The H in Handmade

Since the dawn of time, people have relied on their hands for getting by their day. Hands have always been the weapon of the mind, some would even say that "they are what do God's work."

The H in handmade stands for humanity. Working with artisans from around the world, it is the inconsistencies of human work that make each piece unique. Each 'taka' or a weave, made by a different hand, add the value that a machine would fail to do. Each piece screams of a story, an emotion, a name, a human. Corroborating this legion is what keeps them going.

Today, handmade craft and art are looked at for gifting purposes mainly. Handmade gifts have been a popular practise since the age of dawn. In the olden times, people would create smaller things like bows and strings to gift to their loved ones. It slowly evolved into multiple art forms. Today, so many livelihoods depend on the little gift we choose to pick.

The Indian textile and handicrafts sector is the second largest employment generator in India after the agriculture sector. This sector runs the home of over 7 million artisans in India of whom the majority are women. The sector has artisans from all walks of life – diverse economic, social and cultural backgrounds. So many humans and humanity integral in handmade. It’s the humanity of these millions of artisans that add the value to the art and craft sector – directly or indirectly.

The bows, the arrows and the weapons were both wielded and yielded with hand. Here, an artisan is the wielder and also the yielder. Clusters and communities come together to formulate and execute design work. They say, if you look at the art piece close enough, you can see the artisan making it. It’s the combination of their hands, minds and humanity that makes an artisan and the art piece so special.