In The Name Of Bombay: Cool New Ideas To Celebrate Your City

Hand-painted tea coasters priced at Rs 120

On the wild side

We often hear the phrases "Get me something from Mumbai" or "What should we take for friends living outside the city?" Instead of settling for the usual 'I Love Mumbai' magnets and keychains, how about you delve a little deeper, into the forest that's in the heart of the metropolis for some inspiration? This is where the Jan Dhan Van Souvenir Shop at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) comes to your rescue.

Set up in 2018, the store houses everything Mumbai and Maharashtra. From colourful hand-painted Warli trays, baskets and paperweights to locally made jams, Ayurvedic medicines and honey, the products are made by members of the tribal community living in SGNP.

The Jan Dhan Van shop inside SGNP

The products are priced across a wide range, from hand-stitched batuas at R80 to books on SGNP's ecology at Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000. "Earlier the shop was in a different location so it didn't grab attention. We shifted it near the exit later, so that if you have to step out of SGNP, you have to walk through the shop. We also undertook a complete makeover," says Anwar Ahmed, director and chief conservator of forest, SGNP. Explaining the idea behind setting up the shop, Ahmed adds, "We wanted to give the tribal community in the forest a platform to earn money as well as enable visitors to pick up these souvenirs.

We later realised that people lack awareness about our forests, so we tied up with Nataraj Publications and gave them a small space inside the shop to display books for sale. Now, we also sell our brand of hiking apparel."

So, the next time you're headed for a trail inside SGNP, don't forget to pick a souvenir at Jan Dhan Van to remind you or your loved ones of the city's wilderness, no matter where you are.

TIME 10 am to 6 pm, Mondays closed
AT Jan Dhan Van Souvenir Shop, Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivli East.
CALL 28847800

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