If Sunny Paaji was a handloom weaver he would have definitely said that "Facebook par post, Instagram par post, Whatsapp par post, post par post aata rehta hai,....lekin kimat ka asli hissa nahin milta my lord, mili hai to sirf post par post.
Posts with visually appealing images complemented by emotional messages crafted with Tharoorian English are being flooded day in and day out on social and print media. Some of them also make artisan stand with a "prison like slate" mentioning their name with a quote "I made your product". What it surreptitiously fails to mention is that despite 'making your product' I didnt get the cream of the value chain!
It is quite evident from the earlier posts that handloom textiles have commercial viability. What is also evident is the fact that this commercial viability hasn't translated into what can be termed as 'dignified income' for the producers.
While everyone in the value chain can be heard parrot rhyming that they work for the livelihood of the artisans, evidence reflects that -Because of Artisans everyone else in the value chain observe a fruitful livelihood and fame.
Designer Shashikant Naidu candidly admists. “Let’s be honest. as designers we hardly do much for weavers. Designers go to a weaver, pick up fabric worth `350, attach their label and retail it for `35,000. They’ve earned far more than what they paid for. This is something that we seriously need to think about."
Barring exceptions, with all the forms of market interfaces be it large retailers, master weavers, cooperatives or not-for-profits; in general income transferred to weavers is sub-par vis-a-vis everyone else in the value chain.
Its a classic case of "Rich Weaves but Poor Weavers"
So when you hear another sensitive story, check for hard facts on their books of accounts? What percentage of the value translates to artisans income? Do artisans have a role beyond being a "mazdoor" (labor) playing weft by warp? What is the ratio of highest paid employee of the not-for-profit and average weaver/handspinners income?
In our future posts we will explore more on following:
How do we swing the terms of trade in favor of artisan ? Can large number of artisans, if not all, sell under their own identity? Will market value the creative weavers at par with 'degree holder' designers?
Recent fashion shows have started presenting artisans on ramp. How can fashion shows move beyond presenting artisans on ramp and shift to serious business 'for & by' artisans ?
Till then, as Circuit says to Munnabhai "Tension, nahin lena bhai"
