Greeting Cards

We have unique and attractive Greeting Cards with colorful paintings done by the poor Kurumba tribal groups from the Nilgiris area of Tamil Nadu in India. These designs remind one of similar graceful paintings done by the Australian Aboriginal tribes and also the San tribe of Southern Africa. By buying these cards for a nominal cost, you support their livelihood, and the funds generated from the sale of these cards are used to further the activities of KEY International Foundation.

The back of each of the card contains the following statement:

“Kurumba painting is a unique tribal art form of the Nilgiri hills of Southern India, and can be seen only during festive occasions, although the Kurumbas once used to draw the motifs on the walls of their homes. The paintings are primarily ritualistic and describe the various facets of tribal life in the remote forests of the Nilgiris.The C. P. Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation, based in Chennai, India, has been training Kurumba youth to translate their traditional art forms on to paper to help them find a livelihood and ensure the continuity of a disappearing tradition.All proceeds from the sale of this card will support projects of KEY International Foundation, which help impoverished children in developing countries. For further information, visit the web page www.keyinternational.org".

The cards have blank pages on the insides, enabling one to personalize their greetings or messages.

One set of cards has hand painted designs by the Kurumba on a dried and appropriately treated pipal leaf on the inside left page, and the right side inside page is blank. The pipal leaves come from sacred fig trees in India.These Special cards (with the pipal leaves inside) cost $20 for a set of 10 cards ($15 of which is tax deductible as per IRS rules).

Another set of cards, the Basic cards (without the pipal leaves inside) cost $15 for a set of 10 cards ($10 of which is tax deductible as per IRS rules).

Additionally, there is a $5 flat charge (for any number of boxes) for shipping and handling.

You can order these cards (Basic set without the pipal leaves and/or the Special set with the pipal leaves)from either Mr. Marc Waters or Dr. Cynthianna Hahn by sending a check (unfortunately, at this time we are unable to process credit card orders). We have only limited supplies remaining. Their contact information is as follows:

Mr. Marc Waters, President, M.W. Floral, Inc., 2456 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, Illinois, 60614. Phone: 773-975-2444. Email:bunches@mcleodusa.com

Dr. Cynthianna Hahn, 4250 N. Marine Dr., #1322, Chicago, Illinois 60613.Phone:773-244-1914. Email:cynch42@gmail.com

There are 5 basic designs on the 10 cards in each box (half on white and half on tan paper) and these are shown below.