The dawn of the new 'swadeshis'

The groundwork of advocacy groups like the Graama Sewa Sangha is powering craftspeople in their fight for a consistent livelihood, writes Geetanjali Krishna

At a time when Make in India has become a popular catchphrase, the actual makers in India, primarily rural craftpeople who use their skills to eke out livelihoods, are bogged down by two basic problems. First, there isn’t enough respect for the hand work they do, which often results in their having to compete in a price-driven market with cheaper, machine-made goods. Second, being primarily village-based, craftspeople even across a single state, let alone the country, are struggling to find a common voice and common market. For the last six years, Graama Sewa Sangha, GSS, a Karnataka-based civil society group