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Chamba Rumal – Diagnostic study and Business Development Plan
Table of Contents
I. Methodology for Diagnostic Study ....................................................................................................... 3
II. Location of Chamba Cluster .................................................................................................................. 5
III. Introduction – The Craft of Chamba Rumal .......................................................................................... 6
History and Tradition: Miniature art in Chamba ....................................................................................... 7
IV. Chamba Rumal – Craft Production Process .......................................................................................... 9
Raw material ............................................................................................................................................. 9
Important pieces and current designs .................................................................................................... 10
V. Product Review ................................................................................................................................... 14
VI. Chamba Rumal Value Chain Analysis .................................................................................................. 17
a. Description of the Chamba Rumal value chain ............................................................................... 18
b. Analysis of Chamba Rumal value chain ........................................................................................... 19
i) Issues at the levels of primary artisans ....................................................................................... 19
ii) Issues that limit the growth of the enterprises .......................................................................... 21
c. Markets ........................................................................................................................................... 23
d. Institutional Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 25
Institutional players in the Chamba Rumal value chain ......................................................................... 26
VII. Chamba Rumal Cluster Business Development Plan .......................................................................... 28
Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 28
1. Objectives of Intervention .............................................................................................................. 29
2. Intervention Strategies ................................................................................................................... 30
3. Interventions under AHVY scheme ................................................................................................. 31
4. Project Output Targets .................................................................................................................... 32
3
I. Methodology for Diagnostic Study
A detailed methodology was followed to gather information on the cluster, identify the main
actors and collect trade and business data from them. A range of tools including one-on-on
interviews, focus groups and surveys were used to collect the required information. The
following is a break-up of the methodology used:
I. Desk research and Set-up of first field visit
o Gathered information on cluster actors and contacts through interactions with a range
of institutions including Crafts Council India, Dastkar, Crafts Revival Trust, Dastkari
Haat Samiti, Fabindia, NID, NIFT and Asian Heritage Foundation.
o Identified and contacted NGOs, individual artisans, master crafts persons and
entrepreneurs working in the area to explore as potential local project partners and
resources. Also scanned for existing government schemes in the area.
o Identified design and other professionals with previous work experience [through
steps A & B above] relevant to the cluster and initiated discussions to explore their
use as project consultants and resources.
o Scanned books, documents and other reading material for initial archival material on
crafts process, design repertoire, local dynamics and existing linkages to markets.
II. Initial field scan, field visit and local hires
o Initial field visit for 7-10 days to meet the artisans, groups and the organizations
working in the area.
o Identified and interview local staff to carry out the survey of the artisans in the area.
o Second field visit to oversee survey.
III. Existing Product Profile Review
o Collected samples to from cluster to review for design, quality of product and
marketability. The samples were review by a panel of experts assembled by AIACA.
o Reviewed the costing process and the marketability of the product in that cost.
o Reviewed appropriateness of production methods, raw materials and tools used.
IV. Craft Production Process Documentation
o A detailed documentation of the craft production process was carried out. Ascertained
original higher-skill techniques that were being used and how the process has
changed over time.
4
V. Survey of Artisans
o Demographic profiles of artisans and ancillary workers, including geographic
locations; selection and survey of 500 artisans carried out. The data was then entered
into a computerized format to get aggregate statistics from survey forms.
VI. Value Chain Mapping
o A detailed mapping of the Chamba Rumal value chain was carried out. The mapping
identified actors in the cluster involved in the business of crafts production and sales
including raw material suppliers, master craftsmen, traders and other marketing
intermediaries.
o Conducted detailed analysis of existing commerce in the cluster including current
sources of credit accessed by artisans and traders.
VII. Business Development Plan
o Based on the information collected through the steps above, analysis by professional
staff of Access and AIACA, and interactions with a range of stakeholders in the crafts
sector, a detailed Business Development Plan (BDP) that clearly lists objective,
strategies and targets for needed interventions were developed.
5
II. Location of Chamba Cluster
Chamba is the north-western district of Himachal Pradesh. Founded during the 6th
century, it is
one of the oldest princely states in India. It is bounded by Jammu and Kashmir on the north-west;
Ladakh, Lahaul and Bara Bangahlaa on the north-east and east; Kangra and Gurdaspur districts
on the south-east and south. The Ravi River flows through this district, and many hydroelectric
generating stations are coming up in the area. The Chamba valley is surrounded by Dhauladhar
mountain ranges.
The nearest rail head for Chamba is Pathankot. Delhi to Pathankot is 485 Km and then Chamba
is 119 Km via road from Pathankot. Pathankot is very well connected by air, train and road from
Delhi. Dalhousie and Khajjiar are popular hill stations near Chamba and get a huge inflow of
tourists from other parts of the country, particularly Punjab and Delhi.
Chamba has a rich history of crafts including metal crafts, miniature paintings, weaving, leather
work, wood carving, basketry and jewelry making. Over time, the number of artisans actually
practicing traditional crafts has diminished but there is significant literature on the rich craft
history and skill-base of the region and historical specimens can in local temples as well as the
Bhuri Singh museum in Chamba.
6
III. Introduction – The Craft of Chamba Rumal
The Chamba Rumal (literally handkerchief), is a form of embroidery that flourished in the
eighteenth and early twentieth century in the mountain region of north India. Running through
Chamba, Kulu, Kangra, Guler, Mandi and Suket (all part of Indian state of Himachal Pradesh),
the craft witnessed explicit distinctions between 'elite' and 'folk art'. The languishing craft of the
'Chamba Rumal' refers only to the delicately embroidered rumals created by royal and elite
women who had access to the professional services of trained miniature artists. These miniature
artists not only drew the theme to be embroidered on the rumal in charcoal, but also provided the
women who would be embroidering the rumal with a sophisticated colour palette, thus ensuring
that the finished piece of embroidery was aesthetic, delicate and stylised, an 'image of a
miniature painting on fabric'1.
The folk version of the rumal - which actually preceded the elite one - was characterised by
'primitive' figures and a bold colour palette. In this, the drawing and embroidery were both done
by the peasant women themselves. Unlike the elite version of the Chamba rumal, which later
became synonymous with the term 'Chamba Rumal', and is now categorised as a 'languishing'
craft, the folk version continues to be embroidered in the area even today, used often for the
same purposes that it was used for over a century ago: mainly for household and everyday use
such as to cover gifts and offerings to the Gods, and being exchanged at the time of marriage
between families of the bride and groom.
