Activating the Value of Handmade: The Role of Social Enterprises in Transforming India’s Artisan Economy
Urmila Mohan interviews Priya Krishnamoorthy, Founder and CEO of 200 Million Artisans, and Aparna Subramanyam, Partner at 200 Million Artisans, an ecosystem enabler reimagining the potential of India’s artisan economy. 200 Million Artisans is a social enterprise catalysing self-reliance and responsible innovation in India’s artisan economy by providing access to knowledge, resources, and networks that empower artisan-producers and impact entrepreneurs.
Citation: Krishnamoorthy, P., Subramanyam, A., and Mohan, U. “Activating the Value of Handmade: The Role of Social Enterprises in Transforming India’s Artisan Economy” The Jugaad Project, 10 September 2022, www.thejugaadproject.pub/activating-handmade [date of access]
The interview includes excerpts from Business of Handmade — an immersive, multimedia research project(1)— carried out by 200 Million Artisans exploring The Role of Craft-Based Enterprises in ‘Formalising’ India’s Artisan Economy, originally authored by Priya Krishnamoorthy, Anandana Kapur and Aparna Subramanyam. It also includes excerpts from an article written for Impact Entrepreneur Magazine titled, How Investing in Women Artisans Can Catalyze India’s Economy.(2)
How relevant do you think the term activism as the advocacy of energetic action is to your work and 200 Million Artisans? Do you consider yourself activists and if so, in what ways?
Image courtesy of Flourish.
Activism is a loaded term and carries many associations in modern-day discourse. Activism implies an anomaly, a break away from the status quo. At 200 Million Artisans (200M), we believe everyone has the right to a safe space to express, to create, to thrive doing what they like, what offers purpose, and what brings value — monetary and otherwise. In the times that we live in, we are asking for a better and dignified future for our creative and cultural workers and communities, which includes us, not just our artisans. Given how many people depend on craft for a livelihood in India and other artisan-rich geographies, it falls to every one of us to ask for a better, more sustainable and economically prosperous life for communities that cannot advocate for themselves. Especially if we are in a position of privilege and power to advocate for better and more just systems that benefit the many and not the few.
If we consider the history of the artisan ecosystem, there are many incredible people who have been quietly working towards changing the status quo for many years now. They just did not have access to modern-day tools that we all take for granted. Their work is the foundation on which 200M stands today. We think of ourselves as bridge builders attempting to connect the previously disconnected worlds of arts, policy, business, and markets towards the pursuit of a common purpose.
Activism also brings forth associations of being in opposition. We are not taking on any system. We aim to transform systems from within by co-creating new approaches with diverse communities. Systems and structures rooted in capitalist considerations have been built over many hundreds of years and it would be short-sighted on our part to believe that all this can be changed overnight.
As we progress on our journey, we need many more champions, advocates, activists and bridge builders who can assume greater ownership of the common goals of creating value for the arts, culture and creativity for our local and global communities.
What does an artisan ecosystem consist of?
The artisan ecosystem as it exists today in India is deeply linked to our agricultural ecosystems. While agriculture remains the largest source of raw materials, the artisan economy is where much of the value-add happens. Often, those who farm during the day are also artisans in their spare time. Today, this ecosystem in India supports traditional and non-traditional artisans and creative producers, a multitude of small businesses (artisan-led enterprises, social / creative enterprises), nonprofit organisations, producer companies and self-help groups, small and large marketplaces and many others. Enterprises and creative-producers in this ecosystem produce for every human whim and desire — home decor, fashion and accessories, architecture, travel, toys and entertainment, luxury products, and more, drawing from a portfolio of over 3,000 craft traditions. There are many who work at the periphery of this ecosystem, financial and digital inclusion startups, a small smattering of incubators and accelerators, policy actors.
I see the word creative/creativity used often. How is this applied to the artisan ecosystem?
