“The biggest challenge is the lack of awareness
about Indian heritage of art, craft, and embroidery”
The House of Srjana (a Sanskrit word meaning ‘innovative creations’) was started to bridge the gap between demand and supply for artisanal hand-made products in bulk while creating a circular ecosystem for artisans in Pan India.
Divya Singh, founder and CEO of The House of Srjana, reveals that their understanding of the hand-made artisanal products made them realise there was a huge gap between what was in demand in the dynamic market and what was being offered by the artisans. “This not only made them lose their loyal customers but also considerably reduced the market for them. Therefore, we, through Srjana, are trying to fill in the void slowly,” says Singh.
When asked about the challenges she had to face, Singh says, “The biggest challenge that I continue to face is lack of awareness about Indian heritage of art, craft, and embroidery. This makes it difficult for us to explain our work and find the right market fit for our products.”
Another challenge, she points out, is finding the artisans for these crafts, as most are moving out of their traditional crafts as a source of primary livelihoods and looking for other avenues to earn their livelihood.
“Things are usually difficult in this segment in particular, as this market is very fragmented and there is no organised system to rely on for this sort of work. Therefore, irrespective of whether it’s a woman or a man, things can be quite challenging in terms of both work and creating a market for your products,” she adds.
Interestingly, 48 percent of the artisans The House of Srjana collaborates with are women. When asked about the reason for the same, Singh says, “Our central focus has also been to get women in the forefront to earn their livelihoods and sustain their families. An additional silver lining has also been that most of these crafts, like embroidery, basket weaving, and artwork, have also been associated with women folk practising them more than men, which makes up for our women artisan base, and we are very positive this will only grow in the coming years.”
The House of Srjana is always on the lookout for good talent. If anyone wants to collaborate with them, then the easiest way is to contact them online.
Any special strategy they have to deal with a period of low sales? “We as a brand are continually evolving through our designs, unique creations, and functionality of our product line. While in non-festive season, we have multiple partners whom we collaborate with to sell our products,” she sums up.
