Workshop on Capacity Building & Self-development for our artisans of Kutch, Gujarat (October 8, 2011 to October 10, 2011)
Venue: Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat.
A total of three workshops were organized by SETU for the artisans of Bhuj, Kutch with the help & co-operation of our partner NGOs viz. Khamir CRC, Qasab & VGS. The venues chosen were the artisan facilitation Centers of these three NGOs, in and around Bhuj, for maximum & easy accessibility of artisans. The three days long program was held from from October 8, 2011 to October 10, 2011 at VGS, Khamir CRC and Qasab respectively.
Following programs were covered in the Workshops:
- Capacity Building
- Self-development
- Food & Nutrition
- Health, Hygiene & sanitation
The participant artisans included craft persons associated with bell making, batik printing, dyeing, tailoring, embroidery, weaving, door-to-door directly linked collective female workers, SHG (Self Help Group Members) etc. At Qasab, the participants were all women, at Khamir, they were all men and at VGS, both men & women participated. In all, 110 artisans benefitted from the workshops.
The workshop included various topics such as Time management, Quality improvement, increasing production capacity, risk taking capacity, innovative thinking, building positive attitude etc. Guidance was given on how to use effective procedures, how to absorb latest information and apply it.
As part of livelihood promotion, information on how to achieve self-employment and start own `Gruh Udyog’ i.e. domestic production was imparted. How to avail the facilities & support available for such ventures and how to manage these were informed.
Knowledge was given on how to achieve & retain the maximum nutrients from available local food substances and how to incorporate vital ingredients in their diet.
Health education for women was also provided. Special emphasis was laid on use of sanitary napkins for improving hygiene. SETU plans to provide them with sanitary napkins shortly to assist them in this regard.
Some additional issues for the betterment of day-to-day life such as equality amongst men and women, removing personal grudges & betterment of married life were also discussed.
In all, the motive was to guide them to adopt techniques that can help them to increase production and improve their skills along with upgrading their personal lives.
The workshops were highly interactive in nature. At the end, specially designed questionnaires were distributed among the participants to judge the knowledge grasped by them & to assess the change in their attitude levels after the workshop.
The overall program was a huge success and SETU plans to conduct more such workshops for more artisans in future.
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Tailoring Workshop (24-27 September) Location: Nadi Par Taal, Ashok Colony,Gwalior
A four day tailoring workshop was organized for the residents of `Nadi Par Taal’, Ashok colony,Gwalior. The people come from the underprivileged and downtrodden sections of the society who make a living by working as seasonal wage laborers and thus fall short of employment all the year round.The training programme was conducted to introduce tailoring as an alternate livelihood options to the beneficiaries thereby opening new avenues for them.Women across all age groups participated in the session where they were told how to efficiently cut and stitch a fabric. Tailoring expert Ms. Saroj Singh, was engaged by SETU to provided training. Ms Saroj is an experienced trainer and has provided tailoring training to many women in the past.
In the 4 day programme, women learnt the basics of tailoring and stitched one one sample piece on their own. Women made blouses, salwar kameez and beautiful bags.. All the raw material to be used in the training programme like fabrics, laces, mirrors, elastics, bukram etc. was provided by SETU ( completely free of cost) . Also, SETU provided them with Sewing machines ( 3 nos.) for the training purpose.
The basic purpose was to train the semi-skilled women for all round tailoring so that they can not only stitch their own clothes but can also earn a livelihood by stitching clothes of their neighbors and local community.
Providing livelihoods training to the women artisans at Mehra slumGwalior (5-11 September)
In the series of vocational training programmes for the urban poor, another week long livelihood training session was conducted for the residents of Mehra slum, an urban slum located in the suburbs ofGwaliorcity.
The artisan families here are indulged in embroidery work and make a living through it. But, the embroidery work alone is not sufficient to run a family as the opportunities are less, the agents are unable to provide them with the required volume of work, the wages are too less.. Consequently, the families are bound to live in poverty..
