Passion for handicrafts was seeded while doing academic research under Prof. M.P.Ranjan and Aditi Ranjan at the National Institute of Design. We (the core team) learnt how many beautiful traditional Indian crafts are fighting for survival today. When a craft dies, we not only lose the time-tested techniques but we also lose generations of faith and wisdom that went into making that object.
Gaatha was originally created for researching and documenting Indian craft clusters and heritage which are experiencing rapid erosion. However, we learnt from artisans themselves that need was not to do research alone but to restore ‘pride and commercial opportunity’ in their ecosystem. Today Gaatha thus aims to bring the lost respect and wealth back to these heirloom artisanal clusters.
At Gaatha we are marrying craft-research with clever understanding of technology, to build rich and immersive online experience. Amidst growing online retail, Gaatha intends to educate the customer about the immense value behind handcrafted products through the stories of their origin, evolution and making. These products are eco-friendly and teach us a balanced way of life.
Main objectives of Gaatha
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~ Detailed Online Archive & Rich Immersive Visualization of Heritage & Crafts
~ Archive heritage & indigenous knowledge, Explain value system behind the heritage
~ Build Online Craft Community & network
~ Artisan Skill highlight, Design Intervention, Commercial growth & exposure
शिल्प कला ~ रोज़ाना में काम आने वाली केवल एक वस्तु नही, बल्कि शिल्पकारो के खरे हाथो से जन्म लिया एक साधारण पदार्थ है, जो हमारी सभ्ययता के सभ्य हॊने का प्रतीक है ।
हमारा शिल्प, हमारे समाज के साथ, कई विचार, विश्वास और विज्ञान लिए विकसित हुआ है । इन विचारो और कहानियो को जाने बिना इन वस्तुओं को सराहना या महसूस करना मुस्किल है। ये कहानियाँ ना केवल शिल्प को सराहने मै सहयोग करती है, बल्कि हमारे सामने एक सादगीपूर्ण एवं आकर्षक जीवन का उदाहरण भी प्रस्तुत करती है । शिल्पकारी सदियों से हमारे समाज मे लोगो के व्यवसाय का म्हत्वपूर्ण अंग रहा है, परन्तु औधोगिकीकरण, मशीनों के सस्ते और जल्दी मिर्माण ने इस व्यवस्था पे महत्वपूर्ण प्रभाव डाला है ।
गाथा योजना के तहत हम इन खूबसूरत वस्तुओ को एक वस्तु की तरह नहीं बल्कि, इनके महत्त्व और मीठी कहानियो के साथ पहचान दिलाना चाहते है। हम ना केवल इन वस्तुऒ का व्यापार, बल्कि इनके कलाकारों एवं पसंद करने वालो के बीच एक रिश्ता एवं बातचीत शरू करना चाहते है जिससे समाज मे सभी साथ मे कदम मिलाकर विकास कर सके ।
अन्तत:…हम अंधरे मै छिपे इन कलाकारों के चेहरो को एक पहचान देना चाहते है ।
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Handicraft ~ The act of ‘hand-crafting’ an object to suffice a daily chore; to pacify a need of faith; as an artistic expression; or perhaps to hone the dexterity of a pair of hands. This act of ‘crafting’ is but the most potent proof of the ‘civil-ness’ within any civilization. The ancient act of crafting almost always is a reflection of the times… and sometimes is powerful enough to make time itself its reflection.
Deep within its bowels, a craft holds dear the myths, legends, and faiths that lent it its form, these stories desperately need to be shared with the onlooking audience. These stories not only help the onlooker appreciate the craft righteously but also offer many a lessons in humble living. It’s the transfer of this value-system more than the craft itself, which is the objective of the ‘Gaatha’ project.
Handicrafts have weathered many a storms at the hands of increased industrialization and overall paradigm shifts in the crafts’ production and consumption ecosystem. The global consumer now slowly wakes to the actual ecological price that the increasingly mechanized and plastic-addicted industries entail. They are more willing now than ever before to hear and pay heed to the tales of craft.
The ‘Gaatha’ project was conjured to play that key role of storytelling, and therewith bringing social and commercial benefits to the artisan settlements. We desire to become the instrument though which the artisans can directly connect with the global audience, we desire to be the resource which helps craft sell not as objects but stories and ideologies. We are vying to make not just ‘sales‘ but ‘dialogues’ between the craftsmen and their patrons, encouraging ‘co-creation’ possibilities and a collective growth. We are committed to keeping all the good practices intact and all processes humane, just andecologically balanced.
ABOVE ALL, WE WANT TO IDENTIFY AND RECOGNIZE THE FACELESS ARTISAN.
Team Gaatha
