Rashmi Bharti and Rajnish Jain founded AVANI, a voluntary organization working in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, located in the middle ranges of the Central Himalayan region. Founded in 1997 to create livelihood opportunities through development and dissemination of appropriate technologies, revival and promotion of traditional craft-based and farm-based activities. Rashmi shares AVANI’s story and their showcase in Chennai at By Hand From The Heart Makers Market.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I have been working in the field of rural development for the past 26 years in India in the states of Uttarakhand and Orissa. I co-founded Avani, a voluntary organization, in the Central Himalayas in India, 20 years ago. I have worked in the field of education, community health, natural resource management, strategic planning and creation of sustainable livelihood in remote rural areas.
I have been living and working in a small village in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand for the past 20 years. I have founded a sustainable rural enterprise that revives the traditional skill of hand spinning, hand weaving and the art of natural dyeing in this area. This enterprise is now established as an artisan owned cooperative that produces and markets hand made natural textiles and lifestyle products that are eco-friendly, fair trade, zero waste and low carbon footprint. The products include hand made, naturally dyed silk and wool textiles, natural dye powders and natural crayons.
My work brings together the concept of creativity, sustainability and design thinking that integrates people and natural resources in one contiguous whole. It is a holistic and integrated manner of design thinking that creates eco systems that are self sustaining and inclusive…
When and how was AVANI established? And how much has AVANI evolved over the years?
The genesis of the textile business came about in the context of our work with appropriate technology. As we worked on taking solar lights to rural families, we realized that very poor families did not participate as they did not have the paying capacity of even Rs 30 per month to purchase the solar lights. This led us to explore and dissect the livelihood options, especially the traditional artisan community. We discovered the poor wage structures in artisan activity was causing a dilution of skill and the younger generation not wanting to pursue this craft. So we initiated our work with 20 families to preserve and revive the traditional craft of hand weaving and hand spinning in 1999. Earthcraft’s natural dyes program has experienced steady growth in both beneficiaries and income since its inception. Starting with just 49 participants in 2005, Earthcraft has since increased its workforce to 1500 participants (farmers, material collectors, and natural dyers), 78% of whom are women, from 65 villages.
What are the different textiles & techniques you work with?
AVANI works with Wild Silk (Eri & Muga), Wool (Merino & Hersheel) and Linens. Earthcraft combines traditional knowledge of hand-spinning, hand-weaving, and natural dyeing with modern designs to produce high-quality textiles, dyes, art supplies, and lifestyleproducts. Through an innovative carbon-neutral, zero waste process, Earthcraft uses natural materials, including eupatorium (a highly invasive plant), indigo (which Earthcraft recently introduced into the region), marigold, and myrobolan to produce natural dyes. These dyes are sold to other producers, converted into pigment to create art supplies, and used to dye Earthcraft’s hand-woven textiles. Through all stages of the production process, Earthcraft uses environmentally-friendly production processes, including wastewater recycling, solar energy, pine needle gasification (an innovative energy-generation technology pioneered at Avani-Earthcraft), and rainwater collection. Earthcraft’s production process is an entirely transparent supply chain, from farmer to weaver, that ensures equitable pay and income at each stage in the production cycle.
How has AVANI impacted the lives of the artisans & farmers working with you?
Avani currently supports 1,500 artisans, 95 percent of them being women, in over 64 villages, along with a staff of 31 people. In the last 5 years, the local communities have earned a total of Rs 2,17,00,000.
Earthcraft’s activities have had a powerful impact on individual villagers’ lives. Women employed through Earthcraft’s dye production have been able to pay for their children’s educations, fund their own weddings, make home improvements (including installing solar panels for a more reliable and sustainable source of electricity in their homes). Within indigo cultivation specifically, Earthcraft harvested a total of 6,300 kg of indigo leaves from 128 farmers in 2016, generating Rs.1.6 lakh as income source. Within its Eupatorium dyes, in the past two years Earthcraft has harvested close to 10,000kg of Eupatorium, generating 5,00,000 rupees in income for community members.
How would you describe AVANI’s aesthetics?
Avani has created a rural enterprise that is self-sustaining, strengthens the local economy and addresses conservation–based livelihood opportunities for rural communities. The cooperative functions through a holistic approach benefiting social, environmental, and economic issues, ultimately creating a feasible and realistic solution to eradicating poverty.
Please share any recent design story or project that you are proud of.
Using an Artisan-to-Artisan peer mentoring approach, with Somaiya Kalavidya works with artisans to quickly establish the importance of design education in increasing the value of craft traditions, building the capacity of artisans, and raising socio economic status of artisan communities. AVANI’s weavers participated in their very first Artisan Design Training with Somaiya Kalavidya. These wonderfully talented weavers will showcase their designs and prepare for an exhibition soon under the project name Kutch to Kumaon.
What is your personal favourite pick from AVANI right now? And why?
It has to be Natural crayons. Most crayons produced commercially today use paraffin wax and synthetic pigments. Although labelled as “non-toxic”, paraffin contains a variety of toxic processing chemicals and can take over 100 years to fully decompose. Synthetic pigments are one of the largest sources of water pollution on earth, and contain a range of toxic chemicals, including known carcinogens. Avani created sustainable livelihood opportunities in the rural Kumaon region for women and girls, produces all-natural crayons using beeswax and plant-based pigments. All materials for the crayons, including plants such as indigo, marigold, and eupatorium, as well as beeswax, are either collected in the wild or grown by local farmers, creating reliable conservation-based income opportunities in this underserved region. The finished products are vibrant, effective, 100% natural, and completely non-toxic, making them safe and effective for children of all ages.
What are your displaying at the By Hand, From The Heart.
We will be displaying our range of Hand spun, hand woven, naturally dyed saris, stoles, mufflers, shawls. We also will have our range of art supplies and life style products like Crayons, DIY Kits, soap nut powders and Organic kumkum.
What are your future plans for AVANI?
Looking forward, Avani intends to expand its enterprise across the region, furthering its transformative impact. Over the next 5 years, Avani aims to reach 2,400 beneficiaries through its livelihood generation (up from 1,500). As each beneficiary is, on average, a member of a 5-person household, this translates to roughly 12,000 individuals impacted in the region. The effects of financially empowering these many thousands of women will be significant, opening the door to further gains in gender equality and women’s empowerment in the area while generating sustainable, environmentally-sound economic growth.
Meet the Maker @
By Hand From The Heart Makers Market 24th Edition
Friday – Saturday
24th – 25th August, 2018
10:00 a.m to 8:00 p.m
Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park, (old Adyar Gate Hotel)
132, T.T.K Road, Alwarpet, Chennai – 600018, India.
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