The document summarizes the author's work with several crafts NGOs in India, including Dastkar, Mulberry, Abhyudaya, and Cosvi. The author helped the organizations develop new product lines, introduce trendier designs, expand their markets, and raise awareness of traditional crafts. This included organizing bazaars and fashion shows, developing workshops for artisans, and consulting on strategies to make the organizations and crafts more sustainable and commercially viable. The overarching goal was to preserve important Indian craft traditions and provide economic opportunities for artisans.

1. EN-ROUTE
TO THE LAND OF WEAVES
AND THE WEAVERS
India’s riches of handcrafted textiles
and products lie a lot in its
long-lived traditions and methods
innate to them along with the
people who are associated with it.
The rapidity of changes in styles,
in fashion, in customs has made
Traditional crafts particularly
vulnerable.
My journey to this beautiful and
resplendent world begins with
working for Crafts NGO’s like Dastkar
(Delhi), Mulberry (Assam), Abhyudaya
(Delhi) and Cosvi (Udaipur).
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2. Dastkar (Delhi, India) is a 30 year old crafts NGO
working with more than 40,000 Traditional Indian
craftspeople by helping them regain their place
in the economic mainstream. Dastkar works to
develop a direct market for Indian crafts to sell
their products.
Hence, from managing finances to coordinating
with the artisans on everyday basis,
My commitment extended well beyond a
confined role as I conceptualized the look, the
themes and lay out of the stall structures,
banners and props for our dream “Bazaar”
Working With Dastkar
ORGANIZING BAZAARS
DELHI
BANGALORE
“Working with limited resources
teaches you to work more efficiently and
prepares you to do many roles at one time”
CHENNAI
PUNE
CHENNAI
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3. Creating Awareness
CRAFT WORKSHOPS
Appreciating the value of crafts is the necessity
for our all sections and age groups of society
today. So as to counter act the fascination of
people with big brands and designers.
Thus, to create more awareness, I initiated the
concept of craft workshops during bazaars
conducted by the artisans.
Information boards were put up at various
locations. Special coupons with nominal price
ensured huge turnout and smooth workflow.
These workshops were a hit as they not only
created awareness but also generated an extra
income for the artisans.
“Craft is not just a recreational “hobby”
but a vital clue and entry point to India’s
past, present and future”
WEAVING
KALAMKARI
PAINTING
CLAY
MODELLING
POTTERY
POTTERY
PHAD PAINTING
PAPER BAG &
KITE MAKING
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4. Natural Rythems
CULTURAL SHOWS
There is a lot more to India’s cultural realms apart
from crafted products and textiles. Indian soil
with its music and dance has the capability to
transport you to another world.
To make it an experience of a kind, cultural shows
from different states were organized during the
bazaar’s to be explored along with crafts.
I not only handled the budget allocations for
these cultural evenings but also arranged the
aesthetical planning and sequencing of the
cultural performances. No wonder, visitors were
beautifully hooked for a long stay at the bazaar.
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5. “Managing the event as a whole
and representing Dastkar on such
a huge forum was a
very challenging and
rewarding experience”
When Designers Meet The Artisans
MARIE CLAIRE FASHION SHOW
Marie Claire, the fashion magazine from outlook group conducted a unique
fashion show with Dastkar. Ten famous young Indian designers were brought together
to work with crafts people. The weavers and designers met and worked for three months
and each pair made two garments.
It was an interesting initiative because on one hand we had the suave, well-heeled, educated
and well-exposed young designers and on the other hand, we had the finest but shy craftsmen
from the remotest areas of our country.
I headed this project and was intensely involved with the selection process of the artisans.
Working extensively with artisans and preparing them for fashion was a major task,
since they had never walked the ramp before.
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6. Workshop was organized and conducted for product
development and experimentation with new
color combinations. Further, ombre dyeing was introduced
with natural colors to enhance the product range
and bring variation to their old color schemes.
The result of the workshop was new products like
laptop bags,purses and tablet holders.
TEETERING CITADELS
LEATHER WORK ARTISANS
There a sense of ‘exclusivity’ attached to every crafts
and it is only handcraft that can produce unique
one of a kind products.
