All India Handicrafts Week: Putting the spotlight on India’s rich cultural heritage

From the graceful weaves of Chanderi sarees of Madhya Pradesh to the intricate Kaantha work from West Bengal to to dainty Tarakasi (silver filigree) work from Orissa to the beautiful Jaipur blue pottery - the sheer variety of exquisite products and indigenous techniques in India is enough to send any handicrafts lover into a frenzy. This year, Amazon is bringing this treasure trove of offerings to consumers through its All India Handicrafts Week being held from 8th to 14th December 2020. The event’s timing is perfect for shoppers looking for Christmas gifting options. For the Karigars, the All India Handicrafts Week will provide a much needed year-end boost at the close of this difficult year.

Handicrafts Bazaar

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During this week long celebration, consumers can avail exclusive offers and discounts on handicrafts and handloom curated through an exclusive event page – Handicrafts Bazaar. The page showcases traditional handicrafts and handlooms along with highlighting stories of various regional artisans and their works, helping take their stories closer to consumers. Customers can also avail discounts and offers on handicrafts and handlooms on products sold by Karigar sellers from across the country. Some of the offers at hand include discounts upto 50% on hand block printed quilts from Jaipur, 40% on Sambalpuri Sarees From Odisha, 45% off on blue art pottery, and 71% off on handstitched shoes from Agra, among others.

All India Handicrafts Week is celebrated in every state of the country with great enthusiasm to increase awareness, support and importance given for indigenously produced handicrafts. The primary objective is to increase awareness about indigenously produced handicrafts from different parts of the country. Through the Amazon Karigar program, Amazon India has been working towards the revival of traditional art and craft forms in the country. The program gives prominence to India’s rich handicrafts heritage by enabling weavers and artisans to showcase ‘Made in India’ products to a wide customer base.

Speaking about the initiative, Pranav Bhasin, Head - MSME Empowerment & Seller Experience, Amazon India, said, “Occasions like All India Handicrafts Week are opportunities that help us increase engagement between customers and our sellers that include MSMEs, artisans and weavers. This engagement helps create awareness amongst consumers about the rich cultural heritage indigenously produced handicrafts carry. It also gives us a chance to highlight the transformation we have witnessed from over 800,000 artisans and weavers who have received success by selling their handcrafted products online to a large consumer base. Selling online helps artisans unlock opportunities to grow and scale their businesses and we are committed to enabling artisans and weavers from across the country sell to audiences that provide these craftsmen with the right value for their products ”

In 2019, for sellers like Kadam Haat, the Handicraft Week was one that saw a "16X spike registering orders from more than 24+ states." It is a similar growth that they are looking forward to this year too. Says Payal Nath of Kadam Haat, "We sell handmade sustainable products for everyday home made from locally sourced materials like bamboo, grass, etc. from UP, Bengal and Odisha. Our products follow the 3R’s – Reuse, Reduce and Recycle. Earlier, local shops/exhibition was the major source. But in the new normal, with these events, we are excited to reach out to more customers and have prepared for Amazon Karigar’s Handicrafts week celebration 2020. We look forward to delight customers with our handicraft products.”

For many sellers the online platform has unlocked so many opportunities. JH Gallery who are manufacturers of Rajasthani Handicraft items is one such seller who has hugely benfitted. Deepak Badariya, of JH Gallery says, "We started our business 5 years back and were selling only in local markets catering to limited customer base and had limited income. This year we started our business with amazing platform Amazon Karigar. Amazon provide us a platform to show-case our products and really it was a great boost for our business as we are getting good sales on it and earning better from offline. Earlier this year, we participated in Stand for Handmade program which gave us good boost for our business and are now looking forward to showcase our products during Handicrafts week.”

Providing India’s unmatched craftsmanship with a wider reach, the selection on ‘Amazon Karigar’ comprises of over 270 unique craft forms including authentic merchandise with stunning, intricate designs from national award weavers. Right from Banarasi brocades that employ the resist dyeing technique, the bold geometrical prints of Sambalpuri fabrics to Itkal sarees which are hand-knotted and in practice for more than 1200 years, Amazon India has been giving an enormous push to the weaver community to get online at lightning speed.

For more information about Amazon Karigar visit: www.amazon.in/karigar

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