Innovation

Through Sanatkada, the basic idea of the founder was to give a marketing outlet to various crafts groups. Initially, these craftsmen went to big cities like Delhi and Kolkata to sell their products, so the idea of Sanatkada was to create awareness and help them access into an untapped market.

Another major idea was the revival of pure weaves and fabric to Lucknow as well as to propagate various styles like block printing on saree; miniature toys made by Mahesh murtikaar of Lucknow, etc.

Also, the revival of lost art like Arabic calligraphy, of whom only 1-2 craftsmen are left. Chatta Patti, a kind of applique work that was lost, was brought back to the pure fabric, home furnishings, etc. Laakh ki chudiya, which is made by only 2 people now, was also given a stage and revived.

Aside from it, Sanatakada also ventured into the food sector. They started a restaurant highlighting Awadhi home cooked food. The food became very popular and was even thriving during the covid lockdown. They also took their food to various parts of India. Places like Habitat and Mustard in Assagao, Goa where they presented their plethora of Awadhi dishes.

They also hosted several festivals in Old Lucknow which gave a platform to different manufacturers to showcase their products. Aside from it, it also served as a place where they can sell their Awadhi dishes. Also, small plays, book readings, and small performances were also made part of the festival.

Another field into which Sanatkada ventured is Heritage walks, where they conducted morning walks across various locations of historical importance. Each of these walks was based upon different themes like war chronicles of Lucknow, filmi duniya of Lucknow, Lucknow ki re’haish (architecture), Baradaris of Lucknow, etc. It showcased how you can watch a single place with different lenses.

According to the founder, what motivates her was the challenge of surviving, relationships with crafts groups and teams, and bringing an aim to the work she is doing.

Inspiration

Madhavi Kuckreja, who likes to refer to herself as a "rebel," might have easily joined any renowned organization with a sizable salary package given her master's degree in international politics from a prominent educational institution in the US. Instead, she opted to travel within her own nation, and she did so by residing in Chitrakoot, one of India's poorest areas, where she was surrounded by impoverished women.

Madhavi adds as she asks about the health of a lady acquaintance who was not feeling well, "I wanted to know about rural women and those who lived in great poverty and who were deprived and victims of all kinds of abuse." Madhavi appears to be a contented woman who has achieved what she has always wanted in life.

"I spent 14 years in Chitrakoot...with underprivileged and deprived ladies of Bundelkhand. Madhavi founded "Vanangana," an NGO with the express purpose of empowering rural women, in order to better and more efficiently serve women. She notes that the organization was primarily founded by rural women.

Vanangana also took part in comparable activities including training, capacity building, documentation, and others. "Thanks to our efforts, Chitrakoot experienced a significant increase in the percentage of women receiving jobs under the MNREGS," the woman claims. According to Madhavi, "In reality, a women-only crew created a pond in Basila hamlet in Chitrakoot... they also built a road at Nareni in the same district... there was a woman supervisor also there." After living in Chitrakoot for 14 years, Madhavi moved to Lucknow, leaving Vanangana in the care of the local rural ladies. She claims they have been working hard.

After coming to Lucknow, she was not sure what she was supposed to do. There wasn't a plan to start Sanatkada but she observed one important thing: “Even though Lucknow is famous for the handicrafts, the pure fabric is not easily available,” she said. So, then she had one idea. She decided to mix her past work with business opportunities and the idea of Sanatkada comes into existence.

Overall impact

Sanatkada provided craftsmen with an opportunity to display their respective crafts despite Lucknow not having Haatts, a place where the direct display of crafts happens. Different places have different Haatts like Delhi, but Lucknow did not have those Haatts so Sanantkada provided a medium for the display of different crafts in different segments like calligraphy in Lucknow which has a small number of calligraphy artisans, block printing, etc.

Sanatkada brings into Lucknow crafts from their 110 partners all across India these crafts along with the crafts from Lucknow are some of the unique collections that are not easily available for visitors who visit Lucknow.

There is a direct delivery of the crafts by the artisans. This is done by first the artisans sending in photos of their work and then by Madhavi Kuckreja visiting those places to see these art pieces. The earlier system was to give the total pieces to Sanatkada and payments were done when the whole lot was bought out, but now the artisans give consignments, and based on those consignments being sold the payments to the artisans are done accordingly, the items that remain unsold after the display ends are sent back to the artisans.

During Covid, the artisans were facing a lot of challenges to sell their products so Sanatkada came to their rescue with doing posting photos of the products on the websites, when orders were received removing those printouts, and shipping those products when the artisans sent their stock to Sanatkada.

Business benefit

When Sanatkada started its business, the markup was around 15 percent which now has increased to 35 percent. There is a window to increase it to 60-70 percent but since the main focus is on promoting revived handicrafts and not only on the monetary aspect. There is only one shop operating in Lucknow that is the main source of revenue. Sanatkada organizes a once-a-year bazaar as well, where they charge 20 percent from craftsmen on their sales amount. Before the Covid pandemic, average sales were around 7 lakhs per month, however, after the pandemic, it has been around 5 lacs per month attributed to the slow economic recovery of the country. During Covid, they had restructured their model as most of their sales were online. They have also started a restaurant, which has gained prominence in Lucknow. The restaurant has become a space for cultural activities, social meetings, etc.

Social and environmental benefit

Samatkada has impacted the local community and people in need in various ways directly or indirectly. The local producers did not know how to market the product, so they taught the artisans and children how to market their products. The traditional art sector was unorganized in the area, as they had no proper channels to sell products or approach the consumers. With the company’s help this sector was organized. They distribute food packets regularly to the needy. Sanatkada has also made informal tie-ups with some NGOs like ‘Seva Mandir’ that provides shelter to homeless people. They have also focused a lot on women's empowerment by promoting their products and also encouraging them to learn a craft and turn their talent into a business. Roughly 5000 women have benefited through their efforts so far. They are very environmentally conscious as an organization; all the producers are encouraged to use natural dyes and use organic raw materials. Recently, Samatkada brought groups like ‘Aavaran’ with them who also work for companies like Indigo. Aavaran helps them to market the products to boost sales but currently, all of this is only digital. They are also encouraging Aavaran to come to Lucknow to market the artisanal products physically. This is what they have accomplished so far but they have laid out numerous plans for the future as well. They are planning to increase the number of stores and also bring more artisans in the fold. Also, cooperation with more NGOs and new welfare programs is also in their mind.

The future goal, according to Madhavi, is to expand Sanatkada by bringing more artisans under them and selling a variety of handicrafts and cultural items on to their website. To highlight their website as the central point of “Crafts of Awadh”.

Aside from it, to expand their other ventures like restaurants and heritage walks, with food being the larger part as compared to others like crafts and heritage walks.

They have also planned to set up a cultural history museum showcasing the history and heritage of Awadh.

Madhavi, the founder, also told us that they planned to go to different cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, etc., and showcase the culture of Lucknow at those places. For this, they have planned to bring food, crafts, performances, folktales, etc. to those places so that they can bring about a change through culture. We expect great things from them.

Interview

Madhavi Kuckreja, Founder