18
th century rumal
2
1 Delhi Crafts Council
2 From a book titled- “Centenary-Bhuri Singh Museum 1908-2008” ed Sharma, Vijay
7
Some traditional motifs and designs on new rumals
History and Tradition: Miniature art in Chamba
The history of the Chamba Rumal is linked with that of the rulers of Chamba. After the death of
the Mughal Emperor Aurungzeb in 1707, the Mughal court went into decline. The Chamba king
Raja Umed Singh (1748-68) then offered patronage to miniature artists from the Mughal courts.
This patronage continued under Umed Singh's successors Raj Singh (1764-94) and Charat Singh
(1794-1808).
Even before the exodus of the artists from the Mughal court, Chamba was not unfamiliar with
miniature painting. Though the pahari rajas were independent rulers, they were under a larger
canopy of Mughal suzerainty that allowed a flow of ideas and techniques from the Mughal court.
The sensibility of the pahari miniature - considered the inspiration for artistic, design, and
aesthetic expression of the Chamba Rumal - was proof of this cultural interaction.
There is a strong link between pahari paintings and the embroidery on the rumals. The subject of
the embroideries ranged from religious themes, embodying the strong Vaishnava fervour in the
pahari regions, to themes from the great epics, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata. Krishna
surrounded by his gopis, godhuli (the hour of cow dust, with Krishna and his cow-herd friends
bringing home the cows); the Radha-Krishna alliance are among the popular themes.
A range of everyday scenes, from court scenes and royal hunts, to depictions of the popular dice
game of chaupad can be found on the rumals. Wedding processions are also depicted. The
figures are made with painstaking care and the costumes and ornaments decorated minutely in
the style of classical miniature paintings.
Colourful floral and animal motifs - peacocks, snakes, horses, and elephants among others - are
often interspersed among the main pictorial elements. The borders of the rumals are almost
always a combination of floral and geometrical, usually depicting floral patterns within
geometrical settings like parallel lines and squares. The borders are created as a frame for the
central picture, and serve to enhance it.
8
Each rumal is a colourful creation, even though the elite version of the rumal is more subtle in its
colour combinations than the more primitive and bold juxtapositions found in the folk style,
which commonly use pink, yellow, lemon, purple and green.
The loss of courtly patronage from the early twentieth century onwards led to a distinct decline
in the elite Chamba Rumal, leaving only its folk version alive.
Charcoal sketch on a rumal
Vegetable colours used for miniature paintings
9
IV. Chamba Rumal – Craft Production Process
The traditional Chamba Rumal is an embroidered piece of cloth, most often in a square format
(hence the term rumal or handkerchief), but also occasionally in oblong formats used during
auspicious or ritualistically important occasions to cover ceremonial presentation trays with gifts
and offerings. The rumal was used on a host of occasions: among others, to cover gifts being
exchanged between the families of the bride and groom; to cover offerings to gods during
religious ceremonies and rituals; and as decorative covers for ceremonial trays bearing gifts to
rulers and other high officials.
The process of creating a Chamba Rumal involves the following steps:
i) The visualisation of the theme to be embroidered.
ii) The outlining of the initial drawing in charcoal by a trained miniature artist.
iii) The predetermination of a colour palette to be used while embroidering the rumal.
iv) The actual embroidering of the rumal by the women along the designs sketched in
charcoal by miniature artists.
The stitch used in embroidering the Chamba Rumal was the do-rukha, a double satin stitch,
which, as its name implies, can be viewed from two (do) sides or aspects (rukh). The stitch is
carried both backward and forward and covers both sides of the cloth, effecting a smooth finish
that is flat and looks like colours filled into a miniature painting. No knots are visible, and the
embroidered rumal can be viewed from both sides. It thus becomes reversible. A simple stem-
stitch using black silk thread is used to outline the figures. Other stitches like the cross stitch, the
button-hole stitch, the long and short stitch, and the herring-bone stitch, as well as pattern
darning, were also used occasionally.
Raw material
Traditionally, the fabric used to make the Chamba Rumal was hand-spun or hand-woven
unbleached thin muslin or malmal. The thread used for the embroidery was untwisted silken
yarn, which, in the do-rukha stitch used in Chamba embroidery, has a three-dimensional effect,
creating tones of light and shade. This untwisted silk thread - usually made in Sialkot, Amritsar,
and Ludhiana - was the same as that used in the Phulkari embroidery of the Punjab.
Currently, raw materials being used are cotton, mulmul, silk, terricot and polyester fabrics. Both
twisted and untwisted yarn is being used to do the embroidery. The affect and the beauty of the
Chamba Rumal are clearly visible on the mulmul or cotton. Other fabrics are mostly being used
to bring down the costs of the rumal and sell it in the local market
10
Untwisted silken thread
Chamba Rumal on silk fabric with traditional motifs
Important pieces and current designs
So far, the oldest dated rumal is a 16th century creation that is supposed to have been
embroidered by Bebe Nanki, the sister of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh faith in India.
This is now preserved in the Sikh shrine in Gurdaspur in Punjab.
A rumal depicting the battle of Kurukshetra - from the Indian epic Mahabharata - is to be found
at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. This oblong piece is supposed to have been
presented by Raja Gopal Singh of Chamba to the British in 1833.
Currently, there is an effort to revive the traditional motifs of Chamba Rumal. Cotton or mulmul
are being used to do the embroidery on the rumal. The fabric and the thread both are being
bought from Delhi. These are not available in the local market. Experiment has been done in the
colour palette being used to do the embroidery and various colour options in the base fabric.
11
Traditional tree motif with a Women doing embroidery
contemporary design
Experimentation with the base fabric colour
Embroidering on cheaper fabric and using synthetic or twisted thread does bring down the cost
of the rumal and can be easily then sold in the local market. Below are some pictures of products
that are made on cheaper fabric and sold in the local Chamba market.
National awardees and State awardees from Chamba have also kept the tradition alive by
teaching others and producing some high quality embroidered rumals.
12
Chamba embroidery being tried on other products
Some individuals and organisations are experimenting with Chamba embroidery on garments,
stoles, dupattas and shawls. One needs to be careful in this and make sure the essence of the
embroidery and the tradition is not lost in this.
'Chamba Rumal', is now categorised as a 'languishing' craft, and as the research material,
interaction with the artisans, museum staff in Chamba and discussions with other ngo‟s like
Delhi Crafts Council , Craft Revival Trust clearly specifies cannot be regarded as Tribal craft.
