The Resurging Value of Civil Society for Indian Crafts
Established in 2002, Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) aims to connect the unreached and underserved communities of India in an effort to bring them out of digital darkness and equip them with access to information, digital literacy, digital tools and last mile connectivity. Over the years, DEF has marked its presence in more than 500 locations across 100 districts of 23 Indian states. Eleven of these locations are handloom and handicraft clusters of India. On January 21, the first physical store of the DigiKargha Studio was opened in New Delhi. The store celebrates the handloom and handicraft artistes who are taking to digital tools and technologies to bring improvements in critical aspects of product development, especially designing, weaving, archiving, marketing, and entrepreneurship. The DigiKargha Studio is a platform to celebrate the #DigitalArtisans of India.
Starting with Chanderi, in Madhya Pradesh, in 2009, DEF has been working with handloom weavers under its Digital Cluster Development Programme that primarily involves inclusive and decentralised use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and other digital tools in critical aspects of cluster development, especially improving and scaling up weaving skills, designs, archiving, marketing and entrepreneurship, besides creating sustainable livelihood options for the youth in the clusters.
These efforts have brought improvements in colour combinations to meet the market trends; innovation in designs through the addition of contemporary elements to traditional motifs; sustainability of artwork though digital archiving of designs; easier access to end buyers through digital market linkages; and hike in livelihood through complimentary artisan silks; among others.
Since then, the Digital Cluster Development Programme has been able to introduce digital interventions in the artisan clusters of Saidanpur in Uttar Pradesh; Barpali & Nuapatna in Odisha; Kollegal in Karnataka; Pochampalli in Telangana; Musiri and Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu; Warli in Maharashtra; Barmer in Rajasthan; and Pondicherry.
The success of DEF’s work in Chanderi and ten other handloom and artisan clusters of India motivated the establishment of the DigiKargha Studio in 2018 in an effort to bring artisans closer to the end customer, through both online and offline sales.
This month, on January 21, the first physical store of the DigiKargha Studio was opened in New Delhi. The store celebrates the handloom and handicraft artistes who are taking to digital tools and technologies to bring improvements in critical aspects of product development, especially designing, weaving, archiving, marketing, and entrepreneurship. The DigiKargha Studio is a platform to celebrate the #DigitalArtisans of India.
The DigiKargha Studio brings together an exclusive range of products from rich artisan clusters to the National Capital in an effort to bridge the gap between producers of art and consumers of art.
The store is open on weekdays from 10 am to 7pm. Click here for Google Map pin
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