives. And, there are people like Baba Amte and his sons Prakash and Vikas Amte who have worked towards making the world a better place to live. The father Baba Amte has literally fought all his life for fiving the leprosy patients a better life. And, his sons Vikas and Prakash have also dedicated their lives for social causes. They worked and lived to serve others, to make the world a little better; by doing so, all that they gained is a little peace of mind – little happiness. I think that has led them into self actualization.

The director of the movie, Sammruddhi Porey and the entire unit’s efforts need to be lauded for showing Dr. Prakash Amte’s compassionate mindset, stretching his limits with utmost reality to bring the small changes in the tribal land. The cast and crew of the movie have gone out of their way to depict reality. They have shot the movie with real tribal people and animals which is a dangerous and painstaking task. Apart from this, the dialogues are intelligently written, dialogue and description is where the experience of screenplay for the audience lives in;
the feel and consistency of the dialogues and placements of them are simply superb. Nana Patekar and Sonali Kulakrni have delivered them precisely. The screen play is very well edited and some scenes in the movie have rib-tickling humor which makes the movie more appealing. This is must watch movie for all.

• Produced By : Samruddhi Porey
• Directed By : Samruddhi Porey
• Star Cast : Nana Patekar, Sonali Kulkarni,Mohan Aagashye, Ashish Chougule,Vikram Gaikwad, Bharat Ganeshpure, Tejashri Pradhan, Aniruddha Wankar,Vinayak Patwardhan,Kunal Gajbhare,Sushant Kakde,Sukumar Day, Prasad Dhakunkar, Naina Rani, Krishna Dharme,Vinod Raut
• Cinematographer :Mahesh Anye

The term business cluster, also known as an industry cluster, was introduced and popularized by Michael Porter in his book The Competitive Advantage of Nations (1990). Cluster Development has since become a focus for many government programs. The underlying concept of business cluster which economists have referred to as agglomeration economies dates back to 1890 in the work of economist Alfred Marshall.

Industry clusters are groups of similar and related firms in a defined geographic area that share common markets, technologies, worker skill needs, and which are often linked by buyer-seller relationships. A cluster can be formed when at least 100 enterprises exist in it and the cluster’s turnover is over 100 million. Units in these clusters function with hired workers. These clusters include a mix of micro, small, medium and a few large firms.

Firms and workers in an industry cluster draw competitive advantage from their proximity to competitors, skilled workforce, specialized suppliers and a shared base of sophisticated knowledge about an industry. At present in India the estimated figure of business clusters is about 400 for modern Small Scale Enterprises and 2000 rural and artisan based clusters in India. As far as export is concerned, these contribute up to 60 percent of India’s manufactured exports. Although location remains fundamental to competition, its role today differs vastly compared to past. Besides location advantage the competition is driven heavily by input costs, locations with some important endowment—a natural harbor for example, or a supply of cheap labor, nearness to port/railway station/airport — these factors add to the comparative advantages while forming clusters.

Silicon Valley: In the mid- to late 1990s several successful computer technology related companies emerged in Silicon Valley in California. This led anyone who wished to create a startup company to do so in Silicon Valley. The surge in the number of Silicon Valley startups led to a number of venture capital firms relocating to or expanding their Valley offices. This in turn encouraged more entrepreneurs to locate their startups there.

In other words venture capitalists (sellers of finance) and the buyers of finance (IT startup firms) “clustered” in and around California.

The cluster effect in the capital market also led to a cluster effect in the labor market. As an increasing number of companies started up in Silicon Valley, programmers, engineers etc. realized that they would find greater job opportunities by moving to Silicon Valley. This concentration of technically skilled people in the valley meant that startups around the country knew that their chances of finding job candidates with the proper skill-sets were higher in the valley, hence giving them added incentive to move there. This in turn led to more high-tech workers moving there. Similar effects have also been found in the Cambridge IT Cluster (UK).

Competition in today’s economy is far more dynamic. Companies can mitigate many input-cost disadvantages through global sourcing, rendering the old notion of comparative advantage less relevant. Instead, competitive advantage rests on making more productive use of inputs, which requires continual innovation

Porter describes the following benefits of doing business in clusters:

Better access to suppliers and flexibility.

•  Access to specialized information through personal relationships.
•  Joint marketing.
•  Local rivalry and peer pressure.
•  Innovation through having information on new markets and technological advances.
•  Complementary products (e.g. tourist attractions).
•  Reputation of an area.
•  Pool of experienced labor.
• Access to institutions and public goods.
• Conducive to new businesses.

Numerous studies show that on an average, a business located in a cluster has a stronger growth and survival rate than those located outside it. This is partly because the physical proximity of the companies facilitates exchanges of information and talent among the competing firms. Clusters normally include highly specialized vendors, service providers, investors, analysts, students, university faculty and staff, trade association members, consultants, and other useful specialists. In addition, industry-specific equipment is often more readily available within a cluster. The clusters draw their strengths from the private sector. Government agencies, both federal and local which offer industry-friendly incentives and regulatory policies to companies that locate in clusters. The government’s motivation is not purely altruistic. Clusters help the economic growth of a region by increasing job creation and increased tax revenues.