Diversified training on making other products for more than one livelihood option can improve the present condition of the artisan communities here. With this view, training was provided on designing & making of decorative items such as Wall arts, Door hangings, banderwaals, torans, dsecorative hair bands, bracelets etc. With festivals like Navratra, Dusshera & Diwali soon approaching, a huge market demand is expected for such products.
Training was provided under the expert guidance of our master trainers Mr. Layak Ram and Mr. Sunil. All the raw material for making the handicraft items like colorful beads, velvets, fabrics, laces, mirrors, elastics, bukram, glues etc. was provided by SETU ( completely free of cost).
In addition to making beautiful handicraft products, artisans were also given knowledge on how these products can prove to be a source of income for them. They were informed about how & where these products can be sold in the market thereby acting as a livelihood option. Details of vendors in the market where the products can be sold, were provided to the women. The participants very much liked the idea and were eager to try this out. The feedback on the training session was overwhelming. We hope to organize more such programmes in near future.
Training workshop on Tailoring skills (6-8 August 2011)
Artisans produce beautiful designs, straight from their heart, sometimes unmatchable with even the classy fashion designers. Their designs are characteristic of the innocence and purity of their dedication towards the craft. Artisans are excellent at the artistic part of the product but to increase the market demand, it is essential to add functionality to the product so that the art gets converted into a useful & desirable product. Most of the artisans are unable to create functional products out of their art forms which can be suitably used by end-consumers and therefore are unable to compete in the market. Here, we are talking about the tailoring skills i.e., creating neat and finely stitched useful products from their art to increase its salability.
Our women artisans, involved in embroidery & appliqué work, at Barmer, Rajasthan are expert in their art forms. The craft is a major source of their income as most of the artisan families practice the traditional art inherited from their forefathers. Associated with our partner NGO SURE, these artisans have been creating different designs for SETU under SETU’s livelihood development initiatives.
With continuous interaction, it was realized that though being great with artistic designs, these artisans lack the efficient cutting and stitching skills required to give the product a proper finishing look i.e. they cannot do value addition to their craft. Consequently, the final product faces a decreased market demand for e.g. improperly stitched bags don’t find much buyers in comparison to well stitched bags. This is a serious issue which needs to be tackled with urgency as due to this very reason, the sale of products is getting adversely affected which in turn is affecting the employment opportuniyies of artisan communities.
Therefore, to impart requisite tailoring skills, a training workshop was conducted for the embroidery artisans of Barmer Rajasthan.
The programme was presided over by our master trainer Mr. Sunil Dutt. An expert in tailoring, with past experience in large Export Houses, Sunil reached Barmer on 6 August 2011. Reaching there, he met the artisans at SURE and discussed with them the problems being faced. Taking an entire view of the situation, Sunil then met the centre coordinator Jairam Ji and updated him about the situation. He also found that some of the sewing machines are not properly working at the centre, leading to reduced & poor quality output. Therefore, at first the machine needed to be repaired. Jairam ji welcomed the suggestion and within a period of about 2-3 hours the machines got repaired.
At around 3 PM the training session got started. Sunil taught the artisans how to efficiently cut a bag out of a fabric thereby saving an adequate quantity of textile. Then he asked the artisans to cut the bag in the same way. Artisans also learnt how to make beautiful wallets in the session. The raw materials which are out of the reach of artisans like zippers, buckram etc. were provided by SETU, also they were made aware of the nearest sources from where the raw materials can be procured.
On 7 August 2011, the training session took a headstart early in the morning at around 9 am. Carrying forward the cutting of the bag and wallet pattern, Sunil now made the artisans learn efficient and quality stitching; thus providing a great look to the fabric. Emphasis was laid on how to stitch zippers, buckles etc to create contemporary look in the designs. The artisans were asked to stitch one sample of bag and wallet each on their own which were later evaluated by Sunil. He pointed out the stitching and cutting mistakes, if any and suggested measures on improving them.
The paper patterns for cutting the required styles were provided to the artisans for future reference . After the completion of the training on 8th august, Sunil met the Secretary of SURE, Smt Lata ji and discussed with her about the session and expressed an urgent need to have more good quality machines to improve the stitching ability of artisans. He also showed her the bag and wallet samples made by the artisans as part of the session. Lata ji observed the improved stitching in the fabric and appreciated Sunil for his efforts. She assured him about the maintenance of the machines. She also applauded the incredible work being done by SETU for the skill development of artisans. All in all it was a great learning experience for the artisans and a satisfying one for us.
