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Art-hi-shan: Supported by HCL Foundation under the Project ‘Surakhsit Udyam Vikas’, a COVID-19 digital initiative by Foundation for MSME Clusters (FMC) for livelihood promotion for artisans

As we all aware by now, Covid-19 has hugely impacted the India economy and particularly the vulnerable MSME sector which consist of more than 60 million enterprises out of which almost 85% are own account/household enterprises which exist in the informal economy hence not as a registered business entity. These informal business entities create livelihood for equal number of households in India. Out of these informal business entities, approximately 2.2 million household enterprises are related to handloom and handicraft activities which are not only source of livelihood for all those depended family members and at the same time, these crafts are pride and identity of Indian culture for many centuries which are also unique to each other and so does their journey and story.

However, with this unprecedent pandemic, many of these crafts and their existence may soon be vanished as by each passing day it is becoming hugely difficult for an artisan to live by its craft and market has completely dried up. It is not the scenario that this existential crisis for the craft sector has only started with this pandemic, however COVID-19 has intensified the problem like never and forcing them almost on the verge of collapse. As market has almost dried up, particularly the large orders, some of the orders got cancelled or postponed, exhibitions/fairs have been stopped with no surety of resumption at the earliest, huge amount of working capital in the form of finished product got stuck and they are not able to pay the wages of their fellow artisans, raw material suppliers etc. Since, most of them operate through informal credit source, that is also an added pressure which is piling up for them as they are unable to pay back the loan and neither they are able to take fresh loan for re-starting of production. In this catch-22 situation, they are not able to forward or backward and stuck up with unsold finished products.

With these thoughts, FMC had approached HCL Foundation to sustain and promote livelihood of artisans in a sustainable and dignified manner during this COVID-19 pandemic. HCL Foundation has entrusted FMC with the Project ‘Surakshit Udyam Vikas’. The objectives of the Project are to (a) Linkage to formal financing by making units qualify for loan with banks/MFIs/NBFCs and organize loan disbursement, (b) Promote digital market for artisanal clusters by linking artisans and creating market for them, (c) Create and propagate a tutorial video for manufacturing products taking COVID-19 precautionary measures and (d) Provide scheme linkages and also linkages with raw material and machinery suppliers, business development service providers and buyers to the artisanal clusters

 Accordingly, Art-hi-shan.in has been conceptualized with the support of HCL Foundation, under the said Project, present you a COVID-19 digital initiative to connect friends and lovers of handicrafts and handlooms eventually to 2 million artisans of India to promote and enhance livelihood opportunities for artisans and their families not with the thought of a momentary charity but in a dignified and sustainable manner by creating a potential market platform.

Neither HCL Foundation nor FMC does earn or receive any financial benefit out of a potential transaction or any business communication between a buyer and seller which will occur through this platform. It has been estimated that on an average almost 50 per cent of the total amount of the product consists of livelihood (income) of the artisan while the remaining of the amount consists of raw material and other overhead cost. For any purchase, order, or any product related query, you are requested to contact directly with the artisans and make the payment directly to the artisans through preferred mode as both of you deem suitable. Neither HCL Foundation nor FMC does have any role on the price, and it is purely decided by the artisan and you may discuss directly with the artisan on this matter as mutually agreeable. Hence, every product purchased, you are paying 100% of the amount directly to the artisan and contributing significantly to their livelihood. If any guests, find any difficulties in making payment to the artisans, they may like to approach FMC in the following email id, i.e. info@msmefoundation.org and we will be happy to assist and support you.

Neither HCL Foundation nor FMC does own or has any legal right/obligation on the products/designs which have been displayed on this platform. In this regard, an email from each of those artisans, artisan’s group/association have been received on official email id of FMC, i.e., info@msmefoundation.org whereby they have verified the same.

If you have any query or objection, you can directly contact the respective artisans whose contact numbers are made available on this platform on filling up the required registration form. It is also to inform you that HCL Foundation or FMC does not take any responsibility for product shipping or any damage to the products. However, in such cases, respective buyers can approach FMC and we will try to connect to you with the artisan concerned.

Look forward to your kind support and contribution towards livelihood promotion through art-hi-shan and help it grow sustainably.