She started Dastkari Haat Samiti (Dilli Haat) in 1986 to enable rural artisans to gain confidence in the market and has been instrumental in reviving many traditional crafts. She has brought artisans from India, Pakistan, Vietnam and Africa together to share their skills. Besides this, Jaya has also written books on the crafts of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh and has assisted NCERT in creating a syllabus for craft heritage in schools. Jaya, who has received awards from the Phd Chamber and FICCI for her work in culture and arts and as a role model for women leaders, speaks to MetroPlus about the warp and weft of her world. Excerpts
What is it that drives you to work for the cause of handicrafts?
The beauty of non-standardisation is what I like to promote. Why do we impose the parameters of a mechanised world into the world of crafts? Now people are producing robots to work. Some, which can make a wall faster than human beings. I want to ask, what will you do with your human beings? Will they only be kept busy in factories making robots? In crafts, each human being is bringing his/her years of experience, history, tradition and aspirations in that one weave they create with their hands. They are putting their minds, hands and hearts while working on each piece and are making something which is a personal offering and an extension of their selves. How can we compare this with something made by machines or in factories? Where can you find any comparison? That is the beauty of handicrafts and itkeeps me going.
Your ideas about GST for handlooms?
There are people who have worked on this. Very few, who have their heart and soul in handicrafts have been involved in the GST scheme. They should have lobbied before it was implemented; I don’t think they did. The work is on and I believe the bureaucracy will be sympathetic towards handlooms.
Your thoughts on handlooms in Bengaluru...
I visited the weaver service centre and interacted with them for a long time. Most weavers are not ready to work in cotton, they prefer working with silks as they get a little more money for that. We have tried to motivate them to come up with designs so that we bring back cotton weaves.
In the seminar, you said ‘we have to be progressive, go back to our past’, which for a certain people may mean regressing. How would you explain this to them?
Going backwards is not negative. It is remembering what was good. Good is everlasting as they are based on values. Why do we give our mothers saris with our first salaries? Why does a weaver offer his first piece to the goddess? And these values are timeless. You can be technologically advanced but, we must keep our heritage and values alive and take them forward. This brings back humanity to our lives.
Techies run this city. How would you reach out to them?
I would not walk into their office. For if at all they give time, they will be very condescending. Maybe because of my name and age they may just give me a cup of tea. Such activities must be organised by meaningful organisations. They need to know how it can benefit them. I try to tell all manufactures – be it telephones, cement or washing machines -- that if you empower the villager, they will use your products. They too are your potential customers. Even a craftsman uses a mobile. When he appreciates your phones, why don’t you appreciate his textiles? You cannot take everything from him – his land, his water and energy and then say it is your world.
What changes in world of handicrafts have you have seen inyour journey?
Wherever we have been able to inculcate hope through a market, the craftspeople have been happy to revive their work. They have stood up with great patience to protect their skills, pride and their clout.