Crafts Council India (CCI) held its annual meet at Coimbatore this year and underpinning the discussions in the day long conference were the matter of funding and CSR. Eminent people who worked with artisans in areas of design, technology and marketing shared their experiences.
Gita Ram, Chairperson CCI came straight to the point in her opening address: “We have to shift gears about how we look at craft. It is the entire eco-system of craft that needs help, be it in design intervention, marketing or just awareness about it.” CCI tried to address these issues through its initiatives, and speaking of one of them she said, “CCI engages with at least 200 children of craftspeople at any given time. We have to educate to sustain and we have met with some success in places like Pathamadai in Tamil Nadu and parts of Bengal where experts conduct weekend classes for the children on design to keep them interested in the craft of their parents.”
Thambalam exhibition in the city | Photo Credit: Pankaja Srinivasan
Speakers Manish Saxena (he heads the CSR initiatives of Aditya Birla) and Sharda Gautam (Tata Trust) shard their experiences of how Corporate intervention grows craft. Manish said of the weave of Varanasi, Bhuj and Pochampalli with which he is associated, “With design inputs that do not tamper with its authenticity, we have taken these age old crafts to the international stage.” Both he and Sharda emphasised the need for sensitivity to local craft, craft recognition and providing monetary as well as emotional support to the craftspeople. Sudha Shivkumar, treasurer CCI, made a strong case for addressing the real challenges. She said, mere subsidy was not the answer. “Markets had transformed beyond recognition and it was time to acknowledge that there was pitiful infrastructure, inadequate avenues to sell and non-availability of raw materials to help artisans. It was essential to have strong policies to leverage skills and create opportunities.”
- Ashoke Chatterjee, former director of National Institute of Design and Honorary President of CCI for many years, pulled no punches when he wrapped up the session. “Globalisation is out, it is the era for localisation. It is about local artists, local material, and even local CSR. The young want to hear powerful stories. The millennial demands socially responsible products that have a care for the planet and those who are less advantaged. Everything that CCI is doing here answers that. We have such fabulous stories such as the Aranmula Kannadi one. Go out and share them.
Joint Treasurer CCI, Sudha Ravi shared a heart-warming account of how CCI responded in time of disaster and helped Aranmula Kannadi makers get back on their feet post the Kerala Floods. CCI brought in design expert Aayush Kasliwal who suggested ways to reinvent the craft.
Summing up, Sharda Gautam made a poignant statement about the status of craftspeople in the country. He said: “The kaarigar and the kalakaar (artists) are now mere majdoors (labourers).