Harmara and Jawaja leather association are groups of
local artisans from the remote villages in Rajasthan state
(India). They are famous for their traditional art of making
handicraft goods from natural leather and colors.
Though the products made are the speciality of the local
artisans yet lack of product development, limitation of
colors and old designs were limiting their sales and
demand among the consumers.
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7. From The City Of Dawn
COSVI (UDAIPUR/INDIA)
Since 2010, Cosvi along with Development Commission
of Handicrafts is working for the development of
‘Chippa’ artisans of village “AKOLA” located 70kms
away from the city of Udaipur. Akola is a crafts cluster
where several families, for generation have been
engaged in the art to hand printing and natural dyeing
to earn their livelihood. Due to present advancement
in the technology these families face stiff competition
in the market for the sustenance.
Consultancy was provided to them, during my tenure
with Dastkar. The Organization seems confused,
unplanned and have a scattered work profile.
By an intense S.W.O.T analysis, a project and marketing
plan was constructed to give a focused path
to the organization.
To bring more sustainability, suggestions were made to
experiment majorly in Akola prints (Phetia/ Daboo) in
Indigo dye and introducing new concepts like metallic
colors to bring variation in the prints and designs.
A product range was created based on the suggestions,
consisting of saris, stoles and dupattas, which were
introduced during different fairs. The consumers for its
originality and concepts appreciated it.
Later, readymade garment range was introduced
to the product range.
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8. From The Mines
ABHYUDAYA (DELHI/ INDIA)
Popularly known as ‘Pakistani Mohalla’ in South Delhi’s,
Bhati Mines area is inhabited by around 8,000 refugees
from parts of Pakistan. The condition of women here
is abysmal. Most of the males from the families either
indulge in alcohol or never come back as they migrate to
other places in search of work.
Abhudaya (NGO) was established in 2005 to empower
these women who are gifted with their traditional skills of
Sindhi embroidery and crochet.
I am working with them as a consultant and designer.
I have created a Project plan to provide a sustainable
marketing environment for the organization. Further, as a
designer helping them create a Jewelry range using their
skill of crochet.
When we work with such NGO’s it’s sometimes difficult to
go by the rulebook. You have to be spontaneous to work
with what you have, to build more confidence among the
artisans. Hence, I used the motifs and designs, which
already existed and modified them as per the latest
trends.
Exciting color combinations and trendy designs are used
to attract the young generation. Products created : hoops,
necklaces, hair bands and anklets.
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9. “For every assamese weaving is just
not a way of earning living,
but a emblem of pride,
love and affection”
The light of the east
MULBERRY
Registered as a non-profit organization in August 1999, Mulberry
(Development & Marketing Society for weavers) has been set up
with a mandate to work towards the development and economic
empowerment of rural women in the north east of India. Women
from tribal communities: Karbis, Bodos, Misings and Dimasas are
associated with Mulberry as it provides them an opportunity to
generate income through their own household crafts.
The strength of Mulberry is fine weaving and the use of traditional
motifs in their products for men and woman clothing. However,
my contribution has been to break the monotony of the product
range and align it with the present trends.
Styles were kept in sync with flavor of the season and product
range was further evolved to include waist jacket, tops and
spaghettis to satisfy the young age group.
To minimize the cost and wastage, scarp material discarded during
the production was utilized to make accessories like bags and
belts. Its proved to be economically, socially and environmentally
successful and also generated work for woman in the village.
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10. PRESERVING THE
THREADS OF LIFE
Over 10 million craftspeople are part of India’s living
heritage. Despite sub-primitive economic conditions,
they practice skills unmatched with any other country.
They stitch, weave, embroider, paint, sculpt and work
with different mediums from silk to linen, terracotta
to leather, wood to metal, and even with elephant’s
poo. There are hundreds of different techniques and
traditions, unique to each state, community and areas,
yet they striving for their existence and their full
potential remains untapped.
Due to imitative versions of products, sub-standard
quality of artwork and lack of market opportunities;
Craft is looked on as boring and passé! There is a need
to reinvent traditional craft and give it a new look and
appeal.
So, I want to create an opportunity for craft and design
to come into their own. A synergy of unique skills and
materials that matches the needs of today’s consumers
with professionally honed functional products and
market opportunities that can conquer not just the
Indian market but also the world!
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