COLLECTIONS
Bhuri Singh Museum, Chamba (Himachal Pradesh, India)
Crafts Museum, New Delhi (Delhi, India)
Government Museum, Shimla (Himachal Pradesh, India)
Indian Museum, Kolkata (West Bengal, India)
National Museum, New Delhi (Delhi, India)
Victoria & Albert Museum, London (United Kingdom)
INFORMATION
Textual & Photographic Material on the rumal is available with the Delhi Crafts Council.
13
Bibliography
Anand, Mulk Raj, 'Chamba Rumals, MARG, Vol. VII, No. 4, September 1954.
Bhagat, Usha, 'Life to a Dying Art', The Hindu: Folio, 21 March 1999.
Delhi Crafts Council, The Chamba Rumal
Kapoor, Vishal, „ Dorukha: The Chamba Rumal of Himachal Pradesh 1999
www.craftrevival.org
Field visit to Chamba, interaction with the local artisans and craft groups.
14
V. Product Review
AIACA team purchased few samples of Chamba Rumals and Chamba embroidery to be
reviewed by AIACA‟s panel of experts. The Rumals were sent to all the panellists for review and
they were asked to give their feedback on the following attributes: Quality, Colour and Design,
Price, Usability, Product potential in the domestic and the International market, Suggestions on
product range and designs.
The products varied in price range (Rs60-Rs5000) as well as the quality of skill, raw material
and product‟s over all look.
Product 1, Rs.60 each Product 2, Rs.2500
Product 3, Rs.250 Product 4, Rs.5000
The panellists included:
Sangeeta Sen, Designer and Director, Indi Store: Sangeeta has over eighteen years of
experience in the design field. She has worked as a Head of the Design team at Fabindia
and managed designs for the domestic as well as the export market at Fabindia. She is
currently retailing children‟s clothes at her store Papu and is working as a freelance
designer on number of projects.
Smriti Gupta, Designer: Smriti has over eight years of experience in the Fashion and
Textile industry. She is a graduate from the National School of Design. She has worked
with some leading Designers and Design Consultants in the country- Ritu Kumar,
15
Fabindia, RUH, Gallery Mohanjeet and designed collections of prints and wovens with
Triburg Consultants.
Aishwarya Singh, Retailer, The Shop and Exporter Handprint: Aishwarya has been
associated with the well known retail store in New Delhi- The Shop. She plans the
overall sale strategy for The Shop and selects the merchandise for the store, she assists
number of crafts people and craft groups to help produce products that would sell in the
market like Delhi. She is also involved in US and European export market for hand block
prints.
AIACA in house Design and Marketing team: AIACA has an in house design and
marketing team comprising of Designers from IICD, NIFT and University of Sydney.
They have extensive experience of working with the artisans on design, product
development and marketing.
Below is the feedback on Chamba Rumal and suggestions for future product design and
development.
1. Quality: The embroidery quality varies from good to very good, reversible stitch is
impressive and a very unique aspect of the Chamba embroidery. It requires design inputs
to be able to demand the right price for the intensive work that goes in. Quality of raw
material, embroidery patterns, overall finish and packaging needs to be worked upon.
2. Colour and Design: Most colours and designs that are being used give Rumal a very
traditional look. These need to be adapted as per the contemporary look for the market.
Slight variation in colours and motifs (use of more floral and less of folk people and
animals) could give product a more contemporary look. More experimentation required
in both base fabric and embroidery colours.
3. Price: With modification in design and product finish the product can command a good
price in the market. Range of products need to be developed for varied customers- high
end as well as regular buyers. Most high end pieces would be one- off purchases and
could not be converted into large market share. A range of different product lines like
baby bedding, baby and adult garments could be developed to reach a wider market
segment. For high end pieces price could vary from Rs.2500 – Rs.20000 and for mid
range products it could be between Rs.250- Rs1000
4. Usability: Just now most products are very decorative and can only be used as a wall
piece; we need to look at more functional products. The products need to be adapted for
today‟s market with improvements to its functionality.
5. Product potential in the domestic and the international market: The product has huge
potential in both the markets but one need to work on price, colours, design and finishing.
6. Suggestions on product range: For high end market segment – the product needs to be
turned into a very functional piece of craft (art) utilitarian product. Partition screens to
foreground the reversible stitch, sets of small decorative cushion covers, details to add
value to shawls, scarves and design sets of well packaged gifts as collectibles with
descriptions about the embroidery, region and artisans.
16
For higher volumes and mid range segment- Kids clothes and linen, garments for women,
scarves in pop colours and use light weight fabric to bring down the costs and increase
functionality. Range of cushion covers, table runners and mats, rumals in various sizes
with more contemporary motifs and colours could be developed.
17
VI. Chamba Rumal Value Chain Analysis
Inputs (as raw material)
- Fabric (cotton): Rs. 206/- - Threads: 150/-
(Mostly sourced from local markets also based on sale orders and requirements of the buyers the raw materials are sourced from Delhi or Ludhiana)
Drafting of designs on the fabric - Designer Costs: Rs.
150/-
Needle work (done as job work)
- Job work: Rs. 1000/-
Finishing and quality check - Done by the master crafts
person/s If the designs are not done well they are sent back to the job worker to redo (there is no added job work paid for
redoing)
Exhibitions
and sales Local Retail sales
Buyers (based
on orders)
Sale price ranges between Rs. 2500 to Rs. 3000 per piece
Institutional and other buyers
Group / enterprise / controlled by master crafts persons and recognized artisans
18
a. Description of the Chamba Rumal value chain
The value chain of Chamba Rumal starts with the procurement of raw materials; that mostly
includes fabric (local - malmal, cotton or silk) and threads. The raw materials are procured
locally or from markets in Ludhiana or Delhi (if better quality products are required).
There are different arrangements for raw material sourcing which can be majorly categorized as
institutional supply like the Delhi Crafts Council (DCC). DCC supplies the raw material to the
artisan group developed and trained by them for further processing and value addition. The other
sourcing channel is through the master crafts persons who also are enterprise owners. The master
craftsperson puts in his/her capital to procure the raw materials (depending upon the output and
the buyer the raw materials are either procured locally or from other markets like Delhi), which
he only realizes after the final sale of the product i.e. Chamba Rumal. The third supply channel
for raw materials is the local traders who largely cater to the tourist market in Chamba, which is
limited. . The local traders provide the fabric (with designs and colour scheme) to the individual
artisan who has to invest on threads. The local traders realize the costs through local sales or
through assorted bulk buyers with whom they have created linkages. Although they are unwilling
to reveal the exact coordinates of the bulk buyers, anecdotal evidence suggests that these are
traders in the major metros as well as some tier II towns such as Jaipur and Lucknow. The cost of
raw material varies from Rs. 200 to Rs. 500 depending on the size and quality of the raw material
used.
