The story of my Hat

Hi, I am Shreyas from India.
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On 25th October, I read about the challenge of making a hat that best describes my personality. My immediate reaction was, this is going to be fun! I started thinking about what will best portray me? I got back from work, and while I was putting my keys into the basket, an idea clicked into my mind. Let me give you some context.
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I live in a small city in Maharashtra. Because of the climate of western ghats, We have a lot of palm trees. And because of that, there are a lot of artist communities who make art pieces made of Dry palm leaf sheaths such as plates, purses, baskets, bowls, etc. I Knew some of the artists from these communities for a long because of some art exhibitions I arranged when I was in college. I knew how they work, what processes they use, etc. They collect dry fallen leaves, place them in dies layer by layer, and press it for a proper form. Sometimes while pressing in die or weaving the dry palm sheaths, they get damaged.

These artists are known for the quality of their craftsmanship. So, they always throw the pieces away that are damaged. Okay, so I have one such kind of basket made of areca palm leaves in my room where I put my keys and wallet. That basket has an elegant tuft on either side. I knew that if the tuft of basket breaks while forming, the artists threw that art piece away. I went to one of the nearby communities on the 27th and got the damaged basket!

The next day I collected some peacock feathers from the lake where I go for a run. I had a piece of fabric that was gifted as a token of love when I was in Punjab for the Indian Science conference in 2019. With all these things: the fabric, broken basket, and feathers of a Peacock, I made this beautiful 0₹ hat within 5 mins.

This hat represents that I am creative, original, I use the readily available resources taking utmost care of the environment, have a good network, have a good sense of aesthetics &... Storytelling is my thing!