Food and nutrition workshop at Gwalior (7 April 2011)
On the occasion of “World Health Day”, a health and nutrition workshop was organized by SETU on 7th April 2011 at Huravali,Gwalior; for the residents of a slum area inhabited by people living below the poverty line. The workshop was conducted by Mr. L.R. Kaushal, social welfare manager at SETU.
The workshop was aimed at spreading awareness about healthy food practices and nutrition disorders like malnutrition, The session started with a brief overview on malnutrition, its ill effects and what can be done to prevent this disease.
Kaushal then asked the people about their eating habits i.e, what type of food they eat and in how much quantity. After listening, Kaushal told the audience about the typical ingredients of a balanced diet and revealed the fact that taking a balanced diet is the only cure to this nutritional disorder.
Pamphlets were distributed to the people specially designed at SETU to make them well aware of malnutrition and its consequences.
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< ![endif]–><!–[if !vml]–><!–[endif]–>In the workshop, people were shown the ingredients of a balanced diet like fresh green leafy vegetables, seasonal fruits, pulses, and cereals. Arrangements were made to provide the people with nutritious food rich in proteins, carbohydrates, fat and all the essential vitamins.
Vocational training Course for Amar Jyoti kids
“Talent needs to be recognized and nurtured”. With this vision, SETU aims to organize vocational training workshops for the deserving and needy. As one such endeavour, vocational training is being provided as part of their routine curriculum to the physically and mentally challenged kids at Amar Jyoti,Gwalior. The aim of the workshop is to bring out inner creativity of the extremely able kids and at the same time to inculcate design skills in them. Around 225 kids are estimated to benefit from the programme.
The training programme is being carried out under the expert guidance of our master trainer, Sunil who is giving kids easy ideas on making attractive handicraft items from recycled cotton fabric. Kids are learning to make Bird toys, Wall hangings, Keychains, garlands, and much more.
“Workshop on Self development and Quality improvement, Barmer Rajasthan
SETU organized a “Workshop on Self development and Quality improvement” for our wood Block printing artisans in the desert areas near Barmer, Rajasthan on 23rd March 2011. Artisans here specialize in Ajrakh block printing, a form of block printing on cloth; characteristic of this region. These artisans belong to the Khatri community and are engaged in this craft for centuries. The word ‘Ajrakh’ means ‘keep it to day’. It also means making beautiful and inArabia, Ajrakh indicates the blue colour. This beautiful art form is thought to have originated in the twelfth century and was mainly produced in Jaiselmer, Rajasthan.
Now, production is almost entirely confined to the villages of Barmer in Rajasthan, and Dhamadka and Khavda in Kutch. Artisans practicing this art belong to the Khatri community and are engaged in this craft for centuries. The ancestors of Khatri community, migrated to Dhamadka, Kachchh from Sindh and Ajrakh printing began as a localized art. The art continues to rule the region with the technique handed down from father to son. In recent times, Harijan craftsmen qualified under Khatri craftsmen are also capturing this craft.
For majority of the artisan families residing here, art is the sole source of income. They not only enjoy the work but also earn decent sum of money, thus carving a dignified living for them and their families. However, recently SETU sensed a sort of insecurity in their minds as they are not able to envision a promising future in this art form. The main reason being the fast changing trends of today’s times & development of new technology with each passing day, resulting in faster & low cost production. The artisans feel that owing to this mechanization after some years there will not be much takers to their hand made work. And due to this insecurity, they do not encourage their next generation to follow their footsteps.
With an objective to address this serious issue and to give some easy tips on enhancing quality of products, SETU organized a workshop, which was attended by 25 wood Block printing artisans. In the workshop, SETU team comprising of team head Rashmi, team members Devendra Dhariwal and L.R. Kaushal , special volunteers Amininder and Harpreet from Canada presided the workshop,
It was a highly interactive session where artisans put forward their viewpoints.
