Thursday, June 25, 2009

Kumaun Grameen Udyog (KGU)



Kumaun Grameen Udyog (KGU) www.kilmora.in opportunities for the local people living around the Nainital District of Uttrakhand in the Himalayan region of Northern India. KGU was set up by the Central Himalayan Rural Action Group (CHIRAG), a non profit grass roots development organization that has worked extensively in the central Himalayas. KGU employs twenty weavers, sixty artisans, and supports three hundred and fifty small farmers from whom they source agricultural products. Recently, KGU has begun procuring apricot and peach kernels from local farmers to add pure, natural apricot skin-care products to their product range, which also consists of hand woven and hand knitted textiles. Weaving is undertaken at a center in the village of Buribana, whilst knitting is done by women in their homes. Fair wages provide artisans with substantial round-the-year income, for many the sale of products provides an important supplementary income. KGU also contributes to concrete and tangible community development projects. At present, these include contributions towards two major initiatives of CHIRAG: an eight-bed hospital in Sargakhet village, and a rural school that has been functioning for two years in Simayal village in Nainital District.










Kilmora is the brand name under which all KGU products are marketed. Kilmora constantly undertakes creative experimentation to develop new collections of hand woven and hand knitted products. While knitting is traditional to mountain regions, weaving was introduced to local people through training. The Kilmora range includes tailored garments; vests, sweaters, and jackets as well as accessories such as scarves, stoles, caps, mufflers, neck warmers, gloves, and socks. Colourful knitted toys, hot water bottle covers and tea cossies are popular products. Yardage and customization of designs is also available. KGU have also tailored the product range to meet the needs of the local economy and ensure they are relevant for the communities in the region; these range from products that reduce the expenditure of local families or that serve a development purpose: such as energy-efficient lighting devices or affordable books for children. Through income generation, KGU is working towards improving the lives of people in the Central Himalaya.

by sharmila wood


Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Sandur Kushala Kala Kendra (SKKK)

Sandur Kushala Kala Kendra (SKKK) works with Lambani artisans in the Bellary district of Karnataka. Lambanis or Banjaras are a nomadic, gypsy tribe and are well-known for their exquisite traditional hand-embroidery using various stitches and mirror crafts. The Lambanis have their own cultural traditions, and distinct language and customs, expressed in their unique crafts. Lambani embroidery is a fusion of pattern darning, mirror work, cross stitch, and overlaid and quilting stitches with borders of Kangura patchwork appliqué done on a base fabric. A distinctive design element is the use of local mud resist handloom fabric, and mirrors, shells and white ornamental trims. The objective of SKKK is to promote livelihood opportunities among artisans living in the Bellary region . Currently, they are working with approximately 300 women engaged in embroidery, khadi spinning and weaving.


SKKK has been operational since 1984 as a registered society. The SKKK craft centre provides centralised production facilities where raw material is stored and a range of craft processes including hand-block printing, dyeing, stitching, and finishing are completed. SKKK product range includes home furnishings like cushion covers, bedspreads, and wall hangings; accessories like mobile pouches, bags, purses, and belts; and women’s garments. The base fabric used for making products is hand-block-printed in traditional Lambani motifs. At the core of SKKK activities is the need for artisan empowerment, and the organization provides a schedule of training, development, and fair compensation that honors artisans mastery and skills. The artisans are paid on a piece-rate basis and provided with subsidized rations, bonus, and provident fund. Sandur products are currently marketed through domestic and international exhibitions; through leading retail stores; and in the export market. SKKK has been awarded the prestigious ‘UNESCO Seal of Excellence for Handicrafts in South Asia’ in 2004. The Award recognizes the very best of contemporary handicrafts.



Sunday, June 7, 2009













Craftmark Catalogue

Since 2006 Craftmark has been producing an annual catalogue that features our NGO members. Currently we are working on our 2009 catalogue, which will feature products from fifteen Indian artisan and craft groups. This week we shot the catalogue with our designer and photographer -here is our Craftmark catalogue crew on location at Hauz Khas Village. This 13th century fort was part of Siri, the second medieval city of India of the Delhi Sultanate of Allauddin Khilji Dynasty. To download past Craftmark catalogues you can visit www.craftmark.org
. Our new catalogue will be launched at the end of July.