Today creativity is considered core to human thinking and a critical lever anchoring 21st century skills needed to shape a different kind of future; creativity — a trait, a skill, and an output — carries the unique potential to serve as a language that bridges worldviews and value systems. Back in 1983, Theresa Amabile(3) referred to creativity as the production of novel and appropriate/useful ideas, outcomes, solutions. Since then many thinkers in the West have theorised on the same. Creativity as we know it exists because it is labelled so by the subjective lens of the gatekeepers. Worldover, however, in our quest for measurable outcomes and tangible growth, creativity becomes a victim to the “tyranny of the quantifiable” as Rebecca Solnit (2014)(4) frames it, and in the process, creative producers lose out because gatekeepers of discourse find it difficult to measure, quantify or assign value to it.
Image courtesy of Olee Matee.
When it comes to countries like India, it is important to acknowledge that our understanding and framing of creativity comes from the West and does not account for cultural differences. In our research, Business of Handmade (2021: 5)(5) we situate the artisan economy within what we now call the cultural economy. “In the cultural economy, ‘culture’ — any individual or group’s unique social behaviour and norms — carries measurable value and is seen to impact economic activity. While tangibles like output, labour, etc. matter, the cultural economy also accounts for intangibles such as creativity, intellectual property, and generational knowledge. Culture is the core driver of goods and services that also influence non-cultural industries.” Creativity is not just a measurable skill or an output linked to economic outcomes.
In countries like India, creativity is deeply interwoven with social norms and ways of being. The artisan economy thus is a massive subset of this cultural economy. It “centres on indigenous, handmade production embodying creative and cultural heritage (craft, art, food, tourism). One of the largest sectors of employment globally for underserved communities, it is mostly informal, comprising diverse skill sets and undocumented low-tech. Artisans are not regarded merely as handworkers but also as potential entrepreneurs, custodians of best practices, and co-creators. Transactions are often linked to caste, identity and kinship ties outside of formal institutional frameworks” (Business of Handmade, 2021: 05).
There is an urgent need for post-colonial framing of ideas like creativity, culture and creative output in discourse to ensure that language comes from the creative and cultural communities of the Global South and is not copy pasted from the West. If creativity is a skill, artisans and their traditional skills do not find takers in the modern economy, not because they do not carry value intrinsically but because they are not “seen” as carrying value. This is our collective failure as a society.
How did the Covid-19 pandemic precipitate this project or platform?
200 Million Artisans started out as a COVID-19 platform to help connect the Indian diaspora who were keen to support artisan communities and enterprises in India but didn’t know how. The lockdowns had impacted all organisations but none more so than artisans who depended on local markets and fairs to showcase their products and make a living. With these avenues of sales temporarily lost, some of them turned to Whatsapp and Facebook to attract new customers from across the country and the world. 200M served as an information hub where we listed resources, created visibility for fundraisers and championed nonprofits employing and supporting artisan communities, and helped the Indian diaspora know where their support can create maximum impact.
But we realised this was a band-aid solution and the pandemic had thrown into sharp relief the precarious position of the artisan sector, which is the second largest employer after agriculture but simply does not attract the same level of investment or innovation. What was fundamentally missing was data to communicate the sheer size and potential of the sector, which would serve as a blueprint for investors, corporates, and policymakers to see it in a new light and direct much-needed capital and resources to plug in gaps and build infrastructure. This would allow artisan organisations to sustainably scale and create economic prosperity for the communities as well as the country.
Image courtesy of Skilled Samaritan Foundation.
We have since then pivoted to become a social enterprise catalysing self-reliance and responsible innovation within India’s artisan economy by providing access to knowledge, resources, and networks that empower artisan-producers and impact entrepreneurs. Through research-led insights, innovative strategy, creative storytelling, and conscious collaborations, we are driving strategic progress for the artisan economy.
