By Ratna Chotrani
Hyderabad: FLO Hyderabad Chapter announces a major initiative, Tirumani, a social outreach initiative to promote 400 years old Craft Form, unique to Telangana State. But, today it is under threat of extinction, because of declining popularity and just 16 artisans are left who know the art form.
The FLO Community Outreach, Tirumani not only helps revive dying art form but also to lend its organisational skills to the local artisan community, guide them in creating lifestyle-oriented product range, establish marketing channel, to get the visibility and promotion that the craft deserves.
Towards this end as well as part of Tirumani, FLO virtually launched a logo, brochure, catalogue, website and social media campaign for the Tirumani initiative.
Our vision through Tirumani, Usharani Manne, FLO Hyderabad Chairperson said, is to ensure that more traditional artisans come back to the fold, throughout sustained efforts to create better market linkages and assistance in product innovation.
Tirumani is our small offering to the artisan community of Cheriyal, said Usharani Manne while she declared launching of the logo. Besides this, FLO has also adopted Cheriyal Village as part of Adopt a Village, a national initiative, says Usharani.
In her opening remarks Usharani Manne, Chairperson of FLO Hyderabad Chapter said the beauty of the Indian crafts is much deeper than aesthetics. It is its close connection with our hyper-local cultures
Nishita Manne announces that Tirumani will be placed on Weavesmart, a crafts and artisans aggregating platform. She also explained how it works.
FLO, she adds, aims to facilitate growth and transformation in the lives of women in the villages. The objective is to empower women in rural India, thereby eradicating poverty and unemployment. That is why we are adopting a village in the rural sector, she says.
Few domains experts shared their valuable perspectives and insights.
Participating in the conversation, Siva Devi Reddy, CEO of GoCoop, said, Crafts have utmost relevance now than ever before. Both Life and Livelihood are important. India is an Agrarian Economy. Craftspeople form the second largest employment sector in India, second only to agriculture.Many Art and Craft forms cease to exist. They are vanishing. More than 60% of artists earn less than Rs 5000/- a month, which is far lower than minimum wages, he says.
Artists, Siva Devi Reddy says, need to live a dignified life.The Indian Handicraft Industry is said to be a $100 billion industry worldwide. India’s contribution in the world market is just 1.2%
Generation next is showing interest to get into crafts sector because of the sector’s quick adoption of the digitization.
Sharing about, GoCoop, Siva Devi Reddy said, GoCoop is India’s first national award-winning marketplace which connects artisans, weaver co-operatives and clusters directly with consumers across the world. We enable sustainable livelihoods for artisans by ensuring fair prices to them, and authentic handlooms and crafts to you, he said.
FLO Honorary Secretary, Priya Gazdar FLO member and coordinator for the project Monica Bhandula Sudha Rani CEO Abhihaara Sai Kiran Artisan from Cheriya were among the other speakers