Crafts bridge
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COMMENTS 
In the old days even everyday utility objects were decorated and embellished, says Visalakshi Ramaswamy, founder-director of the M RM Rm Cultural Foundation that works towards empowering local craftspeople in the state of Tamil Nadu
The M RM Rm Cultural Foundation is dedicated to the empowerment of local craft communities in Tamil Nadu. A non-profit organisation working towards the research, documentation and revival of handicrafts, textiles and architecture, the foundation was set up in 2000 to act as a bridge between rural talent and urban markets. To cite one example: the foundation was instrumental in reviving the tradition of making kottans, known only to a few old, now septuagenarian, women in the Chettinad region of southern Tamil Nadu. Teaching the required skills to one group of craftspeople, enabling them to train others, teaching quality control, innovating with new applications and finding a steady market for finished products are among the foundation's many successes.
Says founder-director Visalakshi Ramaswamy: "In the olden days, even everyday utility objects were decorated and embellished. For example, the wooden coconut scrapers used in every home. Aesthetics was a way of life. They provided a livelihood and ensured patronage for craftspeople. Also, this patronage did not come linked to wages or time -- it enabled creativity by giving the craftsperson the space to work without pressure. But the modern reality is very different. We have to produce or perish. I realised that we had such a rich and diverse cultural tradition but it is all either being sold or lost now. I feel attempts have to be made to revive and preserve this heritage, because otherwise it will be entirely lost over time."
The foundation has completed the documentation of exclusive handmade floor tiles from Athangudi, besides enabling entrepreneurs to design and market them effectively in the Indian metros. Lime egg plastering, another traditional technique used to paint walls white and keep the insides of houses cool, that lasts virtually the entire life of the building, has similarly been documented. Workshops have been conducted for masons, training them to take their tradition forward. The same kind of research and fact filing has been applied to the Madurai Sungudi tie-and-dye art of sari making.
A team of 10 architects has also documented the 100-year-old M RM Rm House in Kanadukathan, Chettinad. This house is also home to an exhibition of a range of traditional objects and textiles. The foundation proposes to undertake many more such documentary exercises because most of the heritage buildings in the region are virtually abandoned, leading to rapid dilapidation.
The 'Kandanghi' label of Chettinad saris that adheres to original weaving techniques is also a concept developed by the foundation. Chettinad saris were locally woven in the Chettinad, Kottiyur, Kodanur and Kandavarayanapatti regions, mainly in cotton yarn and with thick borders. Chettinad saris woven in silk were the result of trade links with Mysore and Benares.
In spite of choosing to remain low-profile, the M RM Rm Foundation has earned a justifiably distinguished name for its label as a reliable source of authentic, high-quality handicrafts and textiles.
Says Ramaswamy: "Nowadays, anything goes in the name of Chettinad. Underselling keeps prices at very low levels. Quality suffers. We maintain very stringent quality controls. I also believe that craftspeople, artisans and weavers have to be compensated decently. The revival must contribute significantly to their livelihood. On the supply front, if a product does not match the order, we reject it and bear the loss. If executed orders don't match samples, we will lose our reputation and that is worse than losing money. In the long run, it is the reputation that is being built, and from there, a market. We work on a per-piece basis and orders have to be constantly found. But the city is a good market. It is possible to find discerning buyers for quality handicrafts and we usually have more orders on hand than we can handle. With the right degree of professionalism, crafts can be made a viable business. It is not that craftspeople don't know or cannot learn but rather the 'it's enough' attitude that is a problem in our highly competitive markets. The process of standardisation and costing has already been transferred to the craftspeople we support. We are hopeful the control over marketing will also be eventually transferred to them. Only then will I feel that we have really succeeded."
Contact: M RM Rm Cultural Foundation
D-2, 'Vridhi'
45, 1st Main Road
R A Puram
Chennai 600028
Telefax: 91-44-24361498
Email:
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Lalitha Sridhar
(-- Lalitha Sridhar is a Chennai-based journalist)
InfoChange News & Features, March 2004