The hope is that in the years to come, we are able to put India’s rich, diverse, “people-and-planet-positive” artisan sector on the global map. We are working to create visibility for a new, green economy led by our creative and cultural capital, harnessing the potential of 200 million people dependent on craft for their livelihood.
What were some of the major findings of the “Business of Handmade” report?
“Through the course of our research which focussed on The Role of Craft-Based Enterprises in ‘Formalising’ India’s Artisan Economy (Business of Handmade, 2021), we identified deep pockets of empathy, innovation, creativity, lokavidya (an approach that draws upon peoples’ own existing knowledge-base and techniques), and business acumen.
The New Formal as a framework to understand entrepreneurial action / formal-informal interplay in the artisan economy (Original: Krishnamoorthy & Kapur, 2021)
1. The ‘New Formal’ is the new normal
We posit that the ‘New Formal’ is an emergent hybrid approach that effectively marries best practices of the ‘informal’ [cultural networks, behaviours(6)](7) and the ‘formal’ [social protection,(8) data, mobility(9)] in India’s artisan economy. It is a dynamic continuum; informal modes of work among rural creative cultures inform business models of creative enterprises who adapt to local contexts to drive productivity, profits, and innovation.This formal-informal interplay has the potential to drive a more equitable and inclusive dialogue between diverse stakeholders across functions.
2. Misunderstood and undermapped
The informal nature of India’s artisan sector is not one of its own doing or choosing. Perception bias against handmade inhibits accurate and context specific data collection, relegating it further into informality. State apathy too, for instance, comes through in the absence of reliable figures on how many artisans or craft-based enterprises operate in this sector.
Asymmetric data inhibits artisan and MSME access to global-local networks, marketplaces, service providers, and investors, further impacting their growth and scalability; this also impairs engagement by institutional actors in critical areas such as infrastructure, credit, education, and market access.
Image courtesy of Flourish.
Moreover, in India, informality and exclusion cannot be understood without delving into issues of caste, religion, community, or gender. Such data is vital to designing impact strategies.
3. One size does not fit all
Given the myriad political, socio-cultural, linguistic, and historical realities in India, a one size approach cannot cater to the diverse needs and requirements of diverse artisan enterprises. This applies to policies and interventions aimed at both informal artisan communities and formal enterprises working in the artisan sector. Market-based solutions do not recognise that craft production cycles are unique and seasonal, often part-time, rural and decentralised, women-led and creativity-based; unlike assembly line manufacturing models. A standard cookie-cutter approach only serves to perpetuate systemic bias without addressing the true aspirations and needs of rural communities.
4. Challenges of language, discourse, and knowledge
Conversations around informality and creative economies, rooted in Global North contexts, pose barriers to organic inclusion of differently organised, creative cultures and craft-led enterprises. Enterprises and entrepreneurial artisan communities lack access to business and sustainability ‘speak’. When formal institutions break down language barriers to knowledge, greater inclusion and credible participation is achieved. In a country that boasts of 19,500 mother tongues and 22 official languages, linguistic diversity is still not accommodated in business, policy, and education. To engineer systemic reform, the artisan economy must be seen as a site of agency and empowered with sector-specific policy support to achieve their true potential.
5. Decentralisation enables inclusion and scale
Enterprises in the artisan sector are differently motivated and cannot be reverse engineered to meet traditional definitions of growth; scale is definitely possible but is achieved via decentralised collectivisation. For example, true inclusion of women in the workforce cannot happen without acknowledging that much of their labour within the artisan sector (and otherwise) remains invisible. The decentralised approach significantly lowers entry barriers for differently skilled communities; especially women. As Judy Frater puts it so eloquently, “Because commercialisation of craft has been based on an industrial model, the assumption is that craft must scale up to succeed. But when craft is pushed into the world of industrialised production, the structure of artisan societies inevitably changes from horizontal to vertical. Economically stronger individuals become “Master Artisans,” employ previously equal status artisans as workers, and gain higher social as well as economic status. The perception of the artisan as a worker is thus reinforced in a new, socially threatening form.” (Business of Handmade 2021: 47)
6. Craft-led enterprises drive sustainability
The ethos of craft-based production is clearly pro-nature and pro-people. The artisan economy has an innate ability to drive socioeconomic mobility, conscious production, and mindful consumption. Besides using naturally available local resources, many enterprises are embedding circular and renewable strategies i.e. upcycling, responsible sourcing etc., and are open to forming alliances that revive indigenous crops and materials for an integrated farm-to-product value chain. Localised craft-based supply chains drive shared values, collective learning, and self-sustaining lifestyles. The artisan economy creates jobs for communities that are differently-skilled, low-literate, differently-abled, and traditionally marginalised.