The next level of value addition happens at the levels of master craftsperson where he or any
expert miniature painter (referred to as designer) draws the design on the fabric and elucidates
the colour scheme. The designer is paid for his inputs, which ranges between Rs. 150 to Rs. 500
(based on the intricacies and details of the design). The process of designing takes few hours to a
day for a design. These designers are either permanent staff (as in the case of women groups
promoted by DCC) or hired as and when there is some work (as is practiced more often). The
master crafts persons also provide their inputs in putting designs on the fabric, the cost of which
is inbuilt in the product and is only realized after the sale of the product.
The next level of value addition is the major value addition in the entire value chain of the
product, wherein the fabric with design and colour scheme is passed on to local artisans for the
intricate thread work. This artisans are employed on a piece-work (or job work) basis where they
are paid per piece. At this level the value addition is as much as 50% of the entire value addition
processes (5-10% is the cost of raw material, designer costs is up to 7-8%, thread work is up to
50%, finishing costs contributes to about 1-2% and the margins is around 25-30%).
The master craftsperson, based on the design decides the days required and thus the job rate for
the piece. Mostly it is calculated on a daily job rate of around Rs. 67/- (a 6-hour day); which is
lower than the minimum job rate in the state of Himachal Pradesh that ranges between Rs. 100/-
to Rs. 160/- (Rs. 100/- for unskilled and Rs. 161.15 for highly skilled work force) (Source:
Department of Labour and Employment, Government of Himachal Pradesh, 2009). Based on the
product and thus the person days required, the job work ranges between Rs.500 (for a two week
job work) to Rs. 1000 (for a 1 month job). The income realized by the artisans also depends on
the levels of skills. A comparative analysis reflects that for a specific piece (which has a job
work of Rs. 900/-), if skilled artisan takes 15 days to complete, the semi-skilled would take 1
months. Thus, for the similar time spent by the semi skilled and skilled artisans, there is a huge
19
difference in actual income realized. The Skilled artisan can earn up to 2000 per month whereas
the semi-skilled earn only Rs. 900/-. Furthering the disparity, there is a third category of artisans
i.e. learners or low skilled artisans. These are those women or girls that are being trained under
the master craftsperson. These trainees are just paid a stipend of Rs. 500 per month. The
dichotomy is that their stipend is not linked to the job rate for the product, which is normally
higher than the stipends. This could in terms also be seen as exploitation of these trainees as the
products made through them are sold in the markets without proportionate share to the trainee
i.e. on actual job rate basis, which anyways is lower than the minimum wages in the state.
The next level of value chain is finishing that includes quality checks and washing and
packaging. The quality check is done by the master craftsperson who can resend the product
back to the artisan to redo a design or a part of it. For any further changes and reworking on the
product is not compensated for (normally covered as a job work rate for the completed piece).
The next stage is marketing (discussed under the section Markets). The end price to the
consumer varies depending on the pocket size and location. In cities like Delhi the Chamba
Rumal with a production cost of Rs. 1200/- can get as much as Rs. 2500-3,000/-. The Delhi
Crafts Council is managing to sell some of their new designs for over Rs. 5,000 per rumal at their
retail store, Kamala. However, there is no direct exposure or link of the primary producers to
these high end markets and hence their income from this craft is largely decoupled from actual
end price of the product. The added margins to the product are the share of the trader and retailer
in these cities.
b. Analysis of Chamba Rumal value chain
The issues in the Chamba Rumal value chain have been analysed from two perspectives – one:
the issues that acts as entry barriers for new artisans and enterprises and the other on what
restricts the growth of the existing units.
i) Issues at the levels of primary artisans
Skill required
Chamba Rumal as a craft needs three different kinds of skills. One is the skill to convert
various themes into designs; the other skill is to paint the designs on the fabric and third
is to skill to fill up the designs with very fine needle work. The first two skills are very
specialized and hence restricted to only few well trained and experienced persons in
Chamba. Also learning and honing up these skills are very time consuming and only
comes with gradual practice and experience. The third set of skills i.e. needle work is
comparatively easy to learn as the rudimentary levels of skills exists among the women in
the villages. Thus, making it the suitable skill set that could be developed and transferred
to poor women. For effective and productive engagement of poor women in the Chamba
Rumal value chain, these skills (needle work) are essential. With gradual practice and
work these skills can be upgraded from low levels to high levels of skills. Chamba Rumal
is a tradition craft and the skill has been passed on from generations. Mostly the skills
and the knowledge of the craft were restricted to urban elite and had very limited
extension to the poor women and girls in the village. Gradually the potential of this craft
to augment the income of poor households was realized by various development agencies
20
and they initiated the process of facilitating transfer of skill and knowledge to the poor
women and girls, especially on needle-work. Many training batches were promoted and
initiated by State Government, the DRDA, Dept. of Industries, DCC and others. The
traditional and recognized artists (state and national awardees) in Chamba Rumal were
identified as trainers to impart trainings. As per various records of the NGOs and
government departments over 1000 women have been trained on needle-work through
these training batches. The skilled artisans all fall under the control of 4 master
craftspeople in the cluster.
Lack of adequate finances The diagnostics of Chamba Rumal value chain elucidates that most of the poor women
are engaged in needle work and are working on a job-rate. The income levels also vary
depending on the skills of the artisan. However, along the years few women in the
villages have honed up their skills and often delivering as master craftsperson in their
respective villages or groups. These leaders or master crafts persons have the potential to
upgrade themselves into the next level of value chain i.e. as an entrepreneur. However,
one of the constraints these women face is that of inadequate availability of finances both
as fixed capital as well as working capital. As discussed most of the work in the value
chain are job-works and there is no change of hands till the product is finished. This
means that the capital invested in raw material and other costs like designer‟s fee, job-
work etc. are locked till the product is sold (one of the enterprise has reported the
inventory of around Rs. 1,00,000 which is locked till the sales are realized). The small
and poor women artisan in the villages do not have the needed capacities to manage this
locked capital and further mobilize the needed working capital to continue the processes.
