A Hundred Hands, a non profit trust for people who like to build things with their hands, comes together to make life simpler for Bengalureans and celebrate the age old tradition of handmade art and crafts. They are people who vow to bring back the lost art forms to the modern world with an element of spice and surprise.
Around 65 artisans from different art fields like traditional, contemporary, dying and ecofriendly, have put together a gala of sorts. Mala Dhawan, one of the trustees, says that it is a brilliant platform for such traditional hand made crafts. “Since its inception the primary focus has been to encourage the work and celebrate handmade crafts. The collective bridges the gap between the producer and the consumer by collaborating the artisans and conducting community bazaars.”
With such a mission, she adds that it has been a, “melting pot of cultures.” Craftsmen come in from different parts of the country, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, with their work that has received positive response from the city.
The collective provides a platform as Nivedita Bannerjee puts it rightly, “The tribal and rural natives receive tremendous support and hence this event pushes them to perform better. When people buy the products, they feel happy as they get to interact with the artisans and understand the craft better.” She runs Kumbaya, which gives employment to rural women who are experts in sewing and embroidery.
Like her, Rashid Bhai has been part of the initiative from its inception and says that he is glad that he has been part of it. He adds, “We feel happy that there is scope for traditional art and crafts and such exhibitions stand proof to that. We make it a point to gather and interact with other artisans from across the country and learn their art as well."
Apart from stalls, there are a variety of workshops like pottery, calligraphy and block printing workshops, participants are also taught how to work on different mediums. An innovation to look forward this year is Delara Damania who focuses on eco-friendly products. She says, “It is interesting, the love that they have for such crafts and the alternate solutions that they give to basic needs."
The Handmade Collective will be held from November 27th to 30th at The Kochhar Institute.
