DASTKAR

A Society for Crafts and Craftspeople

Dastkar is a 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.

I went to the artisans market at Delhi.

I learned a lot in that exhibition. This journey cannot be forgotten as there were many talented people who worked in the exhibition. They showed their crafts very well. Every craft, every design, speaks about the knowledge of the people who made it, where they lived. Every state has its own creative design and talent which i saw in the exhibition. Dastkar Bazaars and Exhibitions that provide craftspeople with exposure to and direct interaction with the urban consumer, enabling them to gauge market trends and customer demands for themselves.

Dastkar assists craftspeople through support service activities such as capacity building workshops, skills training, collaborative design innovation and product development; helping them transform traditional skills into products that have contemporary appeal, thereby providing craft communities with a source of permanent employment and sustained earning.

Dastkar provides marketing platforms to craftspeople, thereby empowering the crafts community to bypass exploitative middlemen and directly operate in the market. Dastkar bazaars and exhibitions bring together craftspeople, producer groups, environmental organizations, social activists & cultural performers with urban consumers, students and international buyers.

Kappas, also known as seed cotton, which is white fibrous substance that covers the seed obtained from cotton plant. Cotton is essentially grown for its fiber, which is used world over to make textile.

commonly known as rui in Hindi, is the raw material used in the manufacturing of cotton yarn or thread, which is further woven to make fabrics.