7. COVID-19 was a game changer
Challenges that have plagued the sector for many decades, often rooted in informality, have come to the fore during COVID-19. Suspension of in-person exhibitions and craft bazaars, during both waves, caused many artisans and enterprises to shut shop and scale down. But it has also facilitated an opportunity for transformation. The informal nature of craft-based work has helped many enterprises and their artisans to continue operations, validating work-from-home models indigenous to the artisan economy. It has also incentivised the accelerated shift to digital.
Would you consider craft in India as Intangible Cultural Heritage? How does terming it as “intangible” versus “tangible” frame its value?
Craft in India is perhaps the most tangible manifestation of intangible cultural heritage. Unlike “tangible” cultural heritage which includes monuments, artefacts, books, works of art, etc., which can be seen and touched, “intangible” heritage such as folklore, language, traditions, music, and knowledge need to be experienced. In an increasingly globalised world, where the attention economy is measured in clicks and time spent, there are significant challenges to the survival of traditional forms of craftsmanship. It is easier to fight for something you can see is in danger, for example, a beloved monument at risk of being torn down or the loss of a forest or lake as opposed to safeguarding the unseen skills and knowledge involved in craftsmanship.
Image courtesy of Varso.
Many craft traditions have generations-old systems of instruction and involve ‘trade secrets’ that are only passed down to family or community members. But fewer young people are taking to craft and opting for opportunities that are less exacting and offer better pay. It is harder to capture and communicate the value of the unseen, especially in the age of Instagram.
While promoting visibility for the physical manifestation of traditional knowledge and skills transmitted intergenerationally would definitely increase value for the particular craft objects in the short term, the need of the hour is to create value for the knowledge and skills associated with traditional artisanry and see to it that communities are incentivised to pass these on to future generations so that crafts can continue to be produced within their communities, providing livelihoods to their makers and reflecting creativity. Educating consumers but also policymakers about the transformative potential of the artisan sector will help to frame value for crafts and not just for their aesthetic, creative or cultural value but also for the intellectual capital that goes into the making of these crafts.
How do economic goals intersect with issues of empowerment, education, mobilization, cooperation and care? How can these be made real as something that can be experienced on a daily basis by artisans?
The artisan economy can play a critical role in long-term employment creation and economic growth in India. It already meets 12 out of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Craft-led enterprises operating in the artisan economy are key nodes for greater financial and social inclusion because they employ informal rural communities and empower them with the requisite social protections including but not limited to access to bank accounts, government schemes, healthcare, regular paychecks, etc. They are living proof that profit and purpose can go hand-in-hand.
Chamar is a high-end accessories brand fighting caste-based discrimination by employing the historically ostracised Dalit community in India. Their collaborative approach to design and business has resulted in more dignified work and social upliftment for leather artisans, who are trained in repurposing their traditional skills and indigenous knowledge to craft products for the modern consumer. These Dalit and Muslim artisans now feel a sense of pride in their identity thanks to Chamar making active efforts to create visbility for them while also ensuring they receive 50% of the sale proceeds.