Poor wage rates
As discussed most of the poor artisans are working as job-workers (regularly or as and
when there is some order) with the master crafts persons (mostly the state or national
awardees have informal/formal groups of women artisans whom they hire as and when
required3). Even the artisans engaged as regular job-workers have poor wage rates (the
wage rate is below the average minimum wage rate in the State). Skilled artisan, engaged
as a regular job-worker get paid at a wage rate of around Rs. 67/- (for six hours i.e.
around Rs. 90/- per day); whereas semi skilled artisan work at a job rate of around Rs.
40/-. In the absence of any other income augmentation alternatives for women, the poor
artisans are working and willing to work at these job rates. Also the work is intricately
linked to the daily chores of the women artisans in villages and as and when they find
time from their daily chores they engage in the job work.
Centralized production centres
Most of the production centres are located in the Chamba town, and are mostly managed
and run by distinguished crafts persons. There is no existing institutional system for
decentralized collection and quality control at the village levels, thus the artisans have to
travel and bring their job works to Chamba. The production systems are monopolized and
3 Besides the member of SHG promoted by DCC, wherein they get regular job-works through a buy-back
arrangements with DCC
21
still restricted to recognized master craftsperson or artists like Lalitha Vakil, Vijay and
others who are located in Chamba town.
The job work is paid only when the finished product is accepted for its quality. In case
the quality is not good, the artisan has to take back the work redo it and again travel to
Chamba to get paid for her job work. In the case of local trader, they give the job work to
the artisans and the artisan has to deliver the product to the trader sitting in Chamba. This
relation is informal and is only activated when there is an order with the trader or need to
replenish the stocks at his showroom.
High dependency on master craftsperson for markets
One of the major constraints that limit the participation of poor artisans in the value chain
is their very limited knowledge on existing markets as well as potential markets. Most of
the information on markets (whatever limited) and market linkages are restricted (often as
a business secret) to the master crafts person or the enterprise owners. The only
knowledge and access the poor artisans have is local markets. They are unaware as well
as have no access about the next levels of markets. This delineates them from realizing
on higher returns that are offered at higher level of markets. The additional value or
margins are distributed among the middlemen and traders, without any distribution share
to the primary artisan. As deliberated in the earlier sections, depending on the markets
and buyers the margins are as high as 50% to 100%. The enterprise owner finances the
entire value chain and hence inclined to maximize their returns on investment.
Limited availability of quality designers
The design template is either provided by the buyer or the master crafts person, which is
then needed to be transferred on the fabric. The critical process of making a Chamba
Rumal is that of drafting / painting of designs on the fabric. The process of drafting
determines the quality of end products. There are skilled and trained designers who
transfer the designs on the fabric (before it is sent to the artisan for needle work). As per
estimates there are over 60 regular and 500 part-time artisans who do the needle work
and around 10 good designers drafting the designs. Thus, the number of good quality
designers is not enough to cater to the artisan population. Also, the needs of the markets
are changing which necessitate regular up-gradation of designs and hence the need for re-
skilling of the designers.
ii) Issues that limit the growth of the enterprises
The culture of stipend
The training programmes promoted and supported by various government departments
had very right intensions to create and develop skills among the rural women to help
them augment their household incomes. Through various training batches, over 1000
women and young girls have been trained on kantha or needle work needed for the
Chamba Rumal. To encourage participation of these women from villages and to
compensate for their opportunity cost, these trainings provided a monthly stipend (around
Rs. 500/-). Each such training programme ranges between three to six months (during
which the stipend is paid). These efforts and inputs of various government and other
agencies on trainings have not been optimized to create employment (out of over 1000
22
who have received trainings only around 100 are actively engaged and around 500
engaged as part-time). This has led to non-serious approach by the trainees. Most of these
trainees attend the trainings for the monthly stipend thus making it a supply driven
training rather than need based i.e. demand driven trainings.
Limited access and knowledge on markets
Not much of efforts have been made towards proper marketing of Chamba Rumal. One
of the reasons that can be attributed to this lack of marketing efforts is restricted and
closed knowledge on markets. Owing to high competition among various groups
established and managed by master crafts persons, the market links are closely guarded.
There is no effort towards synergizing the expertise and abilities of different groups to
better address the market demands, orders etc. Also, the markets determine the designs
and quality of the products, which again is very closely protected. The most common
marketing forum for all the groups is exhibitions organized by state and central
government (besides the group promoted by DCC, whose major sales is through a buy-
back arrangement). The potential of skills and craftsmanship of the artisans have not yet
been optimized, owing to limited access and knowledge of market. The crafts are mostly
sold for their cultural and traditional value and have not diversified enough to cater to
contemporary demands of the mainstream markets (especially the growing middle class
in India as well as international markets).
Poor productivity
One of the major challenges Chamba Rumal faces is production efficiency. The job
works are given by the entrepreneurs and traders in Chamba town which in turn is taken
by the artisans to their respective locations. The women artisan after they have completed
their daily chores, spent time to complete this job work. The job work is generally not
time bound and depends largely on the skills and time spent by the artisan. Also, there are
inadequate infrastructure facilities like work-sheds etc. at the village levels, where the
artisans can collectively sit and work. Common work-sheds would essentially facilitate in
bringing in time discipline and hence production efficiencies. Production efficiency is
very critical when dealing with mainstream buyers who have strict timelines and quality
standards.
No standardization
The mainstream markets are very competitive and sensitive to quality and pricing of
products. As of now, there is no standard system for pricing of the products. Besides the
costs of raw materials, the decision on job work rates are based purely on discretion and
calculations of the master crafts persons. A similar piece may have different costs
assigned to job works based on the perceptions and calculations of the master
craftsperson involved. Lack of any standards acts as a barrier for developing good rapport
with the buyers interested in Chamba Rumals. Also the quality parameters differ across
various groups and master crafts persons, which again would be detrimental when
engaging with large mainstream buyers.
Lack of Business orientation
The major challenge in the Chamba Rumal value chain is that the entire value chain
process lack proper business orientation. Very limited management systems exist for
23
managing the inventory, sales and other related costs. Most of the groups lack capacities
of working as efficient enterprises i.e. profit making units. This can mostly be attributed
to the fact that most of these groups (4 prominent groups exist in Chamba4) are managed
by local recognized crafts persons who run these mostly out of self interests or influenced
by any government support. The lack of professional business orientation has been one of
the constraints for optimizing on the potentials of this repository of skills in Chamba.
c. Markets
Although the Chamba Rumal, with its artistic and aesthetic value has great potential for the
niche market, the present scenario is pretty dismal. The market channels available to the
craftspeople involved in the craft is very limited and thus discouraging them to choose this as
their main source of livelihoods.
