Crafting a community of artisans

Gita Ganesh and Gyana Raghavan, the founders of Vasthra, say it was their positive experiences in handicraft exhibitions that led them to host one of their own. “We have been a part of many such exhibitions over the last couple of years. It is a great platform for sellers to display their products and meet with their clientele. It is also a forum where handicraft artisans can meet and build a sense of community,” says Gita. 

Kshama Adka, who launched Shmoozie’s Handcrafted Ice Cream, is one of the artisans participating in the exhibition. “I am a commerce student with an MBA degree with no food background. I was working in the corporate industry when my love for ice creams led me to the idea of handmade ice creams. But I took the plunge and started testing my handcrafted ice creams in Chennai.

 I wasn’t sure if people would accept the product because they were used to the market products that had tons of colouring, artificial essences and excess sugar. For example, handmade butterscotch ice cream will not be a yellow colour and nor will the strawberry ice cream be the bright pink you are used to. But, the city responded positively and I launched the company. 

I decide on the flavours I put up based on what is freshly available for the season — mangoes and guava this time. The ingredients I use are either naturally available or I try to make them by hand or source it locally. 

I avoid using artificial es- sences and colouring,” says Kshama. Arva Firoz’s Trunk Box is another local brand that will be seen at the exhibition. “I am an architecture student who specialises in restoration and I wanted to start my own business. 

That’s how I came up with the idea of reclaiming and restoring old furniture. I identify good frame and furniture pieces from antique stores and either upcycle them into functional décor items. 

I focus on mirrors and lampshades mostly. I heard about the exhibition from a friend and I felt like it was a perfect place to try and introduce my products to the public. This is my second exhibition, and the first was held in my mother’s house,” says Arva. 

Rohini from Pristine, a brand that makes handmade beauty products, has been selling her products to hotel groups in Bengaluru for a long time. Yet, this is one of the few times she has put up her work at an exhibition. 

“My brother was looking for handmade soaps for his hotel group in Bengaluru some years ago and wasn’t satisfied with the options he had. This is when he asked me to try and make soaps for him. I tried to approach a lot of people and even went to Auroville hoping someone would teach me. But it was pointless. 

Finally, I learned the basics of soap making from online videos and tutorials. I learned to mix essential oils by trial and error. In six months, I made my first successful product and I have been creating handmade soaps, moisturisers and so on, ever since. But since my kids were little, I never went to any exhibitions until recently,” says Rohini.