Printed resource materials were distributed amongst the participants & by means of questionnaires & strategic motivational talks, their fears were dissipated & their self-confidence boosted up. They were also made aware of the fact that more and more people are now realizing the importance of handmade eco-friendly products and the future lies in it. SETU team also told the ground realities of migrated labor doing odd jobs in big cities, their hardships & insecurities.
Unleashing inner creativity as a therapy – Workshop at Amar Jyoti – 12th Feb 2011
Nothing is more powerful than the smile on a child’s face. Now multiply this by 129, and you will get a small sense of what SETU staff and volunteers experienced on February 12th!
In order to interact with the kids and to help them discover themselves, SETU team conducted a workshop for the Amar Jyoti Charitable Trust’s kids on 12th of Feb 2011. One of our leading volunteers was Hetal Shah, fellow of indicorps, a USA based organization. Around 129 children ( inclusive of physically & mentally challenged kids) attended the highly interactive and fun loving session.
The workshop comprised of two activities “Speak up!” and “vegetable block painting”. The first activity “Speak up” was an ice breaker activity, aimed at bringing the children out of their shells, to build up their confidence level and to make them aware about their inner self so that they can be clear about what they want to be in the future. As part of the activity, children were provided with small pieces of paper with numbers from 1 to 5 written on them. What the kids had to do was to open the paper and tell as many things about them as the number. Initially, the kids were a bit shy about the whole activity; to remove their hesitation SETU team and volunteers helped them out and also offered kids with chocolates as incentive.
A child’s imagination is full of colors, and to add more colors to it, especially in the lives of these differently-abled kids, we planned a “vegetable block painting” activity where the children were asked to paint using different vegetables and a brush. The basic purpose of carrying out this activity was to introduce the kids to their creative side which is necessary for a child’s all round development. For the task, they were provided with vegetables like, potatoes, okra, carrots etc. cut in different shapes, color plates and pastel colors. Kids were asked to dip vegetable in the color and make an impression of it on the paper. Result was incredible! Children made beautiful drawings, high above the expectations! With beautiful flowers, houses, faces, landscapes, we were thoroughly impressed by their creativity, one of them even made SETU’s logo!!
SETU team and volunteers along with teachers at Amar Jyoti, assisted children in the activities. In order to increase participation we distributed chocolates and snacks among the kids.
The best part, of course, was seeing the 129 smiles as each child left the room. We hope to do more activities like this with Amar Jyoti in the future. It was a day to cherish forever!
Community development for Artisans at “Jagnapura Laghedi”- an urban slum at Gwalior (2nd Feb 2011)
Life is sometimes too harsh for some people. Food and water which are life’s basic necessities are not an easy affair for many. This is true for the people of Jagnapura Laghedi, an urban slum at Gwalior where SETU team made a visit.
The sole source of income for the residents here is embroidery on sarees which women of the family do from their homes. The male members work on daily wages and do not earn regularly. Consequently, it’s the art which makes the houses run.
It takes about 100-150 Rs. in doing embroidery on one saree, involving two mandays, out of which the artisans get only 50-60 Rs. as the remaining amount goes in buying raw materials for the work.
Artisans here do not have any loan facility available from the government; this is a matter of serious concern as many artisans said they need loans to start a new venture and wish to send their children to school with the money. Another area of grave concern is the fact that most of the houses don’t have any built in toilets, in the absence of which people have to face inconvenience.
SETU is trying to provide the artisans with vocational training so that they can become self sustainable & increase their earning. Also, efforts are being made to create Self Help Groups (SHGs) among the community for their overall development. This will not only aid them economically but also generate self confidence in them.
Helping artisans overcome product rejections (20-23rd January 2011)
As part of our efforts to bring about artisan development, we decided to provide training to our wood carving artisans in a bid to lessen their product rejections. These artisans make beautiful products but fall short on certain parameters of product design and quality, leading to rejections. To solve this problem and to polish their skills, we invited them at SETU. They were also asked to bring the required machines with them in order to give them a practical approach about the whole process. The rejected goods were shown to them and the defects explained. Our SETU team members assisted them in finding their weak points and simultaneously helped to work on them.