The markets for Chamba Rumal can be categorized as:
1. Local markets –With little or no access to bigger markets, most of the individual artisans
are supplying to local traders in the area who then supply outside Chamba. The
prominent names are Lalitha Vakil, Kamala Nayyar and Siraj Begum. Most of them are
artisans themselves, with good knowledge of the craft and are the renowned in the area
for it and thus entertain inquiries and orders. To meet the demand, they have set up small
workshops and centres where they teach the craft, providing the raw material and manage
the inventory. Each artisan is paid a stipend during training and later on a piece-rate
basis. However, the production is still very small and limited. Some miniature artists like
Hans Raj Dhiman, who is an established name for providing the design, have also started
retailing the finished products locally.
As the product has much demand during wedding ceremonies and religious rituals; there
is constant local demand which is catered to by the shops in the local markets in Chamba.
The product range, quality and pricing varies greatly in accordance with the buying
capacity of the customers. The local merchants procure their products from individual
artisans paying them according to the quality of the embroidery.
2. Institutional markets: In an effort to provide livelihoods and encourage the languishing
craft, the Central and state government has also initiated training workshops cum
production centres in Chamba, where 8-12 month trainings are held. The H.P State
Handicrafts and Handloom Corporation, District Industries Centre (DIC) and the
Ministry of DRDA, have established centres, where women learn the craft. Along with
providing the raw material, a stipend is paid to the artisans while in training and are later
either paid per piece or according to the amount of embroidery. The finished goods are
sold at their outlets (Rangmahal), catering to local demand and the higher quality ones
are sent to state emporiums. Other example of institutional buyer is that of Delhi Craft
Council- DCC. DCC started a training cum production centre in 2002 in order to meet
4 Group promoted by DCC, informal groups under Lalitha Vakil and Kamala Nayar and SHG managed by Siraj
Begum. Other groups are mostly informal which are activated as and when there is a training
24
revive the craft in the area. Efforts have been made by them to revive the craft and
upgrade the skill and technique of the artisans. Skilled artisans are given orders and paid
per piece for them. DCC has a buy-back arrangement and pays the job work to the
artisans. In an effort to promote the rumal, they have held various exhibitions focusing on
the delicacy of the intricate craft. The sales in year 2007-08 were Rs.1,26,850 for 48
rumals that were sold through the DCC shop in New Delhi, „Kamla‟ and through
exhibitions.
3. Exhibitions & fairs- Some of the prominent craftspeople participate in government and
private exhibitions in metropolitan cities where they can sell directly to the users.
4. Order based buyers- As the Rumal is unique to Chamba and closely so closely linked
with the miniature painting art form, many national and international connoisseurs of the
arts & collectors place individual orders. Unfortunately, the real artisans are normally
unable to get direct linkages with them and the middle men reap the benefit.
d. Institutional Analysis
Raw materials supply - Local Markets
- Delhi Crafts Council
- District Industry Council
- State Handloom Department
- Other markets in Ludhiana and Delhi
(for better quality Raw Materials)
Input Suppliers
Skill development Inputs
- Delhi Crafts Council
- District Industries Centre
- State Handloom Department
- DRDA
- Local Master Crafts persons
Financial Inputs
- Delhi Crafts Council
- Capital and operating costs from
Local Master Crafts-persons
- Advance on orders from the buyer
Design Inputs - Delhi Crafts Council
- Local Master Crafts-persons
- NIFT and other designers
facilitated by DIC and DRDA
Includes designing, transferring of designs on the fabric, kantha work and finishing. Two types of processing units are existing:
a. The group promoted by DCC having 15-20 active women artisans b. Three informal groups managed by the local recognized craftspersons like Lalita Vakil, Kamal Nayar
and Siraj Begum
Processing
Markets ket
Institutional and big retails (Mostly through institutional arrangements like DCC and efforts of the enterprise owner i.e. the master crafts-persons)
Local markets Mostly catering to tourists market in Chamba. They have their own supply chain and these local markets finance their respective supply chains and efforts of the enterprise owner i.e. the master crafts-persons)
International buyers Mostly restricted to art connoisseurs who have direct links with the master crafts persons in Chamba. No long term linkages with exporters and international mainstream markets
26
Institutional players in the Chamba Rumal value chain
The institutional players or stakeholders influencing the Chamba Rumal value chain are
broadly categorized as:
1. Input suppliers
2. Processing units
3. Markets
1. Input suppliers
Input suppliers are further categorized as: raw material suppliers, financial inputs,
skill input suppliers and design inputs. These input suppliers have specific role and
they influence the entire value chain. Raw materials are mostly procured by the unit
manager or owner (who are mostly recognized artisans) either locally or from other
markets like Delhi and Ludhiana, depending upon the needs of the buyers and the
markets. DCC procures raw materials from Delhi and sends it to their group in
Chamba. The raw materials once procured are handed over to the job workers. Most
of the poor artisans are also engaged as trainees in various training batches supported
by government departments like District Handloom Department, DRDA, District
Industries Centre (DIC) etc. During the training programmes the raw material is
supplied by the promoters and the finished good is procured.
There are very limited suppliers for providing financial services to these artisans.
Most of value chains are financially supported by the promoters like DCC or are
financed by the owner of the unit. Though two of the units have formally organized
the artisans as SHGs who have initiated savings and loaning among the group
members; but this is very limited and mostly used for household consumptive uses
rather than financing the value chain. The other sources of finance are the buyers who
place orders. These buyers pay up some advances which are used for procuring raw
materials and for covering up few other costs.
One of the critical inputs is that of designs. Most of the design inputs are provided by
the master crafts person or the buyer who places orders. The cost for designers is paid
by the master crafts-person (owner of the enterprise) through the advance (if it is
order placed by a buyer) or paid up by the owner (which is realized when the products
are sold). DRDA has also supported the designers from expert institutions like NIFT
to provide design inputs to the groups. The experts were attached to few groups to
work with them and develop new product prototypes. However, such expert
contemporary design inputs are still in their nascent stages (prototypes have been
developed and are being market tested before they are transferred to the artisans).
