Commitment to Kashmir with Devika Krishnan (ACS)

Crafts is an integral part of experiential creativity and the conduit for imagination of forms.

Today I have Devika Krishnan with us on Audiogyan; She is a founder of Studio sattva and Arthouse. Devika graduate in ceramics from NID and did MBA from ISB —- and since then has been working relentlessly in varied areas of design and empowerment. She continues to work for Dastkar Ranthambhore where she trains new groups of artisans. One of the topics which we will be discussing in this episode is her path-breaking project called Commitment to Kashmir that is enabling young and eager Kashmiris to set up their crafts businesses – with suitable market linkages – to sustain themselves and those they employ. 

Questions

1. Real India is 60%+ villages. Can you give us a sense of the broad landscape of arts and craft in our country?
2. After working for more than 2 decades in this space, especially at Ranthambore, what are the insights you can share w.r.t crafts?
3. Why is Kashmir so fertile when it comes to Crafts?
4. What is commitment to Kashmir? How does it work? On which criteria these artisan are handpicked?
5. What are the top 3 or 5 challenges which Kashmiri Artisians are facing?
6. What all changes happened due to 370 in Kashmir?
7. It is so juxtaposition that, Mumbai is financial capital of India and also house to biggest slum in Asia. Similarly, Kashmir being area of dispute and terror for nearly 7 decades and yet most beautiful when it comes to design and art. How do you reconcile this thought?
8. Can you tell us which are the really unique indigenous products produced from Kashmir and why?