Sponsors

The sponsors for our P.R Campaign 'Aakkam 2012' are the following: 

1. Aircel

2. Vassi Hospitality Pvt Ltd

3. Sairam and Shiv Cafe

4. Launch Pad

Profile of Ms. Vidya Shastri

Chief Guest, Kancheepuram visit, 10th September 2012

 

Ms. Vidya Shastri, is the CEO of “ The Craft Council Of India”. She has already spent 20 years of her life for the upliftment of the Handicraft Industry and Artisans. She has been associated with the craft council of India for 6 years now. Presently, the craft council of India along with Vidya Shastri is working with the government to conduct a census just for the hand made products and respective artisans. Vidya shastri along with the other members of CCI are a band of volunteers who are determined to get the artisans of our country the place in the society that they deserve.

Profile of Mr. R.V.Ramani

Chief Guest, Valedictory Function, 12th September 2012  

Mr. R.V.Ramani is a documentary and short film director based in Chennai. Mr. Ramani was born in 1957 in Mumbai and graduated in Physics from Mumbai University. He proceeded to work as a photojournalist in Mumbai before graduating from the Film and TV Institute of India, Pune, in the year 1985, with specialization in Motion Picture Photography.

 

 In 1989, he moved to Chennai working as a Cinematographer/filmmaker. Mr. Ramani started making independent documentaries and short films from 1990 and today, is one of the leading documentary filmmakers in India, with more than fifteen independent films to his credit. Carving out a unique style of his own in the field of documentary and short film production, Mr. Ramani has found acclaim in both the Indian and the International community for his works. He has participated in many International Film Festivals such as the Munich International Film Festival, Germany, Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, Japan, Kara International Film Festival, Pakistan and Videart International film Festival, Mexico.

Profile of Mrs. V. R. Devika

Guest of Honour, Inauguration Function, 11th of September 2012 

V.R.Devika, Managing Trustee

V. R. Devika, Founder and Managing trustee of The Aseema Trust,  is a well known cultural activist who has a passion for performing arts and education.

Devika’s PhD thesis is on “Gandhian communication for transformation: Philosophical issues and dimensions” at the Department of Philosophy, University of Madras. She conducts regular workshops on Charka-spinning, peace education and communication skills for students and teachers.

Devika has she received a certificate of honorary citizenship from the Governor of Maryland while she was a participant of  US state department’s International Visitor Leadership programme. She has received British Council’s Charles Wallace Award for Arts in Education in UK. She has been honored with Kalasevabharathi award from Bharath Kalachar for contributions to arts and education, the Gnanasamudhra award from Samudhra magazine, Satya Vimarshaka Sundaram from Natyanjali, a lifetime achievement award from the Amir Khusro music academy, a woman’s day honour from Jaycees, a best lecture demonstration award from the Sri Krishna Gana Sabha and vocational excellence awards from Rotary club, Karnataka Rajyothsava award from Kannada Sanghas of Chennai,. Manita neya panpalar from lioness’ club.

She has extensively travelled for conferences and lectures in Cambodia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sri Lanka, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, UK and USA.

A former school teacher known for her use of elements of traditional performing arts as teaching tool and former director for Education and Culture of the Madras Craft Foundation, Devika continues as a member of the advisory council of Madras Craft Foundation and its project Dakshinachitra Heritage Center. She is closely associated with Prakriti Foundation and is a Citizens Run Trustee. She is on the board of International Partnership Network and Avvai Home.

A Bharathanatyam disciple of the Dhananjayans, she gives lectures on the theory and practice of the dance and culture of India and is a freelance art critic contributing to leading publications. She is on the world Gandhi speakers’ network and spins regularly on the Charkha and is a well known storyteller.

Profile of Mr. R. Mohan Kumar

Chief Guest, Inauguration Function, 11th September 2012

Mr. Mohan Kumar is the Joint Director, Uniforms Scheme, Department of Handlooms and Textiles, Government of Tamil Nadu. He started his career as a group one officer twenty years ago in the same department as the Assistant Director. He graduated in Commerce from D.G.Vaishnava college, Chennai. He further pursued his Post Graduation in Commerce from Madras university. He has also undertaken training in Law from Ambedkar Law university.

Press Release

Aakkam- To the hands that mould

Chennai, 13th September 2012: To reach out to the artisans and to sensitize the youth towards the dying tradition of handicraft and handlooms in India, Department of Journalism, Madras Christian College, conducted a PR campaign, ‘Aakkam-To the hands that mould.’ The campaign, which was held as a part of the curriculum, was conducted from the 10th to the 13th of September, and was widely attended by the students from across the city.