2. Processing Units
Most of the processing is managed and owned by the local master crafts persons. The
kantha/needle work is mostly sub-contracted to artisans on a job work basis. The
master craftsperson is also responsible for finishing and quality check of the finished
goods. Post finishing the product is dry-cleaned/washed and finally marketed. These
are mostly informal groups and are only activated when there is an order or job work.
DCC has created a SHG of artisans who are trained and engaged as job-workers.
Similarly one of the master craftsperson has organized the artisans as SHGs. DRDA
27
has identified various women based SHGs of the artisans however, most of these are
non-functional.
3. Markets
As discussed under the section of markets, there are four categories of players to
provide marketing support: institutional markets like DCC, exhibitions organized by
the state and central governments and local markets and international buyers. The
majority of the sales is through exhibitions and secondly international market
linkages (that the master crafts persons have developed along the years). Though the
market and sales information are kept very secretive as this is directly linked to any
support extended by the government and other funding agencies. Also owing to heavy
competition these market linkages and volumes of sales are closely protected by the
unit owners and managers.
e. Expected Change in Value Chain through Interventions
Producer Business Groups
at village levels
Producer Business Groups at village levels
Tier I Inputs: - Organising the artisans as Producer
Business Groups and aggregation of produce
- Skill development - Design and skill inputs - Introducing standards and systems - Business Development support - Financial services - Infrastructure requirements
Producer Collective of
the artisans
Group Based enterprises at
Chamba
Tier II
Local Markets and Traders
Inputs: - Management Support
systems - Market information and
linkages - Standardization - Design inputs - EDP skills
MARKETS
Exp. Service
Providers
Support Agencies and
Donors
Tier III
Inputs: - Liaisoning and
establishing linkages - Provide platforms for
market interface - Information generation,
management and dissemination
Entire p
rocess w
ill be facilitated
by a S
pecialized
team o
f
pro
fessionals i.e. S
PA
RC
(Sm
all Pro
ducers A
ssistance
Reso
urce C
entre)
28
VII. Chamba Rumal Cluster Business Development Plan
Summary
Chamba
Artisans currently practicing the craft 60
Artisans surveyed 500
Total artisans to be incorporated by year 5 500
The relatively small number of artisans in the cluster, the time-intensiveness of the
Chamba Rumal production process, and the historical profile dictate a strategy of
positioning the cluster as a high-quality, high-end product segment. AIACA will
undertake a series of interventions under the AHVY scheme that are based on four key
objectives: increasing the number of working artisans in the cluster; increasing number of
working days and wages of each artisan; developing new product lines better suited to
high-end markets; and creating new market linkages to high-end market segments.
ACCESS and AIACA have developed the following 4 primary strategies to achieve the
core objectives listed above: work with existing entrepreneurs in the cluster to help them
scale up their operations; create an artisans‟ collective to mobilize new artisans and
develop an artisan-owned production structure in the cluster; provide a range of Business
Artisans
linked to 4
existing
entrepreneur
s
Unlinked and non-
working artisans
Phase 1
Skill Development Training
Registration of
local artisans
society
Design and product development workshops
Marketing
assistance
Phase 2
Scale up number
of artisans in
society
Exhibitions for brand-
building and market
exposure
Create common
facility center for
artisans
Financing linkage for working
capital
Create
marketing
materials: brochure,
website
Tradeshow participation
and linkages to commercial
buyers
Mobilization and
trust-building
with new
artisans
Phase 3
Chamba Rumal Timeline
Chamba Rumal – Summary of Main Issues
29
Development Services and handholding support to enable the artisans‟ collective and
entrepreneurs to become commercially sustainable and scale up; and developing brand
“Chamba Rumal” through a series of design development, publicity and marketing
initiatives.
1. Objectives of Intervention
ACCESS and AIACA‟s objectives in intervening in the Chamba Rumal Cluster will be
guided by the principles of scaling up to reach the maximum number of artisans,
increasing artisan welfare and promoting commercially sustainable production and
marketing structures in the cluster. Based on these principles, the following will be the
main objectives of intervening in the cluster:
Objective 1: Increase number of working artisans in the cluster
As highlighted in the value chain analysis, there are currently only approximately 60
artisans who are linked to regular value chains in Chamba Rumal through the existing
entrepreneurs and trader network. The primary objective of intervention will be to
increase the number of Chamba Rumal artisans who are working on a regular basis as
part of a value chain that connects them to markets. ACCESS and AIACA will target a
total of 500 artisans to be made part of the value chain by year 4 of the intervention.
Objective 2: Increase number of working days and wages of each artisan
In addition to increasing the number of artisans, ACCESS and AIACA will seek to
increase the total income of each artisan through increasing the number of working
days and wages per artisan. This will involve developing higher end products that can
be sold for higher prices; creating commercially sustainable linkages to mainstream
markets; and bringing greater transparency to bear on interactions between artisans,
traders and entrepreneurs in the cluster.
Objective 3: Develop new product lines more suited to urban markets.
Diversifying the product mix and improving product quality will be key to raising
sales of products based on the traditional skill of Chamba Rumal embroidery.
ACCESS and AIACA will seek to develop an entire new product profile for the
cluster through market trend analysis and design and product development inputs. In
doing so, care will be taken to ensure that the essential characteristics of the Chamba
Rumal craft genre are not lost.
Objective 4: Create market linkages to multiple market segments, especially
higher-end domestic and export markets.
Increasing sales and wages of artisans will depend not only developing new products,
but also on ensuring that such product developed can be sold at higher price points.
ACCESS and AIACA will work towards linking the cluster actors to high-end markets
within India and in export markets, especially in the Unites States and Europe.
These objectives will be the main criteria used in tracking project progress and evaluating
the success of the intervention.
30
2. Intervention Strategies
To achieve the objectives listed above, ACCESS and AIACA will primarily use the
following strategies while intervening in the cluster:
Strategy 1: Scale up existing entrepreneurs
The skilled artisans in the cluster, who are also the only artisans in the cluster who
have regular work during the year, are linked to one of the four entrepreneurs
operating in Chamba. These entrepreneurs and the artisans linked with them represent
the best opportunity to develop higher end product lines within the cluster, as newly
trained artisans will not be in a position to create such product until they have acquired
sufficient work experience and skills.
