Page 24 - EDII Report 113

REPORTS 113 REPORTS 113
EDII EDII

The

in

ndia is home to crafts, grounded in its culture Ÿ Hand Block Printing Workshop
and heritage. Skilled artisans from different
Workshop on Hand Block Printing was conducted
Iregions, across the country, give a peak into the
in Maheshwar cluster as a part of Awareness
rich cultural heritage through crafts that embody a
Training Programme. The artisans, weavers and
history and a tale of the bygone era. Crafts are the
entrepreneurs got to know about this art form
wealth that the country has always sought to
which was fairly new to them. The participants were
treasure. Apart from being the source of livelihood
trained on various techniques, origin of Block Print
to many, they are the identity of real India. But the
and types which will prove beneficial to them to
fact remains that the times are changing and with
meet the new and trendy demands of the
that, tastes and preferences of consumers are also
consumers.
undergoing a change. The artisans need to evolve
their skills and understand the dynamics of the
markets and business better to survive against the
influx of cheaper, machine-made goods. Weavers of Maheshwar cluster seen during a training session on Hand Block printing.

EDII has taken upon itself the onus of altering the
handloom landscape and adopting a wholesome
The handloom is not just a source of livelihood for weavers and artisans, but also an
vision that unleashes modernity, innovation and
environment friendly, energy saving form of art that has secured India's presence in
creativity in the sector. The Institute is
millions of homes across the globe. What is even more precious are the hands behind
implementing the 3 – year Hand Made in India these crafts- the artisans, most of whom come from the marginalized sections of society
(HMI) project under HSBC's CSR initiative. The
Project Handmade in India aims to facilitate the sustainable development of the
mandate is to build the capacity and skills of
handloom clusters by building solutions for value chain improvement, resolving
weavers so that they step up their operations and
operational challenges, undertaking entrepreneurial training, improving capacity, and
function with an entrepreneurial bent of mind to
E-Catalogues of various art forms have been readied. strengthening market linkages through specific need-based interventions. Additionally,
benefit from the upbeat market scenario for Seen here is a product of Tangaliya art from the project is to assist in the establishment of new enterprises to facilitate growth for the
handloom sector. Surendranagar Cluster in an e-catalogue.
industry and generate livelihood.
-Dr. Raman Gujral, Prof. and Director, Dept. of Projects - Corporate

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