For centuries, women and nature have collectively faced the brunt of drastic climate change and patriarchal institutions. Our commitment and concern for the environment join hands with the common goal of uplifting women from their oppressive predicaments and giving them the support they need financially and emotionally.
Bharath Arts and Crafts has dedicated a particular unit for women artisans who have made a resourceful and successful livelihood from making Channapatna toys. The town is home to thousands of such artisans, with many solely relying on them for their daily bread.
They need your help
COVID-19 has pushed their lives into uncertainty. With curbed sales and strictly imposed lockdowns, artisans and factory owners have been facing cancelled orders and finding it challenging to source the required raw materials. Their lives have come to a halt, and we hope that our endeavour can provide them with the boost they need.
Extend your support
Although the craft is protected under Geographical Indication (GI) tag, which recognises the distinct and indelible mark that the art has on Channapatna, the future seems bleak for many artisans. Bharath Arts and Crafts has been in the family for years. Mr P Mohammed Ilyas has been taking forward the legacy. Still, today, the business faces the threat of an economy that has dramatically fallen behind during the pandemic and left thousands of artisans penniless.
Protect and Promote Sustainable Efforts
Due to steeping demand, many artisans have resorted to other odd jobs such as plucking mangoes. But deep down, everyone is anxious and worried about the insecure trap they have helplessly fallen into. For, what happens next if not toymaking, a vocation that has been part of their culture for centuries?
We are a cottage industry, a third-tier industrial sector in India run by local workers who relentlessly work towards sustaining their local practices. After being almost uprooted by colonial invasion, we're now receiving their due recognition and value from nationals and foreigners alike.
Together, we can do what it takes, tiny yet significant steps, to alleviate these artisans from their predicament and defeat the pandemic as a unified global community.
Uplifting Women and Nature
In doing what's required, your help will also extend to the many women who have sought a warm refuge in the occupation that has helped them escape the woes of their household. Many of them come from different religious backgrounds, predominantly Hindu, Christian and Muslim.
India still has a very high dropout rate for girls. In 2021, 17.3% of the girls attending secondary education were forced to leave school owing to their dire circumstances. Many of these women become daily wage labourers and work in brick-making, construction and other labour-intensive sectors. Bharath Arts and Crafts approach such girls and provide them with skills for a lifetime that engages them in a prosperous art form and equips them financially.
Many have lost that privilege and freedom during the pandemic. However, smaller ventures such as ours have been able to get them back on their feet, and your small contribution can aid their lives immensely.
If you believe in our story and envision a better world for your children to live in, then you're at the right place.