A new partnership to promote Chanderi’s handloom
Chanderiyaan, the e-commerce outlet developed by Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) to empower world famous but hitherto impoverished weavers of Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh, saw a big boost in pre-Diwali sales in November. Till 2010, these weavers were at the mercy of middlemen and somehow eked out a living. With DEF’s comprehensive digital intervention they have now tripled their monthly incomes. On 9th November, DEF organized an in-house exhibition to enable the staff at its New Delhi headquarters and their friends and family members to go on a pre-Diwali shopping spree buying exquisite Chanderi garments at their doorstep and at fabulous prices.
On the day, DEF staff gathered with their friends and families to attend an event dedicated to empowerment of Chanderi weavers and inspired by their gorgeous handloom textiles. With Diwali just around the corner, the staff and their invited guests were all smiles to get an opportunity to shop exquisite Chanderi garments at their doorsteps and at fabulous prices. The beautiful handloom products, free-spirited yet anchored to traditional roots, represent ancient wisdom and modern outlook. The exhibition was hosted by the weavers who specially travelled all the way from Chanderi to Delhi to showcase their textiles in several events across Delhi and rounded off their visit with an exhibition at the DEF office at Kalu Sarai. “With many people always waiting for Diwali to do their shopping, the sales just shoot up around the festival season,’ said the leader of the Chanderiyaan weaver group Furkaan.
Furkaan who belongs to the weaver’s community settled in Chanderi, a small town in Madhya Pradesh, usually comes to Delhi together with his business associates during the festival season anticipating a good sale. The weaver’s community in Chanderi still practices the 13th century craft of producing beautiful apparels on handlooms. Although Chanderi products sell world-wide at premium prices, the weavers used to get a pittance thanks to the middlemen menace. Since, 2010, DEF has changed all that.
By digitally empowering weavers through setting up a digital design centre at Chanderi and a modern e-commerce retail outlet called Chanderiyaan, DEF has empowered Chanderi weavers to come out of the grip of middlemen and directly sell their exquisite products to customers across the world. Chanderi products are no more on the list of vanishing handicrafts that plagues many handicraft artisan communities across India.
DEF staff, especially women, reveled at the event. “I wanted to try something in traditional wear this Diwali and I have opted for this beautiful Chanderi suit. This will give me a complete ethnic look at festive parties’, said Aanchal, who emerged as the top buyer at the event. The sales boosted the morale of the weavers’ team and they were vocally and visibly happy. “We will be really happy to come here again,” said Kallebhai, one of the weaver’s from Chanderi.
“Through Chanderiyaan we are building an ecosystem for the empowerment of Chanderi handloom weavers using digital interventions. Our vision and mission is to weave together the economic and social prosperity of weavers by enhancing their entrepreneurial skill set,’ said Ravi Guria, head of Communication and Media Department at DEF. “We will provide more such platforms to Chaderi weavers in the near future. Our strategy will be to broaden the horizon of the Chanderi handloom market and turn around their hitherto vanishing business,” he added.
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