The Making of Us
Six women. One shared belief. A future for Indian crafts.
In 1981, six women came together around a question that would shape the course of their lives: how could India’s traditional crafts survive if the people who practised them could not earn a sustainable living from their skills?
Bunny Page, Laila Tyabji, Poonam Muttreja, Gauri Chaudhury, Prabeen Grewal and Jaya Jaitly came from different backgrounds, but shared a conviction that the future of Indian crafts lay as much in the well-being of craftspeople as in the traditions they carried forward.
Bunny Page envisioned a future where traditional crafts could provide craftspeople with sustainable livelihoods and where their skills could find the recognition and opportunities they deserved. Laila Tyabji’s work in Kutch brought her closer to the extraordinary skills of craftspeople and the realities of their livelihoods. It also revealed a missing link between the people creating beautiful work and the markets where it could find appreciation and value. Poonam Muttreja brought her experience in social action and development, while Gauri Chaudhury, Prabeen Grewal and Jaya Jaitly contributed their own perspectives and commitment to strengthening traditional crafts and the communities behind them. Together, they laid the foundation for an organisation that would work towards making craft a viable and dignified source of livelihood.
Dastkar was formally registered as a Society on 26 October 1981. Its beginnings were modest, with just 15 craft groups, but the ambition was much larger: to create the conditions in which craftspeople could earn from their skills, build confidence in their work and carry their traditions forward on their own terms.
In April 1982, the first Dastkar Bazaar was held at Triveni Kala Sangam in Delhi, bringing together 12 craft groups and generating sales of approximately ₹60,000. More than a marketplace, it was an early expression of an idea that continues to guide Dastkar.
Bring craftspeople closer to customers, create opportunities for direct exchange, and allow the value of handmade work to be recognised.
What began as a small collective and a shared belief has since grown into a movement reaching more than 2.5 lakh artisans across 23 states through bazaars, design development, training, market access and long-term partnerships. Behind these numbers are generations of knowledge, countless hours of skilled work and communities finding new opportunities to sustain their livelihoods. More than four decades later, the purpose remains unchanged, to ensure that India's craftspeople have the opportunities, resources and recognition to carry their traditions into the future.
A Vision Rooted in Craft
Dastkar is a not-for-profit Society for Crafts and Craftspeople, established in 1981 with a conviction that continues to guide our work that the future of India’s traditional crafts depends on the people who practise them.
Across the country, craftspeople carry generations of knowledge in their hands. Their skills embody the histories of communities, the character of places and an extraordinary inheritance of creativity. Yet, for many, the challenge has never been a lack of skill, but the lack of opportunities to earn a sustainable livelihood from it. Dastkar exists to bridge this gap between skill and opportunity.
As our founding philosophy puts it, “It is the craftsperson rather than the craft that is the focal point of Dastkar’s thinking and activity.”
This belief shapes how we work, not simply to preserve traditional techniques or bring handmade products to market, but to strengthen the livelihoods, capabilities and independence of the people behind them. We work alongside artisan communities to connect their knowledge with contemporary markets and evolving opportunities. Through design and product development, skill-building, enterprise support, production planning, access to credit, and direct marketing, we help craftspeople strengthen their businesses, develop new products and build lasting relationships with customers and buyers. Our approach brings together tradition and change.
As Elaben Bhatt, founder of SEWA observed, “I see Dastkar as both an organisation and a movement.”
That distinction captures the spirit of our work. We truly believe that craft has a future when its makers have one. Our work is to make that possible, by placing craftspeople at the centre of development, connecting skill with opportunity, and ensuring that the knowledge they carry can continue to sustain lives and communities for generations to come.
Creating Opportunities for Craft
Dastkar’s work is centred around strengthening artisan livelihoods while ensuring that India’s diverse craft traditions remain relevant, visible, and economically sustainable in a rapidly changing world. The organisation works across direct marketing platforms, artisan development initiatives, training programs, research, advocacy, and collaborative interventions - creating support systems that enable craftspeople to grow sustainably and independently.
Advocacy with governmental and non-governmental agencies
Capacity building workshops and skills training
Collaborative design innovation and product development
Bazaars and exhibitions connecting craftspeople with consumers
Marketing platforms bypassing middlemen
PROGRAMMES & INITIATIVES
Dastkar works closely with artisan communities through long-term programs and initiatives that support design intervention, product and skill development, market readiness, entrepreneurship.
These initiatives include:
Skill upgradation & training workshops
Product & design development
Documentation &
craft preservation
Marketing &
market research
Production planning
& sampling
Pricing & Costing support
Information sharing
& networking
Consultation &
strategy development
Over the years, we have partnered with artisan collectives, grassroots organisations, social enterprises, and government institutions across India to build stronger craft ecosystems. Working across diverse craft traditions from weaving, embroidery, and natural dyes to folk art, metalwork, and basketry, these collaborations have combined design innovation, capacity building, market access, and enterprise development to create long-term livelihood opportunities. Many artisan groups that first engaged with Dastkar's support have since grown into independent organisations and successful craft enterprises, carrying forward both traditional knowledge and contemporary relevance.
BAZAARS
For over four decades, Dastkar’s bazaars have been at the heart of its work, creating direct connections between craftspeople and urban markets. What began in 1982 with just twelve artisan groups in Delhi has grown into a vibrant network of curated exhibitions across cities including Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune.
Designed as direct marketing platforms, these bazaars provide artisans with opportunities to engage directly with customers, share the stories behind their work, and earn fair and equitable returns for their skills. Over the years, Dastkar has organised more than 200 bazaars and exhibitions across India, creating meaningful market opportunities for thousands of craftspeople.
Among these, the Nature Bazaar, developed in partnership with Delhi Tourism since 2012, has become one of India's most recognised craft exhibitions, bringing together between 100–180 artisan groups each bazaar. Today, Dastkar's bazaars are much more than marketplaces—they are vibrant cultural spaces where craft is experienced through handmade products, regional food, live performances, demonstrations, and conversations. They remain places where traditions meet contemporary life, communities come together, and India's living craft heritage continues to thrive.
HANDS ON Dastkar
HANDS ON Dastkar brings traditional craftsmanship into contemporary markets by creating commercial opportunities for artisan groups and craft-based enterprises. As Dastkar’s marketing wing, it focuses on turning market demand into opportunities for product development, sales and sustainable livelihoods.
Its work includes funded and commissioned product development, retail,
e-commerce and export facilitation. By working with artisans, businesses and buyers, it supports the creation of market-ready products and facilitates orders across domestic and overseas markets. Its online store provides an additional channel for customers to discover and purchase handcrafted products.