Guiding the artisans for quality improvement – visit to jewellery making and wood carving artisans of Moradabad and Bijnor (8-9 December 2010)
In an effort to implement our vision of overall artisan development, SETU team visited our jewellery making artisans at Moradabad and wood carving artisans of Bijnor.
Visit to Moradabad:
SETU team, comprising of team head Rashmi and product development manager Archna, visited the artisans. The group houses our jewellery making artisans. Our beautiful cuffs and earrings are made by this group. The process involves a lot of hardwork and determination but we were pleased to see that our artisans are doing a commendable job.
Majority of the artisans had poor education but are respectfully supporting their families, thanks to Fair Trade. However, children of almost all the artisans are receiving good education. Nasimji, their leader, told us that before getting introduced to Fair Trade the artisans were leading a miserable life as they had the expertise but didn’t know how to market their produce in order to make a living. Consequently, they were bound to lead a life full of hardships. Fair Trade has brought significant positive changes in their lives. Now, the artisans not only earn for themselves but have also become financially capable to support their families.
In the midst of interacting with artisans, SETU team member Archna inspected the quality of the jewellery and was quite satisfied with it. She gave them feedback on their workmanship & changes required. Desired improvements were incorporated. She was very happy to see that the artisans have made the exact designs; what were desired in the samples. This appears to be a good sign as the artisans now understand what the market wants and are able to make products according to the demand.
Visit to woodcarving artisans:
SETU team also visited our wood carving artisans of HSSS. Our beautiful earring stands, wood eyeglass holder and many other wooden products are made by this group.
We interacted with the artisans and tried to found out their problems while working. Most of the artisans are quite happy with their work reason being now they have more orders, i.e., more & regular work which was not the case earlier when they were not associated with SETU. Also, facilities like advance payments have changed their life for the better. Consequently, living standard has improved.
Various aspects of quality were discussed & guidance provided to improve quality.
Developing the craft skills of artisans – Trainer for artisans development (November 2010)
Artisans are experts in their various traditional art forms but sometimes lack efficiency in design skills, especially for contemporary & functional product development and need training to upgrade them. Keeping in view this fact, we at SETU has appointed a master trainer to develop the design skills of our artisans.
Mr. Sunit Dutt is a master designer and has got years of experience in cutting & tailoring for large export houses. He has already started working with our partner artisans at Amar Jyoti Delhi and in a short period of time has come up with positive results. He managed to bring the fabric consumption in bags down by 40%. He is teaching the artisans to cut economically & ingeniously and is also working to improve their stitching techniques
Design workshop for artisans of Bijnour (October 2010)
Design is the soul of a product. Updating artisans with contemporary trends in designs is essential for creating / maintaining the demand of a product among customers. This not only enables the artisan to make products in accordance with customers taste but also introduces them to latest techniques in the marketplace which is necessary for their overall development. With this view a design workshop was organized with our partner group HSSS in Bijnour , U.P.
The entire workshop was carried out over a span of two months with a total of 240 artisans registering their presence.
Artisans got in depth lessons on the art of brass inlay and woodcarving from expert trainers. A total of 8 trainers attended the workshop out of which two were sent from Gwalior (M.P.)
In the workshop, artisans were given first hand tips on carving a product along with the know-how of designing. The techniques of brass inlay were explained. Throughout the workshop artisans were kept abreast of the latest trends in the marketplace in terms of designing. It was a very overwhelming experience as artisans want more such workshops to be organized in the future.
Workshop at SABALA – updating the artisans with latest color trends and enhancing their craft skills- (August 2010)
SETU organized a technical workshop at one of our artisan groups `SABALA’ in the arid villages of Bijapur, Karnataka. It is an all women’s organization dedicated to the empowerment of Women and Children.
With a view to improve the skills of artisans and to update them with the latest colour trends a workshop was organized at SABALA.