Saheli Women is an all-female, nonprofit artisan collective that is financially empowering marginalised women in rural Rajasthan. The members of the collective feel it’s more than just a community; it’s family, a sisterhood of fellow artisans. As for social progress, Saheli Women has invested in educating and empowering its artisans. Thanks to the menstrual / sexual, and wellness workshops Saheli Women hosts on a regular basis, women are now exercising their agency to refuse multiple pregnancies. The enterprise also supports the education of their workers’ children and invests in the well-being of their families and communities. Many women workers are able to take care of their families and afford medical expenses because of their income from Saheli Women.
Organisations like Jaipur Rugs, Kadam Haat, rangSutra, and Industree — to name a few — have achieved their economic goals while simultaneously creating economic and social pathways for the artisan communities they support. They build networked communities and collaborations, enabling artisans — especially women — to access financial independence, healthcare, education, and a support system invested in their growth and development.
They help in broadening their horizons, resulting in a domino effect of women continuing to invest in their families and communities. With their newfound financial independence, they command more respect within their families and communities, are able to afford better education for their children, and no longer want to get them married young, having seen the benefits of being able to stand on their own feet. They are also empowered to participate in decision making when it comes to their villages, bringing in solutions that will benefit the community at large, be it building of libraries, schools, or investing in solar-powered electricity.
Since activism as collective action requires common practices, values and goals, and craft communities are extremely diverse in India, what are some of the challenges/successes you have seen in terms of how people can be energized to be part of this emerging handmade economy?
Collective action is possible at scale only when there are ecosystem enablers, bridge builders and intermediaries who are bringing diverse stakeholders together with intention. The handmade economy lacks these kinds of ecosystem enablers who can connect the previously disconnected worlds of arts, policy, business, and markets towards the pursuit of a common purpose using a common vocabulary of action. However, much of this is changing post COVID. Many such community platforms that are driving collective action have emerged in the last few years, often led by young entrepreneurs and advocates.
The pandemic has led to many collaborative platforms like #CreativeDignity, Hand For Handmade, 200 Million Artisans, India Handmade Collective, that are helping bridge information and resource gaps. Increasingly, there is a growing interest among policymakers and the investment community to support such public good platforms and intermediaries that can catalyse change and support at scale. Many creative and social enterprises, led by young and dynamic GenZ and Millennial groups, are also participating in global forums and collaboratives like Catalyst 2030 and driving a new narrative that focuses on the potential of the sector.
Moving forward, the lack of information resulting in slow and staggered movements at the investment and policy level will remain the biggest challenge. Any action that shifts the needle will need to have the consensus and the buy-in from three communities in particular — academia, investment and policy actors. While the work will continue at the grassroot level, as it always has, there is an urgent need to shift perceptions at the very top. Access to resources is inextricably linked to any action on ground. And as such, it would be our collective failure if we were to romanticise the artisan ecosystem from a purist lens of tradition and national / regional pride or that of creativity for the sake of creativity / arts for art's sake.
Along with the perception shift at the top, we also need to focus on localised solutions and regional approaches that can help band diverse stakeholders together towards a common goal. The diversity of languages, cultures, customs and approaches that the artisan ecosystem anchors cannot have a one-size-fits-all pathway. For example, in Kashmir the infrastructure needed to support artisan communities and artisan-entrepreneurs is very different from what is needed in the states of Gujarat or Karnataka, and current approaches that exist account for this diversity.
In capitalism and neo-liberalism the production of objects and things overtakes the goals of social reproduction, literally as the work of making human beings, raising them, sustaining them, and so on. Is it possible to steer the Indian craft economy to not just focus on making things but making people, sustaining families and communities, and giving women, dalits (the lowest caste stratum) and tribal groups recognition for their labor?
