Location of the community: Rapar(Kutch), Gujarat

Name of the local entrepreneur/NGO/master craftsman: Cohesion Foundation Trust Ahmedabad

Number of artisans: 375

About the group:

Kutch, in Gujarat is famous for its embroidery either in Mushroo silk or cotton. There are many types of Embroidery done in Kutch. Some of these are Abhla (Mirror Work), Ahir, Bakhiya, Bavariyo, Ganth Tako, Paako, Neran and Sakri. Most of these were traditionally stitched by village women, for themselves and their families, to create festivity, honor deities, or generate wealth. Embroideries contributed to the substantial economic exchange required for marriage and fulfilled other social obligations which required gifts.

Embroidery also communicates self and status. Differences in style create and maintain distinctions that identify community, subcommunity, and social status within community. Each style, a distinct combination of stitches, patterns and colors, and rules for using them, was shaped by historical, socioeconomic and cultural factors.

This group of 375 women has been trained by an NGO, Cohesion Foundation Trust Ahmedabad on different embroidery techniques and CFM Market Linkages provides design inputs to develop products in both silk and cotton. The embroidery is done at home and it provides the women an additional source of income.