Coop Craft

The Unsung Mentors of India’s Craft Revival — Master Trainers and Cluster Artisans of Madhya Pradesh While we often celebrate the final product — a beautifully painted Gond scroll, a skillfully carved bamboo lamp, a hand-embroidered cushion — the real magic of India’s craft revival lies with the  people behind the process . In the tribal districts of  Dindori, Sidhi, Anuppur, Betul , and  Mandla , these people are not influencers or designers. They are  master trainers, senior artisans, and grassroots mobilizers  — individuals who are not just practicing the craft, but  passing it forward  to hundreds of others. Who Are These Mentors? They are local artisans — often with 15–30 years of experience — who have lived the entire journey: from being unknown and underpaid to becoming  community leaders and trainers . Many are now selected and supported under programs run by  DC Handicrafts, MPSCU, and CHCDS , helping them: Train new artisans  w...

The Power of Collectives — How MPSCU is Building an Artisan Economy Rooted in Ownership Across the rural pockets of Madhya Pradesh — from the dense forests of Mandla to the hills of Sidhi — craft isn’t just a form of art. It’s a  way of life , passed from one generation to the next. But in today’s economy, for artisans to survive and thrive, craft needs more than tradition — it needs  community-driven business models . That’s where the  Madhya Pradesh State Cooperative Union (MPSCU)  steps in. Through its cooperative-led approach, MPSCU is creating an ecosystem where  artisans are not just workers, but stakeholders  — building craft-based livelihoods with dignity, fair pay, and long-term sustainability. Why Cooperatives Matter in the Handicraft Sector The unorganized nature of the handicraft sector often leads to exploitation. Middlemen take large margins. Artisans have no control over pricing. There's no financial safety net. MPSCU’s intervention is simple...

CHCDS and the Business of Tradition: How Design Interventions Are Reshaping Madhya Pradesh's Handicraft Economy In the tribal belts of  Mandla , the forested terrains of  Dindori , or the skill-rich regions of  Betul  and  Sidhi , thousands of artisan families carry a silent legacy — one that speaks through clay, wood, bamboo, and vibrant tribal symbols. But while the stories are timeless, the markets have changed. And survival today needs more than skill — it needs  support, structure, and innovation . This is where the  Central Handicrafts and Cottage Development Society (CHCDS)  is making a quiet revolution — giving artisans the tools not just to preserve their heritage, but to  thrive as professionals . From Craftsmanship to Contemporary Relevance Tradition alone can’t keep pace with the globalised economy. So CHCDS steps in — not to modernise craft for the sake of it, but to guide artisans to  reinterpret their tradition  in wa...

DC Handicrafts & the Revival of Tribal Craft Clusters – A Ground Report In a world racing toward automation and synthetic production, India’s tribal crafts stand as living legacies of patience, precision, and inherited genius. Yet, until recently, many tribal artisans in Madhya Pradesh were on the verge of abandoning their art. But after  DC Handicrafts , a government body quietly working on the ground to change that story, not with charity, but with structure and vision. What DC Handicrafts Really Does The  Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) , under the Ministry of Textiles, is the backbone of India’s artisan revival system. While its work spans across states, in Madhya Pradesh, it has played a crucial role in: Identifying tribal craft clusters Providing design development workshops Funding raw material procurement Supporting artisan registration and certification Enabling marketing through fairs, expos, and e-commerce platforms Rather than just preservation, the goal...

Unsung Heroes of Handicrafts: Inside MPSCU’s Work with Rural Artisans Handicrafts are more than aesthetics — they are vessels of heritage, identity, and livelihood. But behind every handcrafted piece from Madhya Pradesh is an artisan whose talent often remains invisible to mainstream markets. That’s where, the  Madhya Pradesh State Cooperative Union (MPSCU)  come in — quietly enabling impact on the ground. The Cooperative Model: Why It Matters For decades, the artisan economy has been vulnerable to exploitation, from underpayment to lack of access to design or marketing. The cooperative model championed by MPSCU is built on one idea:  collective strength . By organising artisans into clusters and societies, the model ensures: Fair wages Shared ownership Skill and design training Financial literacy Direct market linkages This approach creates not just economic upliftment, but also  dignity in work . Bringing Craft Back Into Focus From tribal art forms like Gond and Bh...

The Soul of Gond: Reviving Tribal Art Through Cluster Support In the dense cultural heartlands of Madhya Pradesh, Gond art has lived for centuries, breathing through forest spirits, animals, trees, and everyday village life. But in the face of mass production, fading demand, and generational disinterest, it almost began to vanish silently. Until clusters stood up to protect it.  What Is Gond Art, Really? Gond art isn’t just painting. It’s  visual storytelling rooted in tribal mythology and nature . Traditionally done on mud walls using natural colours, its motifs—birds, deer, gods, and harvests—aren’t decorative. They’re  symbols of life, rituals, and oral history . 🧵 The Crisis Gond Art Faced In the last two decades, younger generations from tribal communities have begun moving to cities in search of work. Gond art, once passed down naturally through observation and practice, became an "extra"—not a livelihood. As market demand declined, middlemen took advanta...