Every new year gives us an opportunity to start again and remind ourselves of who we are and why we do what we do. NGO Ikshana was founded on the belief that “when you help a woman fulfill her potential, magic happens.”
“Bells & Whistles” offers made-ups for beautiful homes, which are crafted by women coming from marginalized, poor, vulnerable and underprivileged sections of society.
The overall aim as a part of programme, is to help the youth, especially women to upgrade their skills and become financially independent. Bells and Whistles work closely with IKSHANA an NGO which educates, skills, trains and provides gainful employment to these women, which in turn helps them enhance their economic and social prosperity. They empower the women by giving them a sense of economic freedom, belongingness, pride and happiness which symbolizes them in their families with respect and gratitude.
We embarked on our journey in 2019 with significant objectives in mind. Every training session at Ikshana and every handcrafted product we sell through Bells & Whistles brings us one step closer to our goal of empowering women with education and skills, as well as improving their socio-economic status, self-respect and dignity by providing them a vocation and livelihood to help sustain their families.
So many milestones crossed, so many yet to achieve! Individual support from our patrons and well wishers has been and continues to be a key means of sustaining Bells & Whistles. Thank you to our collaboration brand partners and everyone who has encouraged and supported us along the path.
The pilot project of Bells & Whistles comprises female students who are trained at the training centers of the NGO. Bells & Whistles has the aim and vision to encourage these women to acquire life skills, confidence and self-esteem so that they can be engaged & earn a livelihood through sustained employment.
At the moment, Ikshana is concentrating its efforts in villages in Uttar Pradesh and the Delhi NCR. Over the course of four years, Ikshana has been able to skill and train around 1500 women, as well as provide them with meaningful work prospects in garment manufacturing and home furnishing export-oriented enterprises. In the next 3 to 5 years, we hope to broaden our coverage to include other Indian states.
In order to enhance their skills and creativity, women at the Ikshana Training Centers are taught tailoring skills, patterns, and pattern stitching for made-ups, as well as numerous creative approaches such as recycling, upcycling, and embellishing garments.
We are grateful to our team of solicitous experts and professionals who are helping us train and provide valuable skills to women enrolled in our Skill Training Centers.
Our solicitous experts teach techniques, designs and creative stitching for made ups and the women learn to design, cut, stich, recycle, upcycle, embellish and hone their creativity to the next level. Not only will this project generate employment, but it will also help them improve their lifestyle and provide a respectable livelihood.
Our extensive product line at Bells & Whistles includes table cloths, table runners, cushion covers, placemat and bed linen. We’ve recently expanded our product line to include crochet and macramé home accessories. We are proud to provide 100% cotton home linens, crochet and macramé items which can be a wonderful addition to your homes.
At Bells & Whistles, we realize that the path to women empowerment is a long and constantly shifting one. We are grateful to strong women across the world who inspire us to continue on our mission and hope to share their thoughts and ideologies with our friends, followers and supporters.
Bells & Whistles & Ikshana appreciates the cultural backgrounds of our co-partner which in turn encourages them to infuse their mind and souls into our products so lovingly created for your homes.
Ikshana and Bells & Whistles’ aim to educate and promote awareness about women’s rights while also offering vocational and social skills. We wish to establish a sense of dignity and respect in women and provide them with opportunities to improve their own lives and the lives of their families.
Avinash Kaur Sehgal, Managing Director of Bells & Whistles, has spent over 15 years working in the grass root social service sector. She has held significant positions in organizations such as India Today, the National Productivity Council, USHA India, and BARCO. Avinash was instrumental in the establishment of the Ikshana NGO and the skill training centers for underprivileged women. She has actively pursued activities such as upgrading and providing health care services to women and children from marginalized sections of rural north India.
The pandemic has affected millions of people’s health and well-being, as well as their lives and livelihoods, particularly among India’s vulnerable and disadvantaged populations. During the early stages of the pandemic, Avinash wondered “how to help people in distress with dignity,” which sparked the formation of Bells & Whistles, an organization that would provide productive work for women trained at Ikshana.
With her expertise in textile design and passion for creativity, Donnabelle Kapoor leads Product Design at Bells & Whistles. Donnabelle holds a postgraduate degree in Design Management. She has 21 years of experience in garment design, production, and sales as an ex-DGM – Design of Zodiac Clothing (domestic and international markets). She has also lectured at INIFD, Andheri Mumbai (a fashion institute) for 3 years. Donnabelle’s design philosophy as Creative Director and Partner (Bells & Whistles) is to create contemporary, trendy, and design-centric home furnishing products with a global appeal. The Bells & Whistles product line is testament to the fact that handcrafted does not have to mean ethnic or traditional, and Donnabelle intends to continue designing products for an audience that appreciates modern renditions of classic designs.
We have a compelling social mission and we’ would love to continue sharing our initiatives, activities and programs with our followers. Please contact the team if you’d like to learn more and discuss collaborations.