 

The students of the department paid a visit to the artisan community of Kancheepuram on the first day of the campaign, which was graced by Mrs. Vidya Shastri, CEO, Craft Council of India, Chennai, as the Chief Guest. Mrs. Shastri held an informal discussion with the artisans, largely comprised of silk weavers, basket makers and potters, and enlightened them about the various schemes by the government for their welfare. This was followed by the artisans filling up the forms for availing an “Artisan id” card, which would provide them health care benefits and free education for their children among others.

The formal inauguration for the campaign was held on the 11th at Madras Christian college, with Mr. R. Mohan Kumar, Joint Director, Department of Handlooms and Textiles, Government of Tamil Nadu, attending the event as the Chief Guest. Mrs. V.R.Devika, founder and Managing Trustee, ASEEMA Trust, who graced the event as the guest of Honour. Enticing the students with her demonstration of the spinning wheel, Mrs. Devika gave a brief idea about Gandhi’s ideology on handlooms and handicrafts, and focused on the point ‘Production by the masses, and not mass production.’

This was followed by a panel discussion on the topic ‘Is India doing enough to secure its future artisans’ between Mr. Muniswamy, a potter from Pondicherry and five time national awardee, and Mrs. Pushpa Chari, an eminent journalist. It was an enlightening session, with active student interaction, and highlighted the role of the government and the larger society towards the development of the artisan community.

The third day of the campaign started off with a guest lecture by the entrepreneur and retired journalist, Shanthi Ganesan, upon the topic ‘From a prominent contributor to the economy to a mere symbol of culture; Is India buying handmade products just as a reminder of its tradition?’

 This was later followed by various competitions and cultural performances all based on handicrafts and artisans. The campaign concluded with the valedictory function that was held later on the day, with India’s renowned documentary film maker, Mr. R V Ramani attending the event as the Chief Guest.

Charging ahead to Day 2

11^th September 2012 was day of ‘Aakkam 2012’. This was the day when the campaign would be officially inaugurated. At around 12:30 p.m all the students of the Department of Journalism gathered in the Theatre to be a part of the inaugural ceremony. For the inaugural ceremony we had a Chief Guest and 2 Guest’s of Honour. The Chief Guest was Mr. Mohan Kumar, a Joint Director in the Textiles Industry. The Guest’s of Honour were Ms. V. R Devika the founder of ASEEMA trust and Mr. Muniswamy, a potter of acclaimed repute from Pondicherry. The function started off with a few introductions of the guest’s after which the guest’s came forward to light the lamp and then moved on to the various talks given by the guests. While Mr. Mohan enlightened us on what the government was doing for the artisans, Ms. Devika’s session was filled with enthusiasm and panache. Ms. Devika spoke about her background and gave us insights into what she did. She also mentioned a very interesting fact that she wears only handloomed sarees and that when she goes abroad, she moves around a place only in those sarees. She was an inspirational figure to all us. She also got everyone off their seats and I mean literally when she showcase some spinning expertise using a miniature Charka. In all it was a very amusing and entertaining session when it came to Ms. Devika. After Ms. Devika, Mr. Muniswamy was up next. He had already brought us a video of himself to be shown and the video left the audience spell bound and in awe of this man. We salute artisans like him who have worked very hard for their craft, despite all the problems they’ve faced. He explained to us his art, the nuances involved with it, the inspiration behind why he does pottery for a living, the numerous national and international awards he has received and his general view on the topic. Soon after the inaugural session concluded with the guest’s being presented with hand-made memento’s by our classmates and everyone dispersed for lunch.

After lunch everyone came back for a panel discussion which involved Mr. Muniswamy and an expert from the field. The discussion was informative and it brought out many interesting information and ideas to the table. The expert and the artisan spoke about the future of craft in our nation and they spoke in detail about what has happened, what is happening and what should happen. Mr. Muniswamy also spoke about various schemes he saw in Thailand when he had traveled to that part of the World. Overall the information was enlightening and it was followed up by a Q & A session. With that we wrapped up all the sessions of Day 2.

Another highlight of Day 2 were the stalls outside the Department. We had 3 stalls exhibiting handicrafts and it was quite a success with a large bunch of students thronging to make purchases. One stall sold knick nacks and bags, another one exclusively sold jhola’s and other such bags and the last stall sold bangles, earrings and anklets. The women students were elated and you could see that the stalls were doing good business. In an effort to use hand made products we also kept water outside in clay pots. Yet another move to become eco-friendly and a step towards helping the artisans.

