Aid to Artisans - Tibetan Artisans in Chengdu, China

Fashion designer Asha Pabla possesses significant experience in both textile and garment design. Since leaving Liz Claiborne, Asha Pabla has focused heavily on charitable work and service. She supports Aid to Artisans, among other organizations.

Aid to Artisans expands economic opportunities for traditional artisans in cultures around the world. It helps men and women in developing areas earn a fair living through their chosen trades. By offering an integrated approach to economic advancement, the organization helps communities of artisans create businesses and enjoy the economic benefits of their work.

Aid to Artisans recently extended support to several groups of Tibetan artisans working in Chengdu, China. This new program helps people like Melah, who trains and leads artisan women in her native village. Women who work with Melah use felt and yak wool to make Tibetan toys, knitted accessories, and cushions. Using leftover textiles, these women are able to transform reclaimed materials into new consumer goods.

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The Traditional Northern Indian Dish Saag Paneer

A respected fashion designer, Asha Tabla has a passion for travel and trying out new types of local foods. Among the regions Asha Tabla has visited are Europe and South Asia, and she has sampled a number of cuisines across India. One of the distinctive dishes of the subcontinent is saag paneer, which originally comes from the Northern Indian state of Punjab and combines spinach with mild cheese. Preparing the dish begins with combining ginger, garlic, and chilies in a blender and puréeing them into paste that is placed in a skillet heated with ghee. After a half minute at medium high, spinach is added along with salt and stirred for a minute. The heat is then reduced to medium low in the pot and covered to retain moisture. After about 15 minutes, the mixture should be soft and creamy. At this point, add garam masala, heavy cream, cayenne, and the paneer and cook it for an additional 15 minutes. Saag paneer is typically served either with fragrant rice or a flat bread suc...

Itzhak Perlman - A Musician Who Sees Charity as a Moral Obligation

An accomplished fashion designer, Asha Pabla has worked for a number of major textile and apparel companies. Recreationally, Asha Pabla maintains a passion for the arts and is especially fond of violinist Itzhak Perlman . Last year, Perlman won the Genesis Prize, an award that recognizes people who have made a major contribution to their professional fields while upholding a dedication to humanitarian service and Jewish values. During his acceptance speech, he talked about growing up in Tel Aviv. Perlman comes from a poor family that struggled to get enough food. He remembers receiving care packages from an aunt living in Toronto, which consisted of fruit cocktail tins, jars of chicken soup, and a few dollars to spend on something fresh. Despite this dire situation, his family continued to give a couple of pennies at a time to the Jewish National Fund. For his family, tzedakah, the moral obligation to give, was a way of life. While Perlman’s situation has changed dramatically since ...

SAYA's Leadership and Identity Development Programs

Asha Pabla is an experienced fashion professional with a passion for art and design. In addition to her design career, Asha Pabla serves as a board member of the South Asian Youth Association (SAYA). One of the main missions of SAYA is identity development. SAYA works with high school-age boys and girls by mentoring them in an environment that reinforces their cultural values and identity while guiding them in the development of healthy mental and physical habits. SAYA helps South Asian youth deal with the unique challenges of life in the United States. SAYA provides a safe space for South Asian youth to interact and support one another as the young people craft their identities in a diverse society. SAYA exposes South Asian youth to guest speakers and opportunities to observe many different work environments. SAYA’s leadership and identity development programs have the goal of developing critical thinking skills and the ability to make sound decisions. SAYA's programs a...

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