‘Handicrafts gets a social media push’

Jayasri Samyukta Iyer, Executive Committee Member of CCI says the not-for-profit entity headquartered here has regional affiliated councils in 10 locations. She tells us, “This is the first Crafts Bazaar we are curating after demonetisation and GST. Many artisans are complying with the process which is a good sign. Some find it difficult though as the process is complicated as they need to travel great distances, hire an accountant or a computer technician to complete the process each month. 

On the investment to set up a bazaar, Jayasri says, “The Developments Commissioner Handicrafts has given us grants previously to organise the crafts bazaar as they know that exercises like this with over 100+ artisans will cost money. This time there was a delay in getting Central funding on time, but since CCI is committed to providing wider markets to artisans, we did not want to disappoint them and have decided to fund this time on our own. The stalls, however, are completely free for the artisans.”

Giving us the lowdown on trends this season, Iyer says, “Social media has influenced craft & handmade as a concept tremendously. So have events like Fashion Week’s Sustainable Day apart from ongoing efforts of CCI. Various handloom pacts have pepped up the excitement around artisanal made products as well. More people are looking at handmade gifts these days, especially goods made by indigenous artisans.” 

She adds, “With Instagram catching up, young bloggers, photography enthusiasts and students also find themselves drawn to such bazaars.” 

According to Iyer, artisans believe Chennai is a retail hotspot. So there is a lot of clamour to get included. “It is a difficult task to pick 100 artisans. We want to give as many a chance and bring different artisans each time, so many craftsmen get that exposure. We notice the number of men visiting the craft bazaar has been on the rise. The wares here are priced between Rs 50 and Rs 30,000, which makes it accessible to all sections of society.” 

This season, craft bazaar is set to play the perfect foil for several margazhi rasikas, with NRIs coming over to pick up gifts. “It is a one-stop-shop for them to purchase goods of different values. And what better than handmade,” she signs off.