Software engineer revives endangered art forms; annual revenues hit Rs50 lakh in just 2 years

Twenty-six-year-old Sushmita Kaneri, based in Pune, set up Gullakaari in 2023. The name is apt as ‘Gullak’ is a piggy bank in Hindi and ‘Kaarigar’ means artisan. Gullakaari seeks to revive endangered art forms and provide a sustainable livelihood for artisans. 

Sushmita completed her schooling and software engineering at VIT (Vishwakarma Institute of Technology) in Pune. However, inspired by Swami Vivekananda, particularly his quote, ‘Take up an idea, make it your life,’ she decided to go beyond 9-to-5 jobs and work for a bigger cause.

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Along with her mother, she set up a transparent donation platform, where donors could track the impact of their donation to the needy. “We realised that the platform was making people dependent on us. Also, how long would this sustain?” asks Sushmita. 

From donations to livelihoods

Sushmita then decided to crowdfund only for livelihood projects to encourage entrepreneurship and financial independence. 

“So, we started visiting rural settlements and connecting with people who wanted to do something of their own. They just needed some clarity, a plan of execution and initial funds. We did the handholding,” Sushmita tells 30Stades.

“We came across the endangered Katkari tribe living in the coastal belt of Maharashtra. It comes under PVTG (Particularly Vulnerable Tribe Group). We skilled the tribal women to make sustainable, exotic candles. These are sold to corporates giving the women four times their previous income. Earlier, they worked as seasonal labourers in nearby farms.

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“Similarly, my father and I spotted the Nirmal (a town in Telangana) artistic community,” she says holding in her hand an organiser made of teak wood with Nirmal painting work. 

The 400-year-old art of Nirmal painting is a laborious and time-consuming process. After the carpentry work is done, the artisan applies a base layer repeatedly for 12 days. He traces the design on the wood and hand paints it. It takes two weeks to make one product, however small. Nirmal painting is traditionally done on larger surfaces like cots and dining tables. However, Gullakaari is focused on small utility items like pen stands, organisers and cardholders to showcase this art form.     

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 Bengal is known for its sculpting art form, but customers don’t buy many sculptures for their homes. To make this art form functional, artisans are making items like key holders which are also aesthetic-looking and affordable.

Non-profit Gullakaari provides a platform for artisans to earn a livelihood by selling their products for corporate, personal or bulk gifting. It is working towards two of the United Nations's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – UN SDG 1: No Poverty and UN SDG 8: Decent Work & Economic Growth.

Sushmita has received the ‘Dr Sarojini Naidu International Award’ conferred jointly by the International Women’s Film Forum and the International Chamber of Media and Entertainment.

Endangered art forms

Gullakaari has revived 13 endangered art forms across nine states and created a network of 1,000-plus artisans. “There are many ventures that focus on handicrafts. I thought of working with artisans skilled in endangered art forms. We have focussed on 30 artisans so far. Our projected annual revenue for 2024-25 is Rs 50 lakhs. We have already achieved 75 percent of that target,” she says.

“Generally, artisans across the country earn Rs 3 to Rs 4 lakh a year. We want to increase this income by 1.5 times,” says Sushmita. 

However, she says the impact of Gullakaari is not just quantitative. “When I asked an artisan skilled in Nirmal painting whether he would want his children to follow in his footsteps, he reacted angrily. He told me that no one knows about the art form. Customers haggle for lower prices. They have no respect for art,” she says ruefully. 

 The art forms revived by Gullakaari include Nirmal painting (Telangana), Tholu Bommalata or leather puppetry (Andhra Pradesh), Kavad (Rajasthan), Gond art (Madhya Pradesh), Mat weaving (West Bengal), Miniature painting/Wood carving (Rajasthan), Terracotta art (West Bengal), Exotic candle making (tribal community in Maharashtra) and Chittara (Karnataka). 

Action plan

Gullakaari diagnoses why a particular art form is declining and spreads awareness through its platform, social media and documentaries. 

“First, we research the endangered art form. Based on our research, we provide skill training for the artisans by collaborating with designers and students. Academics are also researching why art forms are dying and how to revive them,” she says. 

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“We want to make products that are functional and not just for décor. This will increase demand, consumption and the recall rate. For instance, while sipping tea at a friend’s place, you might appreciate the beauty of the coaster,” she says.   

Biggest challenges

The most difficult art form to revive has been Tholu Bommalata. The artisans make beautiful floor and table lamps. 

Gullakaari innovated by asking the artisans to work with vegan leather made of plant waste.  

The artisans were handling the leather for the first time. Goat leather is translucent and colours get easily fixed on the material. This is not the case with vegan leather. Perforation and cutting techniques are also different. Since the organisation did not want to compromise on quality, it was not easy to train the artisans. 

The unique art form of Kavad in Rajasthan was also challenging to revive, says Sushmita. There are only 10-15 artisans remaining and they are aged above 60 years.

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“We are trying to innovate with the art form. Kavad is all about story-telling artistically. Traditionally, the stories are based on mythology. Corporates can showcase their milestone journey on Kavad. People can also display their personal life journeys. While we are open to innovating we are very particular that the authentic process should not change,” she says. 

The prices of the products are very reasonable as no middlemen are involved. “It is a direct artist-to-customer model. The price range of our products is from Rs 25 to Rs 1,650. 

The hampers with multiple products are in the range of Rs 250 to Rs 2,500. Customers can make their hampers as per their budgets too,” says Sushmita.  

Corporate gifting

The organisation innovates and collaborates with corporates to customise/co-create products. It focuses on corporate gifting for certain reasons. Artisans don’t have a ready inventory and need time to make the products. Corporate gifting gives artisans a production time of 15-30 days. Gullakaari is collaborating with 13 companies at present. 

Some corporates are hesitant because of the traditional designs. Those who are aligned with Indian heritage buy Gullakaari products. “Only three out of our 40 products involve machine intervention.  For instance, diaries with Pattachitra art are printed. The artisan makes the design. Then, our designer prepares a digital illustration after which the artwork is printed. With the sale of each diary, the artisan gets a royalty,” explains Sushmita. 

 Currently, the organisation has five regular employees on its rolls and 220 volunteers spread across nine states. The artisans are encouraged to showcase and sell their work at exhibitions “We are pushing the story of our products through social media channels. Offline sales come from the traditional art workshops that we conduct. In these workshops, artisans train others in the art form they are skilled in. Online sales account for 70 percent of total sales,” she says.   

Eco-friendly 

Since traditional methods are used the products are eco-friendly and sustainable. Natural paints are used and there is no use of plastic at all. The use of vegan leather in Tholu Bommalata is another eco-friendly step.

The effort is to focus on eco-friendly and reusable packaging too. 

Terracotta products are packed in husk or waste grass instead of using bubble wrap or thermocol. Gullakaari does not use fancy boxes, which are heavy, costly and have a high carbon footprint.

The roadmap ahead is to focus on skill training of artisans. Every year, the income of artisans should double, says Sushmita. Gullakaari may start exporting its products soon. “The day I hear that an artisan wants his children to learn the craft he/she is practising I will feel that our organisation has made its desired impact,” she says with a smile.

(Aruna Raghuram is a freelance journalist based in Bengaluru. She writes about people, environmental matters, parenting, DEI issues, and social/development enterprises.)

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