Hatheli has been a first mover

Shefali Martins, Tilonia

A young mother from a remote village in central Rajasthan had no option but to take her baby daughter to her field while she tended cattle. Every morning, she made a makeshift cradle by tying a dupatta to a tree branch. The infant would be rather restless.  But she wouldn’t cry when she’d hear the cowbells jangling on the herd grazing nearby.

That gave the mother an idea to calm her baby.  She took a piece of colourful scrap cloth, filled it with goat feed and agricultural waste, gave it the shape of a bird and put an old cowbell on it. She hung this on the makeshift cradle and it became a distraction for the baby. This is how the bell tota, or bell parrot, a signature product of the Hatheli Sansthan, was created.

The Hatheli Sansthan is an enterprise of the Barefoot College in Tilonia. The collective promotes local artisans and their indigenous crafts, thereby creating community livelihoods. It works on a core principle of the Barefoot College — that people with ground-level experience are wiser than those with fancy college degrees. 

Like the bell tota that decorates many urban drawing rooms across the world, products from Hatheli are the outcome of rural innovation. Hatheli, or palm, celebrates work done by hand. It started as the craft section of the 52-year-old Barefoot College in 1974 but was registered as an independent organization in 1992.

In the past 52 years, Hatheli has provided livelihoods to over 25,000 artisans from five districts and more than 48 villages in Rajasthan. Most artisans come from Dalit communities. The collective engages their various skills of sewing, needlework, embroidery, tie-dyeing, block printing and weaving, and provides a platform for sale. Currently, it works with around 400 artisans from Barmer, Ajmer, Jaipur, Nagaur and Tonk districts, alongside 36 trainers who are mostly women.

Hatheli is an early pioneer of taking the haat bazaar concept to urban India. In 1975, it held its first ‘Tilonia Bazaar’ at Triveni Kala Sangam in New Delhi where people saw the apparel, accessories, home goods and other handicraft items and also got to interact with the artisans. They appreciated their work, and gave suggestions and feedback. The artisans sold the products they created, developing their marketing skills. Since then Tilonia Bazaar has been operating from the campus of Barefoot College. Another Tilonia Bazaar shop is functional on the highway between Ajmer and Jaipur at Patan.

What distinguishes Hatheli is its participatory management that ensures democratic decision-making. Nosheen Khan, a management consultant at Hatheli, says, “We often see an urban manager managing rural enterprises. But Hatheli is an amalgamation of the thoughts of both urban and rural people. As consultants, we discuss the idea with the artisans who contribute to the process and tell us about its viability.” 

Hatheli products are made from homegrown and indigenous material, promoting a culture of sustainability and the circular economy. So, besides fabric woven in Tilonia, there is block-printed fabric from Balotra, Bagru and Sanganer used widely in clothes and linen. The embroidered pieces come from Barmer, blue pottery is sourced from Mahala, leather goods from the nearby village of Harmada and Bandar Seendri, papier mache from Nallu, peeda chairs (woven jute chairs) from Ladera and rugs from Jawaja, among other items.

Applique work clothes, wall hangings and linen are popular products made on the Barefoot College premises at Tilonia and Barmer. The woodwork unit adds products like tray sets, wooden toys and laptop cushions to the fare at Tilonia Bazaar. The unit uses scrap wood as much as possible.

A favourite print can find many expressions at the bazaar — you would see it on clothes, cardboard paper holders, diaries, tray mats and other handicrafts thanks to another innovation, the Kabaad se Jugaad unit. This upcycles fabric and scrap paper, ensuring almost zero wastage in the handicraft production process. 

Kailash Kanwar, coordinator of the stitching unit, has been with Hatheli for the past 34 years. “There is space for everyone at Hatheli. On every piece, at least four artisans get work. Whether we make a garment, bag or bandhanwar (door hanging), different people work on different things. We focus on giving work to women from backward castes and poor families. Some of them work here full-time. Some take a week’s work back with them,” she explains.

The sansthan is inclusive even in the division of work. Tassels used in earrings and clothes are made by senior village women as that work doesn’t require sharp eyesight needed for stitching and applique. So, even at the age of 75-80, they can have their own earnings.

Hatheli has also helped revive crafts that were dying. The leatherwork of Harmada was on the verge of extinction when it got associated with the organization. Today, the leather artisans of Harmada not only send their products to Tilonia Bazaar but also work independently and supply to Fabindia and similar chains. Similarly, Bagru block printing, which was almost dying out, is now thriving. 

Artisans keep in touch with changing trends and customer preferences. “We draw inspiration from what happens around us. Our popular kaftans were inspired by African women who came to Barefoot College for the Solar Mamas programme. The ghaghra that women wear in rural Rajasthan took the form of long skirts for their urban counterparts,” says Nosheen. 

It’s not only the art that matters, but the artisan too. Chain Sukh, a senior member of the carpentry section, says, “People come to us for vocational training. We especially train youth who are physically challenged. This makes them employable.” Adds Kailash, “I have travelled a long way from wearing a ghoonghat (veil) to working independently and earning my own money. The younger women in my family follow suit. They give my example to encourage others in the village.”

Hatheli also has an online presence managed by Shaheen Bano, a young resident of Tilonia. “I do product photography and upload the content with all details. I post on social media more actively closer to any exhibition we organize,” says Shaheen. During the lockdown, locals learnt how to sell online through WhatsApp.

The focus of Hatheli is not to make exotic products for the affluent but to bring the joys of rural art to urban folk. The prices are suited for college students and those in the modest income bracket. It helps them make conscious purchases with the awareness that there are no middlemen involved and the artists themselves get the remuneration for their labour.

 

Charkha Features