On day 3 we all have decided to ‘Go Swadeshi’ and will be seen moving around the campus in Khadi Kurta’s.

We’ve decided to ‘Go Swadeshi,’ what about you?

The Beginning of a New Dawn

On September 10^th 2012, the final year students of the Department of Journalism, Madras Christian College started off their campaign with a bang. ‘Aakkam 2012’ was finally brought center stage and with God’s grace day 1 started off on a very positive note.

On that bright, Monday morning the final year students along with 3 of our professor’s set off to Kancheepuram, the weaver’s abode of Tamil Nadu. We arrived at Kancheepuram around 11 a.m and made our way to Khadi Kraft. We had planned an interesting day at Kancheepuram and we were definitely on schedule. 

At Khadi Kraft we saw a gathering of about 25 artisans who had come to listen to what we had to say. Everyone was gathered in a quaint hall and we waited anxiously for our chief guest to arrive. Soon, our chief guest entered the hall and all who were gathered rose to pay respect to our esteemed guest. The chief guest for the day was none other than Ms. Vidya Sastry, CEO, Craft Council Of India. She was delighted to be here and sat down with the artisans. Soon she began talking to the artisans about the Craft Council of India, about what they do, about the government schemes, about us as well as our campaign. This talk went on for a while and then the artisans spoke to us as well. They spoke to us about themselves, their families, their craft and most importantly the problems faced by them in doing their craft. After this discussion session ended we all sat down together in the community for lunch. 

Soon after lunch, all of us students went up to the artisans with I.D application forms from the government. These forms would entitle each artisan to an I.D card which would assure him/her of insurance, of opportunities to sell their wares at expos, exhibitions etc. Each student went up to an artisan and helped him/her to fill up the form. This session helped us interact with the artisans on a more personal note and we learned more about them and their lives. Soon after the form filling session concluded, we thanked the artisans for coming for this delightfully informative session and we asked them to sign on the hand-made ‘Aakkam’ banner. After this we all went outside to have a small photo session with the artisans. With that we concluded day 1 of our campaign.

We soon packed up and left Kancheepuram, holding on to the memories of the day that had gone by so quickly. We came to Kacheepuram as a bunch of enthusiastic students, wishing to know more about the artisan community here. We left this place as individuals filled with knowledge of the plight of these artisans and when we left we made sure we paid our tributes to them. We left with a feeling of satisfaction and new found respect for these people and for the craft that they practice.

We pay our tribute ‘to the hands that mould’.  

Ramavelu the Potter

Name of the Artisan: Ramavelu

Art Form: Pottery

About the Artist:  Ramavelu is a potter from a village in Tamil Nadu. His family has been doing pottery for over five generations and his great grandfather used to do the pottery work for kings. Among seven contestants for a competition that took place in Dakshinchitra, Ramavelu was selected and had been given an opportunity to work there. According to Ramavelu, only if he works in Dakshanchitra will his work will be recognized and thus he'll be given further opportunities. He has seven children and each of them are well trained in this handicraft.

Group Members: Reginald, Surjeet, Afeef & Richard

Habiba the Carpet Weaver

Name of the Artisan: Habiba

Art Form: Carpet Weaving

About the Artist: Habiba is a carpet weaver from Thirunelveli district in Tamilnadu. She follows one of the oldest methods of weaving. Her family has been weaving carpets for over seven generation. Even her children are well trained in this handicraft. Now she weaves carpets in Dakshinchitra. Each carpet takes about fifty days to weave and the grass she uses for weaving is taken from the banks of the river Thamarabharani in Thirunelveli district.  Rates for the carpets depend on the material and design used in it.

Group Members: Reginald, Surjeet, Afeef & Richard 

Govind, Shyam and some statues

Name of the Artisans: Govind and Shyam

Art Form: Statues

About the Artist: The artists are from Rajasthan. The artisans are Govind and Shyam and they have been in Chennai for the last five years. They have already stayed in Andhra and other places. These artists keep moving from one place to another every five years. When asked about his earning he said that he saves around 25,000 a year. 

About the Art: These men specialize in making statues for various festivals celebrated in our nation, along with other small items like mora which is used by the people to sit down, especially the ladies as it makes them feel comfortable.

Group Members: Reynolds, Tolstoy, Sajid & Gargi 

Neelamegam's Sculptures

Name of the Artisan: R. Neelamegam M.A.,B.F.A.,Dip.A.S.,Ph.D

Address:  Res. (old no.90), New no. 73, Gokulam Illam, Kovalam Road, Mamallapuram- 603104, Tamilnadu, S.India. 

