Imparting digital literacy to weavers

As pandemic forbids the real time exhibitions and open marts which offered the fair grounds for handloom weavers to sell their produce which has affected their livelihood the most, many individuals, NGOs and designers with the shared aspiration of uplifting the grim situation of weavers have rallied around to work with them and help them revive their sales strategy. Weavers are also taking heed to the demand of the unprecedented times and learning to use online platforms to their advantage.

Many designers have started a movement in their capacity to rehabilitate the artisans who were rendered astray by the crisis.The Creative Dignity is one such movement,started with 25 volunteer members started in May and has grown to 250 since then. The aim is to get artisans back in their workshops, pandemic has thrown an opportunity to restructure the Indian craft and align it with contemporary demands.Design schools including IICD, NIFT and Srishti are also imparting digital literacy to the artisans to make them equip with technology.

The Khes weavers of Khurja, Uttar Pradesh were approached by a history student Shashank Gupta who used his Instagram account to put their produce and brought around hundred orders.There are other such examples as well who are up moved by sense of their unfortunate state and encouraged to mobilise the traditional crafts.