Guest AuthorGaatha, a social enterprise and one-of-a-kind e-commerce company, which was founded with the mission of researching, documenting, and showcasing handicrafts and heritage, has not only provided a genuine platform for local artisans to showcase and sell their most authentic creations, which were on the verge of extinction on a global scale. However, they also teach their consumers about the history of that specific skill. But they also tell the story behind the heritage of that particular handicraft to its customers.
Gaatha is creating rich and immersive online experiences by combining artisan research with a keen grasp of technology. Gaatha seeks to educate customers about the great worth of handcrafted items by telling the story of their origin, evolution, and creation in the middle of rising internet shopping. These goods are environmentally friendly and promote a healthy lifestyle.
Gaatha completed all of the stories and documentation over the previous 6-7 years on their dime. As a result, an online shop was created to link craftsmen directly to the market, allowing them to display their work to a bigger audience and empowering them to develop and innovate rather than being exploited by dealers and intermediaries. The firm is attempting to overcome several obstacles, such as dealers and intermediaries lowering the quality of a craft to compete in the market. Gaatha is self-funding through purchasing things from craftsmen and establishing a market connection. An artisan may keep track of his products via the internet. Gaatha pays a token amount to the craftsman to get a high-value product and keeps it until it is sold.
“We are extremely happy to have developed a platform to promote not only handicrafts and art on a national and worldwide scale. But also tell the stories of these handicrafts through our products. Our key role is storytelling and therewith to bring social and commercial to the artisan settlements. The Company desires to become the instrument through which the artisans can directly connect with the global audience, desire to be the resource that helps craft sell not as objects but stories and ideologies. Purchasing from the online store of Gaatha would provide buyers with the satisfaction of supporting the artists with the respect and value they deserve. It not only allows people to earn a living, but it also raises awareness about the need of conserving our heritage” said Sumiran Pandya, Co-Founder of Gaatha.
The ‘Gaatha’ project was conjured to play that key role of storytelling and was conceived to fulfil the crucial role of storytelling while also offering social and financial benefits to the artisan colonies. The organization aspires to create not only “sales,” but “dialogues” between artisans and their customers, supporting “co-creation” and collaborative progress. Gaatha is dedicated to maintaining all excellent practices and all methods that are compassionate and ecologically balanced.
The organization’s main goal is to reopen dialogue and educate the masses, to bring handicrafts back into public memory and debate so that they remain a part of policymaking; to sell handcrafted produce to bring business and opportunities to craftsmen and improve their financial situation and sustainability; to see beyond the artifact by telling the tales, traditions, and processes associated with the craft; to do research and archive for building an ultimate online self an archive; and to sell handcrafted produce to bring business and opportunities to craftsmen and improve. A resource that is only monitored in part. The organization now contains over one lakh photographs and items of craft documentation. It has 250+ craft documentation from 15+ states all across the country.
Gaatha is also aligned with many initiatives of the Government of India such as Digital India, Skill India, Craft Tourism and Make in India. Under Digital India, Archive heritage & indigenous knowledge will help to promote the brand India.
Visualization of Heritage and Crafts will give visibility to small villages & skills. With Skill India, the company is building a database and nodal communication for practicing artisans that will be useful to impart information and training about govt. initiative & scheme and nodal communication for practicing artisans that will be useful to impart info and training about govt. initiative & scheme.
With Craft Tourism, the company is exploring innovative opportunities for craft-based tourism. Under the Make in India initiative of the government, the “Haat” concept assures visitor sale conversion much above the industry average. This will give a push to the rural economy of India Connect through online shops and direct sales leading to state emporia to provide faster movement to the stock.
Gaatha endeavours to co-create a bridge with buyers and artisans by highlighting the utility and malleability of craft to create contemporary artifacts/experiences. They want to help the artisan create modern-day relevant designs, a combination of contemporary and ethnic and maintain transparency to keep all the good practices intact and all processes humane and ecologically balanced with regular disclosures.
Aravind Sundaram
Guest Author