Art Form: Carving Sculptures 

About the Artist:  Mr. R.NEELAMEGAM  is a renowned architect, sculptor and also a builder who was influenced and inspired by his ancestors. He is a lecturer in the Govt. College of Architecture and Sculpture. He has lightened his experience of 30 years in this art form by developing his portfolio and working in international standards.

Group Members: Srikanth, Satish, Dinesh, Bonjar 

Lakshmibai's Art

Name of the Artisan: Lakshmibai

Name of Art: Decorative Articles and Showpieces

About the Artist: Lakshmibhai is a synonym of an art form that has entitled her to the making decorative articles and showpieces for the last 30 years. Desperation for a profound art led her to shift from her abode in kadaloor to the pallava artist village at padappay. The artist village is a serene
place and it is for conventional art forms alone. Art has been incorporated throughout her life, initially in the form of a craft teacher and currently as a retired craft maker.

About the Craft: It is an exclusive form of handicraft which focuses on decorations that help enhance the beauty of the house. To her, art is everything. She makes art out of anything and everything and even from things that no one could perceive would have an artistic value. Her house is painted with antiquity on the walls. Her art is made out of natural materials which include Jute hangings, decorative items with palm seeds, pottery, hanging materials with palm flowers, flowers out of socks cloth etc.



Group Members: Lasya, Parvathy, Princie, Somna

Sculpting Laxman

Name of the Artisan: Laxman

About the Artist: Laxman, a sculptor by profession from Rajasthan lives by the roadside in Perungalathur with his family and works with his elder son Ramesh and earns a decent living and even manages to save around Rs.25000 per annum.

About the Craft: They make all types of idols, colorful as well plain. They use clay and Plaster of Paris to make these sculptures; it takes them about one day to make one sculpture. These sculptures are sold in the price range of Rs150 to Rs500 depending on the size of the idol.

They are nomadic craftsmen who keep changing their location every four to five years in search of new markets and most of their sculptures are sold during the festive season. Laxman learnt this art
from his father and intends to teach his other children also.

Group Members: Harsh, Haniel, Robert & Vimal 

Narasimman and an Ornamental Journey

Name of the Artisan: A.R. Narasimman

Address:  A.P.Astha Kala Handi Craft,
                 NO.31/16, Vaidhyanatha Muddi Street,
                 Sevenwells, Chennai-600001

About the Artist: A.R.Narasimman runs a handicraft shop named A.P. Astha Kala Handicraft. The craftsmanship has been continued for twenty years from his grandfather’s time. Now Narasimman has started his own shop and six to ten workers work under him.

About the Craft: He makes varieties of ornaments like earrings, bangles, chains, bracelets, anklets, and all sorts of accessories and also jewel boxes and pouches using the five metals, birth stones, Hyderabad pearls and one gram gold jewels. He says that he gets
order from all over India, preferably from all the southern States of India.

Group Members: Lhaden, Dechen, Narmada & Jeyarani

Guru and his craft

Name of the Artisan: Guru

Contact No: 9150150579

Address: No:2 Thatty maker lane

               Wall tax road

               Chennai-600079. 

About the Artist: Guru, a cane weaver has adopted this profession from his ancestors and has been doing it for forty years. Bamboo sticks are the main source of the art form with which he makes mats, curtains, posters & baskets exclusively.

About the Art: The quality of the articles depends on the handiwork. He makes contemporary art with the conventional art skills. He uses bamboo sticks and parachute ropes so that the quality would remain the same.



Group Members: Rokesh, Praveen, Thendral & Raja Sethuraman

Documenting the lives of Artisans

'Aakkam' is a tribute to the artist and his craft. As a part of our P. R initiative the final year students divided themselves into 12 teams of 4 members each and have made a couple of documentaries on the lives of a few artisans. In the next couple of posts we shall give you a briefing on the different artists, their craft and their lives that were documented by us. This is our small initiative towards helping out these craftsmen.

Aakkam 2012: A brief about the campaign

“Not mass production but production by masses” said Gandhi. 

Gandhi through his concept of the spinning wheel, made the issue of our dying handicrafts and handlooms public. With his death and the birth of industrialisation, his dreams fell silent. Our Public Relations Campaign strives to revive our handicrafts and give voice to our artisans.

‘AAKKAM’ salutes the hands that mould our earthenware, weave our threads, carve our toys, string together beads and grasp onto the clay that is quickly slipping through.

'AAKKAM’ is dedicated to give those hands a face.