The development and upgrading of clusters is an important agenda for governments of developing nations. Cluster development initiatives are an important new direction in economic policy, building on earlier efforts in macroeconomic stabilization, privatization, and market opening, and reducing the costs of doing business.

Example: Panchgani near Pune, Maharashtra is a thriving hub of food processing units today. Pune/Panchgani is surrounded by vast tracts of arable, agricultural land and is known for its agriculture and agro-business. Panchagani’s proximity to urbanized markets such as Mumbai, Nasik, Nagpur, Aurangabad etc, changing food habits and dependence on ready to eat food, cosmopolitan nature of the city, connectivity to JNPT port has made the processed food cluster of Panchagani very famous. It exports jams, jellies, toffees, pickles, chtanis to many foreign countries. Panchagani cluster is developing very fast and is home to about 3000 plus small and micro entrepreneurs. The cluster produces a range of products comprising semi-processed ready mix products, pickles, jams, jellies, squashes & syrups, Ready to Eat/Ready to Cook products ground & processed spices and papad.

Business clusters work on the logic of nature’s basic goodness such as: grapevines that are planted just close enough together are forced to compete for nutrients in the soil. Stress causes the plants to put more energy into their reproductive processes, increasing the quantity and quality of the grapes. The same logic is applied while forming clusters. When businesses are located together in clusters, they strive to get maximum benefits offered in the cluster and hence show better results. Michael Porter claims that clusters have the potential to affect competition in three ways: by increasing the productivity of the companies in the cluster, by driving innovation in the field, and by stimulating new businesses in the field. According to Porter, in the modern global economy, certain locations have special inheritance such as harbor, cheap labor, packaging units in the vicinity to overcome heavy input costs.

With a contribution of 40% to the country’s industrial output and 35% to direct exports, the Small-Scale Industry (SSI) sector has achieved significant milestones for the industrial development of India. Within the SSI sector, an important role is played by the numerous clusters that have been in existence for decades and sometimes even for centuries. According to a UNIDO survey of Indian SSI clusters undertaken in 1996 (later updated in 1998), there are 350 SSI clusters. Also, there are approximately 2000 rural and artisan based clusters in India. It is estimated that these clusters contribute 60% of the manufactured exports from India. The SSI clusters in India are estimated to have a significantly high share in employment generation.

One key factor for the cluster success is the specialization of small firms in same or complementary areas of the production process. Each firm can use its limited resources in its core competency and its operation is complemented by other specializing firms in the supply chain within the cluster. This not only helps individual firms to excel, but also the cluster to flourish. The other important success factor in a cluster is cooperation. When firms help each other together they facilitate (a) sub-contracting: when a firm receives big orders it can sub-contract the order for processing to other firms, (b) flexibility:  when diversity of order types can be achieved involving multiple firms a lot of elasticity can be enjoyed and (c) presence of a good local governance or support institutes encourage inter-firm co-ordination which in turn lowers the entry barrier for new start-ups.

Some Indian SME clusters are so big that they account for 90 per cent of India’s total production output in selected product category. As for example, the knitwear clusters of Ludhiana. Almost the entire Gems and Jewelers exports are from the clusters of Surat and Mumbai. Similarly, the clusters of Chennai, Agra, Kanpur and Kolkata are well known for leather and leather products.

In Indian context clusters have played a significant role in product/service diversification. The clusters in India have been classified as (1) industrial (SME), (2) handloom, (3) handicraft, (4) micro-enterprise (rural and urban) and (5) service-oriented. However, only in recent years with the liberalization of economies, there is a concentrated effort in cluster-growth by Indian government and different support institutions like United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) for promoting the growth of SMEs. Cluster development initiatives include up-gradation of technology, forging of strong intra-cluster network, and networking with external associations.

Paithani Sarees – Paithan: This handicraft sector is very small with not more than hundred workers; they are so specialized that no other places in the world matches their skills and the quality of their output. This is the case of the Paithani sarees cluster in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. It is said that Paithan at one time, was visited by Greek traders, between 400 and 200 BC, during the Satavahana era, for the Paithani weaves. This exquisite Paithani silk soon came to be exported to many countries and was traded for gold and precious stones in barter. Such was its value! According to some sources, this technique possibly came to India from Central Asia and was developed into a fine art in the Deccan region and slowly evolved into the contemporary version you see today. The Peshwa rulers were big patrons of this art and even today among the Maharashtrians women prefer wearing Paithani sarees in marriages and special functions. The classy fabric stands out and is considered as an propitious fabric.

