Showing posts tagged india
Creativity and Sustainability in Kumaon
Yes, I’ve been out of touch this week (sorry!), but for good reason: I was experiencing heaven on earth, or as most call it, the central Himalayan region of Kumaon in India.
I was visiting Avani, an NGO that focuses on building livelihoods in Kumaon. One of their biggest initiatives is solar energy and the other is silk weaving and textile products.
Rashmi and her husband Rajneesh bring a whole new meaning to the word R&D. They’ve led a revolution in the region that has turned locals into self-trained experts in areas like natural dyeing, solar energy, and biofuels.
I was fortunate enough to spend 2 days and nights in Sukuna, one of the remote villages they work in. The field team (pictured below) took me around with them on the Self-Help Group visits. The women here put in at least 20 Rps. each and vote on who gets to use the pot for different things in their lives, like a wedding or buying a cow. It was quite an experience as I have done work with a large microfinance network in the States but was able to see a similar model first hand.
The trek up the mountain was no joke either. We had to hike 45 minutes up off the road just to get to the main center and then another 8km up to the Self-Help Group villages. What’s so interesting is that these tiny little women are so used to zipping up and down the mountains that one was carrying a bag the size of herself in flip flops with no problem whatsoever. There was a definite language barrier in the villages (even the team could barely speak English and my Hindhi sucks) so I had a lot of time to think about how mountains are perfect metaphors for life and building a business. (I’m sure there are many other blog posts out there about that so I’ll spare you.)
The trip was great. For one, to be off the grid, and to get recharged before going into production with the companies I’ve recruited so far for the Rubina Pilot. But also, because I started some product development with Avani weavers and tailors as well. Below is a picture of me sampling a product idea with Parvati and the other tailors.
Patterns!
All found in India. Top left: shoes made by Congolese artisans being sold in the international section of the Surajkund Mela in New Delhi; Top right: floor of Mayank Kaul’s fab design studio near Saket, New Delhi; Bottom: Marble wall motif from a palace in Rajasthan.
#ThingsILikeAboutIndia
#34. That no matter how full you are, you can still somehow find room when your friend’s Aunt offers a third helping of paratha.
A meeting with the Indian Institute of Craft & Design
What: Indian Institute of Craft and Design
IICD was initiated by the Rajasthani government with the mission to “evolve a sustained program of growth and development of both crafts sector and craftsmen in an integrated manner. They focus on generating requisite knowledge, upgrading relevant skills and to fostering right attitudes in order to develop high quality, motivated human resource and change agents, in a vibrant climate of experimentation and innovation.”
Where: Jaipur, Rajasthan
Who: Dr. Bhardwaj (director) and Swarup Dutta (dean of UG programs)
Left to right: me, Swarup, 2 embroidery artisan teachers, embroidery class teacher
IICD students
Each student graduates when completing their Diploma Project, for which they produce a product that blends design principles and traditional craft. Some of the work I viewed was really interesting; particularly traditional Dhokra work formed into modern cutlery.
An overview of student work, experimental and finished.
Student design work, working with an artisan in woodwork and traditional weaving.
Embroidery Class
Two artisans who specialize in embroidery gave me a quick demo and put together a palette of several different types of embroidery to show the class.
From what I’ve gathered here so far, most of the issues for rural craftspeople are due to disconnection and lack of access: Artisans don’t have direct access to the market. Potential markets don’t know where to find out about traditional craft and artisans. Designers and artisans come from urban and rural perspectives, which makes working together in a creatively equal way difficult. Etc etc…
It’s encouraging to see IICD attempting to bridge some of those gaps. (And it’s not easy as these issues are all gray.) A couple of interesting things they’re doing are bringing artisans to teach their craft to students and creating a space for them to be experts and teachers, which creates respect and understanding on both sides. And in general, their programs explore the industry as a whole and all stakeholders in the value chain, and are trying to find ways all parties can add value and get value.
I was quite inspired by my visit and the people that are designing and graduating from the programs there, and am excited to see where they go with it all.
IICD needs
They are looking for international partnerships in case anyone is looking for exchange opportunities! Email me, if so.
