About BuddhaBrella
“Getting it right takes time and is ready when it is ready.”
Project Updates
Project Update 22/2/23 : I’m heading off to India this week to show how BuddhaBrella works and need your help.
Background
I have been working with my friend Anil in Bodhgaya over 4 years to design Buddhist eightfold umbrellas and raise money to build chaapakal (village water pumps) in regional areas.
We have now got a skilfully decorated chatra (umbrella )and built one chaapakal last year. This time we plan to buy 100 chatra, decorate and sell them. The chatra are decorated by women who are paid a skilled wage (550INR per day). The locals choose where the profits go. The idea is to use the eightfold path to help set up an ethical business. The idea is to scale this coproduction, pay women and in doing so let them learn to write Devanagari and Roman lettering.
The current aim is to encourage people to either buy a BuddhaBrella, donate to the gofundme page or just like the instagram/facebook feed and share to raise awareness. I would also like to connect with as many Buddhist schools to ensure it is eightfold agnostic, ie impersonal. I was also wondering if communities might be interested in becoming potential hubs in certain regions as it is much cheaper to ship 10 chatra (eg 500INR vs 15000INR each).
The Ask
And here is my question. Do you know anyone from any tradition who might be interested in:
- Offering any skill that may be relevant eg web design, ethical shipping or setting up a coproduction,
- Helping check that BuddhaBrella is skilfully expressing the eightfold path,
- Referring us to any local communities in Bodhgaya that may be interested in helping or even acknowledging the project,
- Suggesting any other advice that may help this project, which is aimed to liberate suffering by community engagement using the eightfold path.
These just reeled off the top of my head and are meant to see if any strike a chord, rather than an exhaustive petition.
Sent with a loving curiosity,
Marq
Project Update 03/04/23
Have spent 4 weeks in Bihar with Anil, Pinky and Putul. It’s very much been a coproduction. Anil is operations, Putul is design, Pinky is design and I am admin. We have been working out the best design for an umbrella that works in the sun. Funnily enough a black umbrellas is the opposite of protection from suffering. In 34oC it is suffering! So we went and sources some black umbrellas with silver lining and reversed them. Its been super interesting learning how to write the eightfold path in Pali, Sanskrit, Hindi and English. I still need to practice before Putul would let me do my own. However I’ve used the prototype every day in 30-35 degrees heat without sweating. 🙂
Pinky, Putul and I have been speaking via Google Translate, which has been really funny. I’ve learnt that Pinky very happy being a mother to Aryan and Aisa but she also happens to be an amazing seamstress. Putul wants to set up a handicraft business after she studied it at school. Putul creates wonderful henna tatoos and is the artistic force in BuddhaBrella, responsible for the typeface and writing. We have also looked at decorating the outside with some designs reflecting the area and the Mahbodi temple. There are some other ideas but we aren’t ready to show them. The last 4 weeks have shown me how people don’t just have one job, they have many roles and jobs. So BuddhaBrella has to fit within all the other ones. Some happy, some sad, some stressful, some very normal. Welcome to life. Its been a real pleasure being a guest at Anil’s house and getting a real taste of life in Pachhatti a village/district of Bodhgaya.
The story behind the Auspicious Eightfold Chatta
Putul’s Story
Putul is 17 years old. She lives in a Kushm village, block Dobhi, district Gaya. Putul is studying in 12th standard. Putul has three sisters and two brothers. She is the 4th number of a girl in her family. Her mother works in the farm and her father is a carpenter. She has lot wishes. Such as she likes drawing and painting work, she wants to become a make up artist. Many girls in her village known her as make up artist. But she get paid very less for this work. Also she wants to learn driving, like when she sees a bike or scooty she feels that, i should learn driving. She has a wish that she wanted to become police inspector but because of her less height and health, she can’t fulfill her this wish due to her height and financial issues.
During the Marq visit to India, she came in contact with Marq. Her brother in law introduced her with Marq. She shared her wishes and interest of working on Buddhabrella project with Marq. So Marq got to know her potential, wishes in her and skills that she has. Marq involved her in the Buddhabrella project so that she can use her potential skills and talents for this project and from that she can make money. In Budhhabrella project she does painting work on umbrellas. Through such project she got chance to develop her skills. The money she get from this work she wants to help her family. Because she is aware of her family condition. They always have financial constraints. Because of dowry practice, her parents have to save lot of money for her marriage.
