BK NEWS
Srinagar, Oct 15: The PHD Chamber Kashmir, in collaboration with the Directorate of Handicrafts and Handloom Kashmir, and with the support of the Department of Commerce-Ministry of Commerce & Industry Government of India, conducted the capacity-building programme for the artisans of chain stitch on Saturday at the Conference Hall of Numaish (Kashmir Haat), Srinagar. The programme was about transforming Lives through up-skilling and capacity building of women artisans of chain stitch and crewel embroidery.
To build a more equitable ecosystem for women by creating economic opportunities, the Directorate of Handicrafts & Handloom has joined hands with PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry through an initiative of a series of capacity-building programmes for artisans of traditional art and craft of Kashmir through social innovation & design intervention and skill development for sustainable livelihood through e-commerce and innovative packaging.
Director Handicrafts and Handloom Kashmir, Mehmood Ahmad Shah, held an interaction with women artisans of chain stitch embroidery.
“Women artisans are one of the most resilient, they work very hard to sustain their livelihoods and at the same time, they guard their legacy. This is when the government, industry, entrepreneurs, designers and civil society should strongly support artisans and revive them in any moment of crisis. With a strong focus on artisans, the Department of Handicraft and Handloom is working towards providing opportunities to the hitherto obscure in this eon of uncertainty,” said Mehmood Shah.
“We have seen that women mostly do the applique chain stitch work and engage themselves in this craft which is the source of their livelihood. Whatever applique work we see in chain stitch or crewel is done by women artisans, but we admit that the wages paid are very less,” he added.
He continued by saying that we are aware of the fierce competition posed by machine-made chain stitch and crewelwork, which the department will shortly address through labelling and quality control. The women artisans were told to avail various benefits that are specifically meant for artisans and also get acquainted with the latest digital marketing tools through social media.
The programme was attended by more than 40- Artisans of Chain Stitch from various areas and craft clusters of the Srinagar district. The Designer from the School of Designs Shahena along with her team of master trainers in chain stitch & crewel acquainted the local artisans with the latest trends to put their creativity to productive use as per the market demands and gave a detailed presentation on the latest designs in chain stitch art.
Dr Furqan Ahmad, from Entrepreneurship Development Institute Kashmir, explained to the artisans concepts of packaging and its role in marketing, and he also in detail provided the insight of various schemes of government through Employment Exchange and Khadi Village Board and EDI. He further highlighted and explained and trained the artisans on how they will get on board in various social media platforms and get connected directly to customers. The importance of social media and packaging was explained to them in detail and it was impressed upon them that the internet can be a low-cost way to reach a wide customer base around the world.
The artisans of chain stitch were also made to visit the school of designs wherein they observed the new design pattern of chain stitch and also various designs that were prepared and designed by school of designs were shared with artisans. The artisans were instructed to frequently attend the school of designs in order to improve the quality of their products and learn about the newest designs.
While applauding the role of the Handicraft Department and PHD Chamber Kashmir for arranging such a wonderful awareness workshop the Artisans of Chain Stitch said that they have gained and enriched a lot through the two-day program and will adopt the techniques learnt in the packaging, designing and Marketing of their products
