In its second decade, Kala Raksha seeks to address India’s most pressing need: Education. Assured of the infinite creativity of traditional artisans, Kala Raksha has launched India’s first institution of design for working traditional artisans of Kutch - conservatively estimated at 50,000.

This educational institution, whose environment, curriculum and methodology are designed to be appropriate for traditional artisans, is intended to model a new approach for the rejuvenation of traditional arts. Kala Raksha Vidhyalaya is an educational institution supported in part by the American India Foundation, the Bestseller Fund, the Como Foundation, the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) Government of India, Eileen Fisher, UNESCO, Unniti Foundation, and Friends of Kala Raksha. Project Director of KRV, Judy Frater, has been awarded an Ashoka Foundation Fellowship to realize the project.

In order to insure that the education is effective and to address the primary need of craft: income generation, marketing is an integral part of the program. Market Linkages are planned in several ways, an important one of which will be the juried convocation and Public Mela.

The Event: Final Jury, Convocation And Public Mela Of The Kala Raksha Vidhyalaya. For one year, twenty-six artisans from Weaving, Block Printing, Bandhani and Rabari Embroidery traditions of Kutch have studied with some of the finest designers from India and abroad. Learning colour, concept, and market trends, they have acquired knowledge and skills and applied these directly to the hand skills in which they are experts.

Courtesy - Fibre2fashion.com - India