The Dastkar team of artisans function from the kendra located in the village of Ranthambore. The Kendra (centre) has an assorted environment where the women doing embroidery sit under the ceiling of natural vicinity in the front and give a beautiful touch of hand embroidery to the sort after products made at the Kendra. Inside the centre, in one area a team of printers do the block printing and in the other the pattern making, ironing, sewing and accounts department functions to make the working of the Kendra more efficient and progressive.

During the first five years, Dastkar was based in a small room in Sherpur village. As the project grew, this room became a centre where people of different castes and religions, occupations and ages came together to learn new skills, or often to simply interact and observe.

Soon Dastkar family grew and to accommodate more people working, official Dastkar Kendra was opened in January 1993, a plot that was leased from Ranthambhore Foundation and other grants and donations.

 

It brought together various elements of community building, training, production, sales and social awareness. The centre acts as a catalyst for numerous activities including workshops related to legal aid, health, family planning, gender and group building, management and accounting.

The Kendra, changed attitude of villagers towards society, caste, marriage and purdah. Initially, women of different castes and religion wanted to come at separate timings for work. But gradually, these caste barriers were broken and now women of all communities, Hindu-Muslim, harijans and upper castes sit together work, eat and chat together at the centre.

Years ago, women refused to even go in the nearby Taj Sawai Madhopur Lodge for sales having doubts of getting ‘corrupted’ or ‘sold’. But the current scenario shows these women going to various craft bazaars organised in various cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Kolkatta, Chennai, Hydrabad etc. Their views towards social issues have broadened with travel, traning and exposure.

With an increase in workers, development of newer machinery and increased tourist awareness, the Kendra today, functions and houses a production centre, raw material store, office, sales outlet, training and workshops.

The crafts practiced at the Kendra are:

  • Block Printing
  • Tie-dye
  • Patchwork
  • Embroidery