Hansiba Museum (interior)

The Hansiba Museum is unlike any other. All the objects in the collection are heirlooms donated by various members of the collective. It is located in the neighbourhood so that it is still part of their collective heritage. It is a gathering place for women, created by women.

The women treasure their family heirlooms; the skirt that belonged to her great grandmother, or the blouse embroidered by an aunt who was renowned for the fineness of her stitches. Yet life and life-styles are changing - educated young girls get office jobs that demand urban clothing. So the women decided to build a museum and named it after Hansiba, one of the oldest craftswomen at SEWA.

In the Hansiba Museum, women artisans also donated articles of their daily life — the grinding stone, the brass and copper vessels, the water pots and bathing vessels.