In an effort to support artisans, especially those affected due to COVID-19 restrictions, Poompuhar, the retail arm of Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation, has come out with a couple of services to connect customers with the artisans.
These services, that are developed using virtual reality technology, are being tested at the Poompuhar outlet in Coimbatore since Thursday and will be rolled out across the State from July 31.
The outlet’s manager, R. Narendra Bose, told The Hindu the website of of Poompuhar (tnpoompuhar.org) has a page for artisans. The catalogue has photos and details of the artisans. Customers from any country or State, who want to interact with the artisans for a handicraft product, can ask for support and the respective Poompuhar outlet that is working with the artisan will connect him or her with the customers through video call.
The Coimbatore outlet of Poompuhar works with nearly 250 artisans and details of almost 55 of them have been uploaded on the site, he said.
Customers who visit the Poompuhar outlets and are interested in knowing about the varieties available for a particular product will also be helped to connect with the artisan concerned immediately. “We are talking to the artisans regularly and have asked them to keep ready all the products in stock. The artisans can show these products to the customers through the video call. Poompuhar will organise and get the product supplied to the customer,” he added.
Another service is for artisans who do not have resources to pack and ship the products to customers. If they have a particular product that a customer is interested in, Poompuhar will ensure that the product is supplied to the customer, he added.