The Hindu : New Delhi News : Showcasing their craft

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 31, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Showcasing their craft

Colourful: Craft exhibition

Dastkar, the Society for Crafts and Craftspeople, is as relevant today as it was when it began 25 years ago with just 14 groups. Now it has more than 200 non-government organisations and 25,000 craftspeople across the country working for it.

Bringing together craftspeople from across the country, Dastkar is organising a six-day-long exhibition at Travancore House here beginning Friday.

Diverse

The Dastkar family includes communities as diverse as Rabaris in Kutch, bead-makers from Banaras, burkha-clad chikan workers in Lucknow, Brahmin Madhubani painters from Bihar, victims of insurgency in Kashmir, displaced agricultural labour in Ranthambore, tribal Adivasis in Chhattisgarh and Regars from Rajasthan. Even isolated sheep-herding villages in snow-bound Ladakh, Kalamkari artists from Machilipatnam and Kalahasti and Bodos from the Northeast are part of the gargantuan Dastkar family.

Craftspeople working under Dastkar are now working as entrepreneurs in their own right, procuring and producing bulk orders, exporting, dealing with retailers directly, owning their retail outlets and sourcing fabric from each other. With over a lakh visitors and annual sales of over Rs.3 crore, the Dastkar Nature Bazaar continues to be the most visited and biggest selling crafts’ exhibition. A brand name that is now widely known not only in Delhi but also in other parts of the country.

Besides hosting exhibitions, Dastkar has been raising its voice for thousands of craftspeople, who are still marginalised and earn wages less than unskilled agricultural labour. It is involved in community development in terms of income generation, houses built, villages re-designed, children imparted education, sanitation and medicare. Moreover, it has brought self-esteem and pride in their profession among craftspeople.

– Madhur Tankha

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