Saathi- Promoting Artisanal Work in Chhattisgarh
Artisan work in Bastar, Chhattisgarh is continued by tribal communities signifying their cultural heritage. Government and voluntary organization are working towards conservation and promotion of this traditional art by giving them platform to market and exhibit their products. Chhattisgarh's tribal communities have been engaged in making terracotta objects and figures for hundreds of years. The traditional craftsmen and women are renowned for their expertise in the fields of stone carving, woodcraft, terracotta, bell metal, Iron and bamboo craft. They make utilitarian and ritualistic objects that are used during festivals and religious ceremonies.
Kondagaon, Narayanpur and Jagdalpur are particularly famous for their terracotta elephants with bells and decorative pots. Metal work is also an integral part of the crafts tradition of the Bastar tribals. Brass, silver, iron and lead are used to make various figures of gods and deities.
Saathi, a voluntary organization is helping Bastar's tribal communities revitalize their craft using new techniques to make and market their famous terracotta and bell metal works of art The centre, called Saathi (Companion), is run by a small group of dedicated ceramic professionals. Saathi's mission is to help, sustain, develop and market Bastar'Self traditional arts and crafts in both national and international markets. Saathi has been able to impart technical and marketing skills to over 1,400 artisan families living in 90 villagers across three districts in Bastar.
The target communities have been trained in various skills during the training programmes organized by the organization. This activity has helped the local communities to become more confident about such community-based initiatives. The communities also have begun certain income generating activities (through block printing and kasuti activities) involving themselves in every component of the project. This also has helped improving the income levels of local women communities.
"We are helping traditional talent bring their products to the modern marketplace with innovative designs," says Bhupesh Tiwari, president of Saathi. Mr.Tiwari got himself a B.Tech degree in ceramics before starting the Saathi Samaj Seva Sanstha.
A team from Saathi, based in Kondagaon, trains young and upcoming local artisans to ensure that this tradition and important means of livelihood does not die out. The organisation does this by employing various strategies -- setting up self-help groups (SHGs), conducting workshops, offering training in bookkeeping and marketing, and organising exhibitions to help artisans market their products.
Another interesting aspect of Saathi's work is to make sure artisans do not compete with each other in a single market. Saathi's intervention areas are divided into clusters so that each does not encroach upon the other's territory. "This was done to ensure a better price for the artisans' products in the market," says Tiwari. Prior to Saathi's intervention, buyers of tribal craft would induce competition amongst artisans from different villages in order to strike a good bargain. "The ignorant artisans would sell their products with minimum or very little margins," says a villager from Kumarpara.
Saathi has established a strong marketing network for products both at the national and international level. Items are displayed and sold at various exhibitions. The artisans also receive support from the development commissioner, handicrafts, at the central government level. And from the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). The Council of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART) and the Handicraft Development Commission have initiated an integrated programme called Ambedkar Hasta Shilpa Vikas Yojana to promote tribal art in the region.
Despite these measures many artisans in Bastar still do not have access to the modern marketing system. Getting loans from banks remains complicated. "Tribals find it difficult to provide collateral, which most banks demand," says a young artisan from the region. To address this problem, Grameen Bank and other commercial banks have initiated programmes aimed at the formation of SHGs to improve the marketability of Bastar's arts and crafts. However, It is the artists and craftspeople of Chhattisgarh's tribal areas that are keeping the state's rich traditions alive. Through their work they express their thoughts, ideas and imagination.