If we need to change how artisans are perceived, we need to massively invest in altering perceptions of ‘Handmade in India’ to elevate value for the artisan sector and the labour of communities who protect our cultural and creative legacy. There is an urgent need to address perception bias and create aspirational value for India’s handcrafted products that is not merely rebranding but actually rooted in IP (Intellectual Property) protections for artisans and a cultural policy strategy that prioritises and incentivizes extensive documentation of artisanal knowledge. Along with recognition and respect for artisans’ heritage, the need of the hour is to institute a cultural policy strategy with the goal to understand, record, and distil focus areas for actionable interventions in India’s cultural economy; a comprehensive census of craft traditions, archival of oral histories, alternative technologies to protect and amplify the intellectual capital of diverse artisan communities who are the gatekeepers of traditional knowledge passed down generations.
Unfortunately, capitalism continues to worship the invisible hand of the markets while conveniently ignoring the invisible economy of women; their contributions — both seen and unseen — remain discounted as ‘productive activity’ that rarely carries monetary value. 90% of India’s 200 million strong artisan economy continues to operate within the informal landscape. Despite this, women artisans make up 56.13% of the artisan economy. Most women artisans who have found their way into the New Formal feel more empowered financially and socially. They are able to better articulate the aspirational needs of their communities.
Image courtesy of Vimor Handloom Foundation.
Localised craft-based supply chains drive shared values, collective learning, and self-sustaining lifestyles. The artisan economy creates jobs for communities that are differently-skilled, low-literate, differently-abled, and traditionally marginalised including but not limited to women, dalits and tribal groups. We have no doubt that context-specific entrepreneurial action in the handmade sector can catalyse the inclusion of informal and traditionally marginalised creative communities. Supportive state policy, innovation support, access to networks, marketplaces, working capital, mentorship, government schemes, and training can unlock immense creative and economic progress for the artisan sector, and as a result, India’s economy.
If we actively promote India’s artisan economy as the go-to hub for creative manufacturing and handmade to meet the growing demand for collaborative supply chains and to serve the needs of sustainable marketplaces, we can not only drive jobs, equity, and sustainable growth, but also advocate for a rights-based approach to protect artisan communities and India’s creative and cultural capital.
Endnotes
1) Krishnamoorthy, P., Subramanyam, A., & Kapur, A. (2021). Business of Handmade [Web Archive]. 200MA. Accessible at www.businessofhandmade.com.
2) Krishnamoorthy, P. & Subramanyam, A. (2022.) How Investing in Women Artisans Can Catalyze India’s Economy. Impact Entrepreneur Magazine.
3) Amabile, T. M. (1983). The social psychology of creativity: A componential conceptualization. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45(2), 357–376.
4) Solnit, R. (2014). Woolf’s Darkness: Embracing the Inexplicable. The New Yorker.
5) Krishnamoorthy, P., Kapur, A. & Subramanyam, A. (2021). Business of Handmade: The Role of Craft-based Enterprises in (Formalising) India’s Artisan Economy. British Council: Mumbai.
6) In India, cultural practices continue to be core drivers of many goods and services that also influence non-cultural industries. For example, the age-old practice of bartering is still prevalent among many rural communities across India. A tribal terracotta tile maker will make a roof for a neighbouring farmer who gives him grain, or tribals from a village in Assam barter herbs spices fruit, etc. for rice, earthenware, ironware, livestock, etc. — a mutually beneficial partnership between different networks and communities not based on monetary gain. Business relationships in India are thus trust-based and not merely transactional, owing to cultural factors that influence interactions between businesses and their customers, competitors and supporters. Behaviours and labour relationships are still largely rooted in social, familial, ethnic and caste dynamics.
7) Social protection in the form of schemes, policies, programs to facilitate labour rights, financial access, digital inclusion. Artisan enterprises help their artisan communities access insurance, artisan ID cards, Aadhaar cards (a 12-digit unique identity number), and other government schemes, which they would otherwise not be able to access because they are unaware of what exists and/or how they can access them owing to massive information gaps (language, literacy) and bureaucracy.
8) Aspirational mobility, catalysing the potential of informal communities as active consumers and producers in future economies.
