She may be a well-known name is politics, but Jaya Jaitly has now become synonymous with handicrafts and handlooms. Since she established the Dastkari Haat Samiti (the national association of Indian artisans) in 1986, she has been working towards the betterment of the lives of craftsmen in the country.
In a conversation all the way from Delhi, Jaitly talks about her passion for crafts and what we can do to sustain our heritage. Excerpts:
Tell us about your move from politics to the world of fabrics and crafts.
It is not actually a leap. People just haven’t noticed. I have always been passionate about handicrafts and handloom. It has been a constant in my life. In fact, politics only helped me take forward this dream of doing something for our craftsmen. When one works for the good of others and does not gain profit from it, that is what I call good politics.
What would you do to wean Indian women from Western wear?
I wish every Indian woman would look at herself honestly in the mirror. Western clothes just don’t suit our Indian body type nor our lifestyle. Our movements are more flowy and graceful. So a sari drape would look beautiful on an Indian woman. I still wonder why we want to get away from our identity. I have also done a little survey interviewing young men whether they prefer women in Indian or Western wear and was surprised when a majority of them voted for saris. Anyone with a social conscience should wear handlooms and encourage handicrafts. If each one follows this principle then we are sustaining not just an ancient heritage but also important livelihoods.
The pricing of handlooms and hand-woven saris has always been an issue...
Yes. If you are buying directly from the weaver, then it is a fair price. The prices are high sometimes due to the modern middle-men: designers, online forums and so on. They are also making a profit, which many don’t see. That is why direct bazaars help. But, tell me, when you are willing to pay thousands for a designer sari, then why not pay the weaver for what he creates with his hands? Why do we bargain when we deal with them?
Tell us about the Dastkari Haat Samiti’s mission.
We try and incorporate traditional arts and crafts into the modern lifestyle. Like Madhubani on furniture. We started the tradition of painting trunks using many traditional skills and applications. We work intimately with traditional artisans and now are trying to get their designs to be a part of two airports in Rajasthan. The idea is not to move backwards, but forward, blending our strong heritage with the contemporary.
Tell us a little about the bazaars you organise.
The bazaar is our message to people that we work for the livelihood of weavers and craftsmen and are just tweaking the market to their advantage. Our mission is also to study the weakness of the artisans and convert it to their advantage.
Visit dastkarihaat.org for more information
