LIGHTING UP THE WORLD
In a world where consumerism is a way of life, RichCasa brings you the story behind the products you buy. Each of our products has been selected and sourced from artisans and craftsmen from the north of India – men and women who have been plying this trade for decades, many having learned it from their fathers and mothers who learned the trade from their parents… These are simple village folk, many of who have never seen the lights of a big city, and for most of them the perks and privileges we enjoy everyday are luxuries that they have not heard of, leave alone dreamed of. It is the work of these people that you bring into your homes when you buy from RichCasa. You help feed a family, you help a child get medicines, you help keep the home fires burning in a corner of the world that would otherwise die out. You help keep age-old crafts alive and you get to add a touch of something very special to your home.
Take the example of Azar Uddin. He is 28-years- old and he lives in the little town of Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, in north India. He has two other brothers, and the younger one helps in the family business, while the elder brother goes out to work to bring home additional income. His father who ran the little business has semi-retired and Azar is now carrying out the family tradition he learned as a child. He has been making carved metal lamps for as long as he can remember. We started working with Azar and his family some years ago, cutting out the agents and middle-men and paying him a fair price for his products. Today Azar employs eight more people, enriching his local community, keeping his craft alive, and helping others to make a living… And so our efforts have turned into a virtuous circle that keeps on giving.
At RichCasa the background stories are important to us. We want you to know with every purchase you have helped create a more equitable economy in an unfair world. While profits are important, the human element is equally so. So, with every rug, every throw, every lamp… you take home with you, you decorate not just your own space, but you decorate the life of someone else in a far corner of this world. You take back the story of hope and hard work, a legacy of craftsmanship, a slice of life from a another culture, and you get to make that a part of your home forever.
