INVC News,
Jharkhand
Jharkhand has been a land of unexplored opportunities spread across Chotanagpur Plateau and Santhal Pargana hill tracts with its rich natural resources, vibrant cultural traditions and a distinct tribal identity.
The hilly terrain has a rich variety of flora and fauna & is home to 30 different tribal communities. The state produces 80% of the total silk produced in India besides lac, bamboo, palm leaves and other forest products important in craft production in the state. The Jharkhand Silk Textile and Handicraft Development Corporation (Jharcraft) reflects the handloom legacy of Jharkhand and the beauty of its artisanal textile — Tussar.
Jharkhand Silk Textile and Handicraft Development Corporation Ltd., also known as JHARCRAFT, was formed in 2006 to create sustainable livelihood opportunities in the rural areas, based on Sericulture, Handloom, Handicraft and other allied activities.
The skilled artisans of Jharkhand who had almost forgotten their crafts, passed down through generations were almost reduced to being unskilled labourers across India. The younger generation was losing interest in their art.
The organisation as a state initiative stated an art revival by creating new opportunities in rural areas with an objective to transform lives by promotion of artisans, weavers and farmers throughout the state.
Today, it provides both, forward and backward linkage to the Handloom and Handicrafts sectors and an aggressive marketing platform to the merchandise made by the rural artists. More than three lakh people have already been attached to Jharcraft and it looks forward to attract more people in the coming years. This would also stop migration
Jharcraft supports the entire value chain of production and marketing including, providing raw materials, training, designs and marketing. The marginalized artisans of Jharkhand who have recognised silk production as a source of income have enhanced their skills in quality and varieties of products like: organic fabrics, silk sarees, Designer garments, Home Furnishing etc. Incidentally, Jharkhand is the sole supplier of certified organic tussar silk in the world.
Jharcraft has developed clusters providing supervision and marketing support on reeling, spinning, tribal paintings, stitching, katha stitch, satin stitch, block prints, appliqué and tie & dye. The organisation provides all possible support in the form of raw materials, training, tools & equipment’s, designing assistance and marketing platform to the tribal artisans.
In a bid to revive the tribal art and promote them among urban consumers, they have also tied up with popular e-commerce portals like Amazon and Flipkart for ease of purchase in these digital times. The appreciation and purchase of the wonderful natural fabric has given a breath of new life into the lives of the artisans and helped to enrich their brilliant culture.
Jharcraft MD, Uday Pratap concludes, “The state has a huge potential for increasing market penetration both nationally and internationally. Jharcraft, with its mission statement of “Creating Opportunities and Changing Lives”, aims to provide a better life to the skilled artisans and craftsmen of the state of Jharkhand. By giving marketing impetus to different craft forms of Jharkhand like wooden artifacts, bamboo crafts, terracotta and handloom products, Jharcraft is providing a much-needed lifeline to these dying art forms and improving the lives of the countless artisans creating them”.
Jharcraft Emporiums are present all over India, mentioned below are zone-wise details:
East: Deoghar, Dhanbad, Dumka, Hazaribagh, Jamshedpur, Kolkata, Patratu, Ranchi
West: Mumbai (Lokhandwala)
North- New Delhi (Bhikaji Cama Place) & (Janpath)
South- Bangaluru (St. John Road)