Highlights of the workshop:
- Updating the artisans with Trend Forecasts for spring summer 2011
- Quiz on colors
- Rangoli competition
- Embroidery competition
- Discussion on
- Women empowerment
- Girl child education
- Nutrition, health and hygiene
The women artisans produce beautiful designs, their only weakness being that they are not aware of the latest trends in the market place and therefore sometimes make products not in line with the taste of foreign consumers. Keeping in view this fact; a workshop was organized to make the artisans aware about the latest color trends. The basic components of color & design were discussed at length in the workshop. Artisans were given basic knowledge on trend forecasts, how the forecasts are made, who decides the trends for a particular year and how, which are the famous fashion houses and similar such stuff.
Artisans were given a questionnaire comprising of simple questions on colors. This was just to assess their knowledge about colors; more specifically their interpretation of colors and how they make use of it while designing a product.
Another fun filled activity was the rangoli competition where the artisans were asked to make beautiful rangoli designs by deciding the colors on their own. Artisans made a variety of designs, each one different from the other. Those who made the best ones were given prizes at the end.
As a feedback to the workshop, an embroidery task was given to the artisans to know that to what an extent they have gained from the session. Results were positive as all artisans made beautiful designs and with proper color combinations.
Towards the end, artisans were asked to share their views on social issues related to women and child development. The following topics were discussed:
- Women empowerment
- Girl child education
- Nutrition, health and hygiene
Some women artisans really surprised us with their protagonist views on such sensitive issues. One of the women speaking on the topic of women empowerment, when asked the real meaning of it replied “main aaj bahar kaam kar rahi hoon yahi women empowerment hai” (I am able to work out of my home that’s women empowerment). Listening to this, the entire house filled with applause.
To motivate the artisans a large number of prizes were distributed at the end of workshop.
Workshop on Health Safety and Quality
SETU, as part of its policy, organizes workshops for the artisan groups on a regular basis. These are an effective way to interact with artisans and know about their problems in a short period of time. In one such effort, a workshop was organized for our artisans near Bijnour (U.P.). These artisans are basically wood carvers. The three basic topics covered in the workshop were safety, health and quality. The importances of all three were emphasized. Artisans were also distributed written material in which the tips related to these topics were given.
A quiz and slogan competition was also held in which artisans participated enthusiastically. Lots of nice slogans regarding safety, health & quality were put forward by the artisans. High quality tool-kits were awarded as prizes to the artisans with the best slogans / write-ups.
Some of the prize winning slogans are given below:
“Gunvatta karigar ki pehchan hain
Swasthya karigar ki reedh hai Suraksha
karigar ka jeevan hai”
Meaning:
Quality is an artisan’s identity
Health is an artisan’s back-bone
Safety is an artisan’s life
”Suraksha manushaya jeeevan ki mahtwapoorna kunji hai
Yadi karigar suraksha ka dhyan na rakhe to durghtana ho sakti hai
Suraksha ko dhyan me rakhte hue karigar apne aujar,thiye, motor ityadi ki niyamit janch karta hai
Karigar suraksha ko sabse mahtwapoorna manta hai.”
Meaning:
Safety is the most important key to a human being’s life.
If artisans don’t care about safety, accidents can take place
Keeping safety in mind, an artisan tests his tools, motor, workshop regularly
An artisan considers safety to be the most important
Kala Raksha Vidyalaya
“Kala Raksha” means “Protecting art”. At SETU consortium, we greatly value the conservation of handmade, cultural and artistic talents.
In our experiences, we have noticed that many art forms are becoming extinct. Unfair trade practices make artisans go out of business, provide mundane work at factories that doesn’t require artistic skills, and ultimately stop the passing of knowledge from one generation to the next. Thus, younger people do not inherit the artistic skills their forefathers created, since they render it useless in a “modern” world.
SETU is committed to keep art alive. Kala Raksha Vidyalaya is a school in Gujarat, India that provides vocational training in the traditional art forms to the local women. The aim is for rural people to practice and preserve the art of this region. We provide direct financial help to support this project, which nurtures many of the art forms used to create our products. Furthermore, we provide the artisans with information necessary to create more fashionable and marketable products, so they have a better chance to compete against big factories.