Chanderi Sarees:  Chanderi is a town in Ashok nagar District, Madhya Pradesh. The town of Chanderi has a rich history that was shared between Pratihara kings, Delhi sultans, Mandu sultans, Bundela kings and Scindias of Gwalior. Located on the borders of the cultural regions of Malwa and Bundelkhand, Chanderi fell on an important arterial route to the ancient ports of Gujarat as well as to Malwa, Mewar, Central India and Deccan. Chanderi’s setting made it into a natural fortress. The living tradition of weaving has been prevalent since the past six hundred years and continues to sustain almost half of the population of Chanderi.

The town of Chanderi is divided into mohallas or residential neighborhoods. The mohallas of the different communities of the weavers are important part of the urban morphology. The 13th century Moroccan visitor Ibn Batuta remarked: “it is a big city with thronged market places” like Sadar bazaar. The sadar bazaar of the city is today stocked with shops of delicate and artistic Chanderi sarees. The three storied shops, projecting one over other, originally planned to be on the level with riders on elephants, on horses and on foot, give a unique profile to the street.

The spacious weaver houses were integral to the production of the cloth and its quality. Chanderi houses weavers from Rajasthan, Marwar and Gujrat who are skilled particularly to weave the delicate, silky, colorful Chanderi sarees. The weavers have a unique weaving techniques and requirements. Platforms built outside the houses provide additional work areas and for stretching yarns. Architecture also serves as an inspiration to the craftsmen. The patterns on sarees are largely inspired by ornamentation on buildings.

]]> https://drvidyahattangadi.com/business-clusters-offer-competitive-advantage/feed/ 0 https://drvidyahattangadi.com/dont-miss-the-colorful-kaas/ https://drvidyahattangadi.com/dont-miss-the-colorful-kaas/#respond Sat, 02 Aug 2014 03:31:44 +0000 http://drvidyahattangadi.com/?p=1151 Don’t miss the colorful Kaas

If you haven’t visited this incredible, small sized plateau near Satara in Maharashtra, you have missed the striking panorama of nature’s delight. Without wasting any further time, take a trip to this spot because this is the right time of the year just about two months of September and October. The plateau is full of wild flowers with ascetic colors and the blooms which last for about a month and a half.

The plateau is known as Kaas Pathar in Marathi language. The name Kaas originates from Kaasa tree (Elaeocarpus Glandulosus). This tree has a magic; its leaves turn green to red as they mature. It gives white flowers only for 15 days in the month of March. The area of plateau is approximately 1,000 hectare.The Kaas Plateau is situated in the Western Ghats of Shyadri range, just about 22 kilometers from Satara city in Maharashtra state of India. Pathar in Marathi means plateau.

Believe it or not, the entire plateau looks like a carpet of flowers of every hue of colors, they wild and alien, the flowers are small and medium size, with more than 900 different species of flowers, orchids and carnivorous plants such as Drosera Indica which are found only in Kaas.

Wear your walking shoes to keep your feet feeling good mile after mile, be prepared to walk.   Don’t stop, keep moving. Take a good camera to click pictures. Do carry magnifying glass with you so that you can enjoy the beauty of very tiny, micro flowers – they are so tiny in size that if you want to see their beauty with naked eyes you will miss the charm of them; hence carry your magnifying glasses.  Do not pluck the flowers, or don’t even touch them. You are not allowed to do so.

Recently Kaas has been declared as Biodiversity World Heritage Site by The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNSCO). There is a stunning Kaas lake also which is surrounded by dense forests and it lies between Sajjangad fort and the Kanher Dam.

It takes about seven hour drive from Mumbai and 3 and half hour drive from Pune. Due to its beauty it attracts many tourists, scientists, botanists and nature lovers. It seems Kaas Plateau was formed by volcanic actions and is covered by a thin soil cover as a result of which, no vegetation thrives in the region. This area experiences very high rainfall. You will experience sudden showers of big droplets of rains accompanied by fragrant lazing breeze. Due to its unique geographical and ecological features you will find unique flora and fauna in this region. It is one of the hotspots of biodiversity. You will have gratifying experience of trekking through the flowerbeds, enjoy the scenic beauty, if you are tired wait for a while, and take lazy strolls through the meadows.

Best time to visit Kaas Plateau is after the rains till October end. Many people visit Kaas during the rains; however, the plants bloom only in late August.

Recently the procedure for visiting Kaas has changed and it is a BIG change. You have to pre-register yourself on a website. Only 2000 people per day would be allowed to visit the place. This is a good decision taken. The website is www.kaspathar.com  you have to give your details along with the number of people with you. They charge you Rs.10/- per person.

They don’t allow you to park your vehicle on the road at the stretches of the flowers. Instead, you have the following options: 1) Park a few kms earlier and take a government bus to get dropped off in the main stretch. Or you can drive ahead and park at the junction where the main road becomes a one-way stretch from Bamnoli. And, last pieces of advice – visit this heavenly plateau on weekdays instead of weekends. You can avoid the maddening crowd.

Please get energized in the lap of the nature. Visit Kaas.