In the early 1930s, she travelled across Asia to complete an educational survey of different countries, and met her future husband during the trip.

[6] She met a British army doctor named Denis Mulvany during her travels, and the couple were married in Lucknow, India,[5] before settling in Cawnpore.

[4] While living there, Ethel Rogers Mulvany was bitten by a cobra, but survived with the help of a servant who provided first aid and brought her to a hospital by bicycle.

[4][7] The exhibit included pieces made of ivory and alabaster, plates inlaid with semi-precious stones, sandalwood boxes and Indian rugs, and visitors spent thousands of dollars on purchases.

Inspired by a poet from Newfoundland who had written about imagined feasts during the Great Depression, Mulvany began bringing together her fellow prisoners to swap remembered recipes and imagine elaborate meals and dinner menus; the exercise helped them retain hope and provided respite from the grim conditions.

[2] As another way to keep busy, Mulvany also helped organize a quilt-making project amongst the women, crafting blankets that would eventually be sent to nearby prisoner-of-war hospitals.

Her marriage with Denis broke down after their wartime ordeal, and she returned to Canada alone, eventually going to live with her aunt's family in Toronto.

[5] Mulvany used the money to buy and ship food to other former prisoners of war, sending oranges and other goods to hospitals in England.

[1] Impacted by memories of prison conditions and poverty after her return to Canada, Mulvany soon decided she wanted a new way to support craftworkers and families in India and elsewhere.