Craftsmen connect with consumers

Hyderabad: The second edition of the nature bazaar ‘Dastkar’ where craftsperson from all over India participates and sells their own products directly with consumers has begun recently in the city and it will continue till December 10 at Punjagutta Officers Colony premises.

Representing over 60 crafts groups, NGOs and artists from all over the country, Dastkar brought together hand-crafted artware under one roof for commoners and connoisseurs to appreciate and patronise the artists. Dastkar always gives space to new craft groups in the bazaars therefore this time there will be a variety of new craft groups and designers who will be exhibiting their unique products for the first time. This will be a unique opportunity for customers to meet the faces behind the creations and appreciate the lives and experiences behind their work. “As part of our programme of spreading awareness of craft to different cities of India, we are organising the 2nd edition of the Dastkar Nature Bazaar in the city. Our objective is to enable craftsperson and consumer to interact directly, without the intervention of intermediary agencies or middlemen.” said Laila Tyabji, founder of Dastkar. 

The products included in this exhibition are shibori, batik, bagru, dabu apparel textiles, hand woven banaras brocade sarees, kantha embroidery, pashmina shawls, ari embroidery and more. Dastkar is a private not-for-profit NGO established in 1981, working to support traditional Indian craftspeople, many of them women and village based, with the objective of helping craftspeople regain their place in the economic mainstream, in a country where the craft sector is second only to agriculture in providing employment. The organisers strongly believe in crafts as a catalytic tool for social and economic empowerment and earning. It is committed to breaking the barriers that separate craftspeople from mainstream urban markets, reviving and revitalizing both the craft and the community.