Jaya Jaitly on bringing Dastkari Haat Crafts Bazaar to Chennai after a decade

“This bazaar is meant to be walked slowly, seen deeply, and remembered long after. A space to reconnect with craft, with people, and with the joy of the handmade, as it was always meant to be experienced,” says Jaya Jaitly, founder of Dastkari Haat Samiti, as she brings her Dastkari Haat Crafts Bazaar back to Chennai after a decade.

From textiles and weaves to paper, metal and bamboo works, you can find everything at this bazaar

This edition unfolds as a canvas of India’s handmade traditions, bringing together master artisans, weavers, painters, and craft communities from across the country. The crafts might look conventional on view but will probably find relevance in your contemporary life.

What finally brought Dastkari Haat back was not nostalgia, but insistence from the artisans themselves. “Our artisans were very keen on reviving our presence in Chennai, and now we were happy to find an opportunity to collaborate with the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT). I wish someone would help us find other lovely, larger environs for the future,” Jaya shares.

Walking through the bazaar reveals the breadth of India’s material culture. Visitors can encounter textiles and weaves, ranging from ajrakh block prints, ikat, jamdani, Banarasi, maheshwari, chanderi and bandhani to patola weaving, gamchha textiles, carpet weaving from Uttar Pradesh and Kashmir, and loom-woven fabrics from across regions. Alongside them sit craft objects, including Dhokra metalwork, bamboo and cane crafts, wood carving with brass inlay, bone inlay, silver filigree jewellery, terracotta, ceramics, seashell crafts, glass bangles, jute rugs, handmade paper, Channapatna toys, and metal crafts from Odisha and West Bengal.

There is art too—Pattachitra and Pichhwai, Gond, Kalighat, Godna, Madhubani, Phad, and Shajhi paintings. “The very nature of crafts is that they are diverse interpretations every time,” Jaya notes. “We offer newly found craftspeople and new items from others. When the customers are good, they prepare good items for them.”

Yet sustaining this ecosystem is not easy. The challenges are layered and persistent. “Competition from lesser skilled copycats!” she says without hesitation. Added to that is the physical and financial strain on artisans. “It is tough to produce, pack, travel and set up a stall every time.” Her focus now is on finding alternatives that offer stability. “Im working towards getting longer term projects for by collaborating with other sectors and professions.”

Having worked in the craft sector for decades, Jaya has seen the landscape change dramatically. “I notice a hugely increased interest in crafts, a blossoming of craft entrepreneurship, designer business in craft, corporate interventions and plenty of craft bazaar organisers because they pose as patrons but make good money from commissions.” As Dastkari Haat returns to Chennai, Jaya’s hope is simple, to revive that special relationship with the city.

Entry free. January 30 to February 5. 11.30 am – 7.30 pm. At NIFT Campus, Tharamani, Chennai.

Email: apurva.p@newindianexpress.com

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