Bengaluru: Shopping has become boring. The same old mall, the same old brands and the same old fashion sensibility-clones of each other parading in and out of shops. So, when I heard of an initiative by Government of India to promote underprivileged artisans who belongs to the weaker section of the society, I was thrilled to bits.

20 – 25 artisans awarded by the President of India for their excellent craftsmanship are showcasing their work in Pheonix Marketcity and will be travelling to 15 various cities. It is a great opportunity for the artisans to reach out to people with their work. “Given the saturation in the market with Western brands and products, consumers are now looking inwards and are very enthusiastic about Indian products. Indian handicrafts as such are bright and vibrant and we are seeing both Indian and Western consumers attracted to them. I am happy to be selling here,” says AD William Kumar from Channapatna,who specialises in making Channapatna toys for the past 40 years. Most of the artisans are either into embroidery, painting, Kalachithra, Channapatna Toys, Madhubani painting and many more specialised workmanship that we are ignorant about or haven’t had the exposure to.

The ultimate aim of the event is to enhance the income of these artisans for the betterment of their livelihoods and to provide an excellent platform to showcase their skills. Is it helping, with a PM who espouses ‘make in India’ and ‘simply Indian’? “The support from Central as well as state government is excellent. Thematic exhibition-cum-sale of Indian handicrafts here is an event where more than 200 products of Indian Handicrafts are being displayed in a thematic manner. This is an opportunity for us to interact directly with the national, international buyers, visitors and customers of the mall,” says Mani Moham from Tamil Nadu, who has been making bamboo flute for 45 years. Talking on the same lines, Sharath from Kerala, who specialises in natural fibre says, “The situation will improve further if Implementation of grants are monitored via specialized agency and they utilise the funds available, effectively and efficiently.”