Any intervention that seeks to increase the number of artisans and improve their
incomes will thus have to engage with these entrepreneurs. ACCESS and AIACA
will seek to work with the existing entrepreneurs to help them scale up by providing
them with design and product development services, marketing assistance and various
other Business Development Services (BDS).
Assistance to the entrepreneurs will be conditional on them taking steps to increase
artisan welfare. ACCESS and AIACA will negotiate with them to have them formally
register their businesses, have rolls that clearly show which artisans in the cluster are
working for them, commit to increasing the number of artisans linked to them and
bringing transparency in wage payments to the artisans associated with them.
Strategy 2: Create new artisans’ collective to mobilize and link new artisans
In addition to working with the existing entrepreneurs, ACCESS and AIACA will
work towards developing a federated organization of artisans in the cluster – in the
form of a producers company or a society – so as to create a commercially sustainable,
artisan-owned production and marketing structure in the cluster. This will enable
ACCESS and AIACA to mobilize 500 new artisans over the project period and create
a production structure that will balance out the dominance of existing entrepreneurs in
the cluster.
Strategy 3: Provide Business development Services and Infrastructural Support
to enable commercial sustainability and scaling up
Handholding and BDS support will be provided to both the artisan‟s collective as well
as existing entrepreneurs to help them become commercially sustainable and scale up.
The main support services provided at the cluster level will be skill-building
workshops for enhancing skills of new artisans, design and product development
workshops to develop new products, and financial linkages for working capital credit.
The artisans‟ collective will also be provided with infrastructural and additional
working capital support through the AHVY scheme.
Strategy 4: Developing “Chamba Rumal” and “Chamba Embroidery” brands
and creating new market linkages.
ACCESS and AIACA will work toward developing a brand for the Chamba Rumal
cluster that will be the foundation of enhancing linkages with commercial buyers and
increasing total sales from the cluster. Brand-building initiatives will include
developing new product ranges, developing a set of marketing materials including a
31
web-site and product catalogue, holding a series of exhibitions in key markets to
publicize new product profile of Chamba Rumal, and representation of Chamba
embroidery products at trade fairs in India and abroad.
3. Interventions under AHVY scheme
Based on the above objectives and strategies, the following interventions will be needed
under the AHVY scheme:
i) Training of Artisans (for Handicrafts)
Given that currently, only approximately 50 skilled artisans have been working
regularly as part of existing value chains, skill-building trainings will be essential to
scale up the number of artisans capable of producing quality products. To bring in
500 new artisans, all 500 will require training and skill-building inputs over the
project period. ACCESS and AIACA will undertake skill-building in a phased
manner. 5 training workshops will be held annually for a four year period to cover
500 artisans, who will be brought into the artisan collective.
ii) Integrated Design and Technical Development Project
A significant design investment will be needed to diversify the product profile of the
cluster from only rumals. An integrated design and technical development project
will be initiated in year 1 of the project. ACCESS and AIACA will identify
appropriate designers and hold a series of workshops in the cluster to develop a
number of new product ranges covering different product and market segments.
Efforts will made to diversify the base skill into scarves, shawls, jackets and a range
of other high-end products. Efforts will also be made to diversify raw materials used
from cotton to higher end fabrics such as silk and silk-cotton blends.
iii) Design and Technical Development Workshops
The Integrated Design and Technical Development Workshops will be augmented by
an annual Design and Technical Development workshops over a five year period to
continue the process of design development and to oversee and fine-tune the
production of new designs developed.
iv) Organizing Exhibitions
ACCESS and AIACA will organize a series of exhibitions in major Indian metros to
enhance consumer awareness of Chamba Rumal, market-test new product ranges and
increase sales of artisans in the cluster. In addition, AIACA will also work on
representation of products from the cluster in existing exhibitions across the country
such the Dastkar Nature Bazaar. Selected artisans will be taken to the exhibitions so
that they can directly interact with customers, get product feedback and also gain
exposure to retail outlets in the major metros.
v) Publicity Materials – Catalogues and Website
ACCESS and AIACA will develop marketing and publicity materials to help build
the Chamba Rumal brand and to enhance awareness of both commercial buyers and
end consumers of the product profile, characteristics and craft production process. A
web-site for the cluster will be created, which will be handed over for operation to the
artisans‟ collective. New products developed will also be featured in commercial
product catalogues which will be distributed to AIACA‟s network of domestic buyers
32
as well as importers across the world. In year 1 and 2, new products developed will be
featured as a section in the Craftmark product catalogue. In year 3, a dedicated
product catalogue for the Chamba cluster will be developed.
vi) Entrepreneurship Development Program
Selected Artisans will be taken for the India Market Readiness Program (IMRP)
organized by Aid to Artisans and AIACA in Delhi in conjunction with the India
Handicrafts and Gift Fair (IHGF). 2 artisans per year from the artisans‟ collective will
be put through the training program every year for three years to create a cadre of
trained professionals to run the collective.
vii) Trade Fair Participation
The new products developed in the cluster will be represented at three trade fairs -
IHGF, the New York Gift Fair (NYGF) and Ambiente, Frankfurt – so as to create
linkages with commercial buyers and generate bulk orders. Two artisan
representatives from the collective will also be taken to the IHGF to train them in
participating in trade fairs.
viii) Computer, Printer and Internet Connection for Artisan Society
A computer, printer and internet connection will be provided to the Artisan‟s
collective through the project so as to enable them to interact with commercial buyers
and generate required paperwork for managing customer orders and sales.
ix) Warehousing and Common Workshed for Artisan Society
Storage and office space, as well as a common workshed will be provided to the
artisans collective through AHVY scheme to enable the Artisan Society to start
functioning and to scale up to cover a greater number of artisans.
x) Margin Money and Credit Guarantee support for Artisan Society
Margin money support and credit guarantees will be provided to the artisans‟
collective to enable them to raise working capital, service customer orders and scale
up production over the course of the project.
xi) Salary for Cluster Manager
A cluster manager will be hired to manage all initiatives at the cluster level, provide
logistical support to Access and AIACA, and provide handholding support for the
artisan collective.
4. Project Output Targets
The following will be the primary project targets over a five-year period:
Increase number of functioning artisans in the cluster to 500 artisans
Increase total sales revenue from cluster to 2.5 crores a year by the end of
project period.
Four new product ranges developed; product profile extended from rumals to
other product segments.
20 new commercial bulk buyers linked to project cluster by end of project
period.
33
30% increase in number of working days and incomes of functioning artisans
in the cluster.