Since she started working with Buddhabrella project, she got hope that she can also make money. Before that she couldn’t think that she can make money. She also realised her skills, potential and talents. she also wants to teach same skills to young girls.
Written By Shubhangi.
Anil’s Story
Hello everyone ! It’s Myself Anil, I am born in (Bihar )
The place was where bodha got Enlightenment , I am working as social community
How are you, I hope everything fine with you guys in Covid -19 ,
In this 2020, 2021 or 2022 it’s very difficult situations for all of the world ,
I lose some friends and family in this time. It’s very difficult time for my city and for India as well.
I wanted to explain you guys form Bihar situation.
In this time I am went to many villages and I see many people have no food, no water, no clothes, no blankets in the winter, no copy book , no doctor and in villages poor peoples died for corona virus at the moment,
Since 4.5 years I meet friends from UK , he’s name Marq and we’ll chatting since 2018. We’ll decided why not sell umbrellas online and peoples buy umbrellas and donate as well. we’ll not push to buy 8 path Umbrellas, it’s painted by hand from Bodhgaya where Bodha got enlightenment.
It’s your small help big help for as in this situation in Covid- 19 .
Still here lockdown no any work for the poor peoples. Economic very bad here. Everyday 3 or 4 peoples died for food and and for medicine and doctor as well.
Please if you able to help them you can
Marq’s story
I collect umbrellas, I know its niche but we all have our little attachments. So I went to India in 2018, where the subcontinent has an ancient heritage of chattra – Hindi & Urdu, from Sanskrit for shade, protection and umbrella.
Anil & friends
This included Bodhgaya, where the Buddha found enlightenment. There I met Anil and his friends. They took me around the town and to wonderful locations from an ancient Banyan tree all the way to Rajgar. Anil wants to build a guest house for travellers. In the last 4 years I have found that he also has a deep understanding for the people and is always looking at ways to help his extended family and the local community. Whether it is food, blankets during winter, books for children and his biggest concern is water scarcity and the need for local village pumps that work all year round.
BuddhaBrella
While there I asked about umbrellas, and they gave me an umbrella with beautiful cane work and… a lotus frame, which is incredibly unusual. The parasol and lotus are both auspicious objects in Tibetan Buddhism. The parasol symbolises protection from suffering. The lotus denotes purity of body, mind and spirit, reminding us that enlightenment comes from samsara, the earth. And above all most umbrellas have 8 spokes, which represents the Dharmachakra, the wheel of law, or the eightfold path. The parasol also signifies the crown chakra in Tantric Buddhism, which is represented as a 1000 petal lotus. So, you can imagine my delight to make this discovery in Bodhgaya!
The problem
While there is an abundance of generosity, there is also a subtle disconnect between the monks, tourists and the locals. There are varying degrees of mistrust and corruption underpinned by vast inequality, Bihar being one of India’s poorest states. A lot of money pours into the town through tourism. But there is a suspicion amongst locals, monks and tourists about where the money ends up.
Note: Someone with extensive experience in Bodhgaya, recently pointed out to me that a subtle disconnect is how it should be! Such is the nature and variety of Buddhism.
The solution
I figured, why not encourage some locals to decorate the chatta (umbrellas) and sell them online. The profits will go to alleviate suffering in the area. For example, as mentioned earlier, there is huge water scarcity in Bihar pop 100M. A huge pipeline is planned, diverting water from the Ganga, to key cities such as Rajgir and Gaya. But villages where most people live will not benefit. What they need are reliable water pumps and there are many pumps that either don’t work or are draining the water table. Some argue water usage is the underlying issue. This is just one use case, there are many other ways to alleviate suffering.
How it works
The eightfold path includes right livelihood, and we plan to sell them at an equitable rate so that it is open to as many people as possible, with the suggestion that people pay whatever extra they can afford. A simple donation to help make this happen is enough or to just help Anil and his community recover from this desperate time of Covid and Climate Change.
Funding
For complete transparency, Anil and I are co-producing a small venture. We have looked at many mechanisms to set this up and are open to suggestions. This is the start of what is hoped to be a co-production between locals, travellers and the monasteries. We welcome any that feel a connection to Bodhgaya to get involved.