The art of crafts

She is one of the few of a diminishing breed of crusaders relentlessly fighting to keep her country's arts and crafts alive. India's Laila Tyabji tells Geetanjali Chopra Sharma why it is important for a country to protect and conserve traditional crafts

"I always wanted to be an artist in the real sense of the word," says Laila Tyabji. "In fact, I even started my professional life in the late 1970s with small assignments, but soon realised that being a studio painter was a lonely job for someone like me who really enjoyed working with people.''

It was perhaps this passion for arts and a keen interest to work with people that led her to bring together a group of women and launch Dastkar - a Delhi-based society that aims to improve the economic status of craftspeople and thereby promote the survival of traditional crafts.

"I undertook several projects which involved working with traditional artisans and craftsmen and I soon discovered that it was great fun to work with these people."

She may not have realised it at the time but she was launching a silent revolution in the world of Indian handicrafts.

Her initial foray into the world of traditional arts, crafts and textiles began 28 years years ago and over the years, Laila has evolved both as a person and a professional.

"After working with artisans and craftsmen in different pockets of India, I now see myself as a product developer rather than an artist or designer," she says.

Having studied art in Baroda and Japan, Laila is a trained studio artist who began her career as a freelance designer.

"Life as a designer in the 1970s was not as specialised or formalised as it is today. So I worked as a designer in diverse fields including clothes, graphics, interiors and theatre."

And it was in the course of these assignments that Laila realised that her primary interest was in working with traditional Indian crafts and textiles and giving them a modern twist so they could be used in everyday urban life.

Coupled with this was the "realisation that many of the crafts, techniques and styles that one had grown up with were either disappearing or becoming very tacky. I realised that something had to be done about it," she says.

At this time she got an opportunity to work with craftsmen and artisans in Kutch in Gujarat under the aegis of the Gujarat Handicraft Development Corporation. "This ... experience changed my whole life," says Laila.

In the six months she spent in Kutch, Laila visited several villages and documented the various crafts that were being practised there and spent quality time working with traditional craftsmen.

She describes this experience as a "landmark discovery". During her time there she became aware of the connection between crafts and the people who make them.

It was also during this period that Laila decided that she wanted to work with craftsmen in an organised manner ... and the idea for Dastkar was conceived.

Dastkar
Dastkar, a Hindi term meaning one who works with his hands or a craftsperson, is a Delhi-based society that aims to improve the economic status of craftspeople and thereby promote the survival of traditional crafts.

The brainchild of five women who came together in 1981, Dastkar provides a link between rural craftspersons and urban consumers, and tackles the problems faced by craftspeople in India through direct interaction with artisans.

"We were a group of women working in different fields such as women empowerment and rural development,'' recalls Laila. "We felt that the crafts sector is a very important and vital part of India. Culturally and economically, it was imperative to do something about it."

They did and today Dastkar has emerged as a full-time development and alternative marketing organisation with a national outreach.

"The crux of (Dastkar's) programme is to help crafts-people learn to use their own inherent skills as a means of employment, income generation and economic self-sufficiency.

"Most of our projects have been related to the textile industry,'' says Laila. "It is due to our efforts that thousands of craftsmen have come into the mainstream market.''

She cites examples such as the Lambani embroiderers who were working as casual labourers breaking stones on the highways of Karnataka until Dastkar began working with them; Bhagalpur tussar weavers and spinners who were working as bonded labourers; Kasuti embroiderers who were unheard of in North India ...

Laila considers the project involving Chikan embroiderers of Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) the most successful venture of the organisation.

"Our best experience has been with SEWA (Self-Employed Women's Association) dealing with Chikan embroidery. Our association with SEWA dates back to 1985 when I went to Lucknow to work with 10 Chikan embroidery women with a cash reserve of Rs10,000.

"These women had no great expertise in embroidery or marketing at that stage, were illiterate, earning about Rs100-Rs150 a month, house-bound, and previously totally dependent on the local (agent) to get work for them or pay them for it.''

