Rising Like Phoenix

Friedrich Nietzsche had once said, "To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering."

Cyclone, drought and earthquake, Kutch has seen it all. Two years of drought after a ravaging cyclone in 1998 was not enough to shake the region then came a violent earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale on January 26, 2001. The earthquake left more than 22,000 people dead, more than 6 lakh people homeless and destroyed more than 4 lakh houses. The loss was devastating. But the Kutchpeople never let it affect themselves. They rose again like a phoenix from the ashes. They found meaning in their sufferings and refused to surrender.

Kutch has managed to survive natural calamities several times. Similarly, Kutch experienced a particularly severe drought in 1969. But the region is also known for its creativity. Their love for their work helped them get a fresh lease of life. It was literally 'Shrujan' (creation) of a new platform, new kind of independent life.

In 1969, a woman journeyed to Kutch with the Rama Krishna Mission to aid drought relief efforts. When she reached the Dhaneti village, she was surprised to see that the Ahir community living there were reluctant to accept handouts, insisting on being given work instead. This sentiment was reflected across Bhuj's villages.

She also couldn't keep herself from admiring the intricate and diverse embroidery done by the village women. Noticing the uniqueness of the craft, she decided to conduct an experiment. She bought 30 saris, and asked 30 different village women to adorn them with their embroidery. Soon they were displayed in an exhibition in Mumbai. The 30 embroidered saris were sold off with demands for more. The experiment led to the birth of Srujan, one of the oldest, not-for-profit organisations in India for women empowerment and crafts revival.

And the woman was Chandaben Shroff, who set up the organisation keeping in mind that self-sufficiency, confidence, and dignity are the rights of women all over the world. The 47-year-old institution has not only been empowering women in the Kutch region but also preserving their rich history of craft and embroidery tradition. In 2006, Chanda Shroff became the first Indian laureate of the Rolex Awards, awarded for her plan to ensure the survival of an exquisite art form.

Shrujan employs some 4,000 women in 120 villages in Kutch. It has a design centre in Bhuj with 1,100 panels.

There are many success stories. The women were not allowed to go out of their villages and farming was their main source of income. But due to unpredictable weather conditions, the farming didn't pay them much. The women were doing embroidery for their trousseau. But Chanda Shroff, people call her Kaki, made them understand that the art can also make them earn money. Many believed in the idea of Kaki and became part of the revolution. Their art made them confident and financially independent. Raji Ben, who had lost her husband at young age, managed to send her son to The US. Thanks to the confidence and independence she got from working with Shrujan.

Geeta Ben, who earns Rs 140 per day, looked visibly happy. She said, "We were mostly dependent on farming for our survival. But Shrujan has helped us gain not only confidence in ourselves but it has also given us identity. People from across the world come to our village and value our work."

Her mother, Phoola Ben, is one another happy woman. She said, "The art unites us." About 15 women were present at Phoola Ben's house when we reached there to meet her. The love for their craft keeps them happy, independent and united, indeed.

Chanda Shroff's daughter, Ami Shroff, who after Chandaben passed away last year has dedicated itself to reviving the skill of making authentic and unique hand embroidered Kutch craft.

Ami believes that by the late 70s and 80s, embroidery would have vanished if Shrujan hadn't come into the picture. To help them survive, in January 2016, Shrujan founded 'The Living and Learning Design Centre (LLDC), which not only houses India's biggest Craft's Museum, but is also an active hub for crafts from the Kutch region. The LLDC campus in Ajrakpur village near Bhuj was set up with an aim of 'Preserving and Reviving the Craft Culture and Tradition' of the Kutch region.

Shrujan recently made its mark in Lakme Fashion Week. The collection was presented by top designers Sudha Patel and Pam Easton.

But this is just the beginning. With Shrujan, people of Kutch are being recognised for their beautiful work. What is astonishing that despite coming from a region, every work is different from other work.

Ami Shroff, Director of LLDC - the Living and Learning Design Centre, a crafts education and resource centre for the craftspeople of Kutch talks to BW Businessworld about her future plans, challenges, and popularising handicrafts

What are the future plans of Shrujan?
We want to focus our energies on building the profile fo r"Living and Learning Design Center" as a global hub for artists and crafts people all over the world. We hope that will culminate into a Crafts School in the near future that will offer full-time courses on different crafts in the Kutch region and will have fully equipped working studios for all the 22 crafts of Kutch. This will make LLDC the single-largest living and working craft environment in Kutch and perhaps in India as well.

What are the challenges you faces to run this philanthropic venture?
I was born into a business family, so I always knew what running a business meant in the traditional sense. However, even as a little child, my impressions of entrepreneurship were formed, not seeing my family's business but instead, because of a small not for profit enterprise started by my mother more than 47 years ago, when she had visited Kutch on a relief mission. She started with a group of 30 women, encouraging them to use their innate skill for embroidery to help them earn a livelihood in a region that was always threatened with harsh weather conditions and one where agriculture as a source of income was unreliable. She had conquered the challenges that came with setting up Shrujan, and I'm just carrying the baton forward.
While Shrujan has become a well-oiled machine since its inception, the LLDC is our new baby that needs to be nurtured with the right care and attention. Raising funds for LLDC to help it flourish to its fullest potential without compromising on our vision for the centre is our immediate challenge.

What can be done to popularise handicrafts and increase its affordability among common people?
Though the government of India has accorded importance for the growth of handicraft & handloom industries through five-year plans, and industrial policies, the growing demand for the artificial products has badly affected the livelihood of many skilled artisans and others related to this sector indirectly. We need to promote handloom and traditional craft products not just because they are rich in nature, and can be supplied in various transformations and mixtures, i.e., in smaller sizes, and variety, etc. but also because they representthe inherent craftsmanship and creativity that is the very fabric of the Indian culture.

The lack of promotion and publicity of handloom products specifically apparels; have led to minimum awareness and interest within the younger generation thus translating into very limited usage of handloom and hand crafted products. There is an urgent need today to promote India's handloom and embroidery heritage and make it more accessible to the common man by making it available easily across different types of retail channels backed up with relevant platform to showcase the richness these products offer. We can also leverage the digital revolution by ensuring the products are available easily on the new age e-commerce sites, more exclusive outlets in malls and high street and branded lifestyle retail chains in India.

How was your experience about taking Kutchi work to LFW?
This is the first time Shrujan presented its work at the Lakme Fashion Week and we were thrilled to be a part of it! LFW is the face of fashion in India and it was our pleasure to bring the traditional embroideries of Kutchcraft to India's fashion centre stage with ace designers Sudha Patel & Pam Easton. Shrujan has always worked towards embracing the diverse crafts of the Kutch region and empowering the craftswomen behind them, and LFW gave usan international platform and much needed recognition for our artisans and their superior quality work.