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Crafting hope for artisans
The Indian handicraft sector is the second largest unorganized sector in the country after agriculture. There are more than twenty three million craftspeople today in the country who produce objects ranging from common vessels to intricately crafted masterpieces.
The Indian handicraft sector is the second largest unorganized sector in the country after agriculture. There are more than twenty three million craftspeople today in the country who produce objects ranging from common vessels to intricately crafted masterpieces. But lack of education and awareness has left them to the mercy of middlemen, who devour a major chunk of their rightful profits thereby forcing talented craftsmen to seek alternate professions.
To retain such talented workforce and preserve the art form, 24-year old Srinivasa Chary Maheshwaram from Pembarthy, Warangal, decided to put his entrepreneurial skills to use. An MBA graduate specialized in human resources management, Srinivasa himself is the son of a metal craftsman. “Around 40 families in my village depend on the brassware handicrafts business. But since the earnings are paltry, their children leave to other places in search of small jobs”, he says.
Confident that metal art can be turned into a lucrative profession with the right marketing skills, tech savvy Srinivasa took to the internet to start an E-commerce brass handicrafts business “Pembarthy Metal Handicrafts” in 2013. “I registered my profile in all handicraft, trade and ecommerce websites. A small loan from Andhra Bank and four craftsmen was all it took for me to start my own company”.
Initially, Srinivasa ran into losses as he could not eliminate the middlemen from his business. “My family wanted me to take up a cozy job in a corporate but I did not give up”, The entrpreneur took to the internet to sell his products. Braving the teething problems, Srinivasa diligently followed his action plan. Now Pembarthy Metal Handicrafts has a turnover of 10 lakhs. “I know how to use the internet to my benefit. Many artisans unfortunately do not know how to market themselves. I leveraged my education and skills to spread the word and bring home customers”, says the CEO of Pembarthy Metal Handicrafts.
In 2014, Srinivasa received the “District Youth Award” from the Government of Telangana in the “Best Artisan” category. There is still a lot of talent in many villages in Andhra Pradesh. We need to bring it to the costumers”, he says, confident that his art would soon get the recognition it deserves. Pembarthy Metal Handicrafts now sells its products in Ebay, Amazon and Flipkart. Srinivasa wants to create his own online store and is also looking to enter the international market. His aim is to provide as many jobs as possible to local artisans.
By:Mythili Sankara