Dastkar documented the Chikan traditional motifs, promoted them in the market in a line of contemporary garments and helped transform Chikan embroidery into a booming industry. "Today SEWA has grown into an organisation of 7,500 women with an annual turnover running into millions.''

Through it all, there is one incident which remains in Laila's mind. "Whenever I think of my 25 years with Dastkar, I remember Dhapu, a woman in Rajasthan.''

Dhapu, who had a family to support, had to endure severe economic hardship. This coupled with family prejudices and other social circumstances finally forced her to take her life when she could not make ends meet.

"Ironically, today Dhapu's daughters are among the most sought-after brides in Sherpur village, due to the earning power and educational possibilities that working as craftswomen in the Dastkar Ranthambhore Project has brought them,'' says Laila.

Indian craftsmen
"Indian craftsmen have indeed come a long way since the time I started work with them," says Laila. In the early '70s, most were not interested in pursuing a career in their chosen industry because they felt it was not commercially viable.

Although some artisans still want to leave their respective professions, the overall scenario has changed, she says. "Workers have now become more aware of their potential, worth and work. Also, thanks to NGOs working in the crafts sector, there is a greater communication flow between villages and cities.''

However, despite these positive developments, Laila feels that Indian craftsmen generally are disillusioned and negative today. "This negativity is primarily for two reasons - economic and psychological."

While the economic factor essentially deals with low wages, the psychological factor is linked to the issue of social status.

The most defining feature of this sector is the fact that India has millions of craftsmen in contrast to Western countries, she says.

"India has approximately 14 million craftsmen while (many) developed nations have only a handful of skilled craftsmen. While Japanese artists are considered "living treasures" in their country, Indian craftsmen are not even accorded a social standing in the land of their birth, she says.

"Artisans in Japan and Europe are cherished and provided with all kinds of facilities and pensions. This is not so in India."

Though, she is not entirely critical of the government's role in the current state of affairs. The government has set offered initiatives. The problem does not lie with the government per se, Laila believes.

"The trouble is that the government works in a slightly bureaucratic manner as a result of which there is a disconnect between craftspeople at the grassroots level and the government schemes at the national level."

Indian designers
"Extremely talented and creative but unfortunately catering to a very small market," is how Laila describes leading Indian fashion designers.

However, they have the potential to substantially increase their clientele if they utilise the huge repertoire of skills, traditional designs, material and motifs that are unique to India.

"These should be the base on which any new creativity should start."

Interestingly Laila defends the phenomenon of ever -rising prices of designer outfits.

"Designers are market driven ... and one needs to look at the cost of developing the outfit in totality - for apart from the raw materials, designing and workmanship, the costs of marketing, fashion shows and maintaining a shop also have to be borne by the designer.

"I am always delighted when a hand-crafted product gets a huge price (in the market), because then that product appears on the ramp or makes it to Page 3 as a result of which viewers begin valuing the product. This leads to an increased demand for the product and thus work is generated for craftspeople."

However Laila does have some advice for the Indian fashion fraternity.

"I wish the Indian designers would look at the Japanese designers for inspiration. The way Kenzo has used the traditional Japanese cuts and styles to make western garments which still have a very distinctive Japanese touch to them and have become internationally famous."

The way ahead
Laila Tyabji's work and efforts in the field of crafts and textiles have not gone unnoticed. She has received several accolades for her consistent performance in the field including from the Ministry of Textiles.

She won the National Institute of Fashion Technology Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in craft and design in 1999, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry 50th Anniversary award for her contribution to Art, Craft and Culture and the Aid to Artisans Preservation of Craft Award in New York.

Having spent considerable time and effort studying the Indian textile and handloom industry, Laila feels that India is currently on a cusp of a huge change.

"If you ask me about the future, I can visualise two completely different scenarios. I can see a situation where Indian crafts will be making India the hub of the international market. On the other hand, there could also be a situation where 25 years later, we are like any other Western country ...

"And we would be looking at (our heritage in museums and family collections and saying, 'How sad this is gone'". As she puts it, "The choice is entirely ours."