Guwahati: Antraran Transforming Crafts which mobilizes women entrepreneurs of the Northeast has generated more Rs 1 crore in the last year in Assam.
The Antaran Programme, launched by Tata Trusts in 2018, aimes to empower artisans through intensive education in weaving technique, design, communication, business development, and computer literacy.
Sulagna Sen, a cluster leader of Antaran, told Business North East that they have helped many entrepreneurs in Assam and Nagaland, particularly women.
"We found a lot of potential in women entrepreneurs in this region who are weaving regularly at home", she said. "Through our training, we are trying to develop them into people who can do their businesses - be it B2B or B2C - to help improve their revenue."
The trust has been able to generate Rs. 1 crore in the last year through small events and B2C, she revealed.
Tianeren Longchar, a cluster leader from Nagaland, added that the trust provides support to artisans who cannot fend for themselves. "We mostly operate in Dimapur and Phek", she said. "In Nagaland, Antaran is investing in the cultivation of tree cotton that grows only in the hills and gives a very different texture."
The focus is mostly on natural yarns and the use of natural dyes, she said.
Several women weavers from villages completed 6 months of learning at incubation and design centres operated by the trust.
"Despite facing family issues and commuting distances, they persevered and gained exposure to new markets and buyers", a person affiliated with the trust said. "The program was later expanded to mobile classrooms in select villages, allowing artisans to work in solidarity."
At present, programs offered by the trust aim to promote artisans' crafts, promote self-sufficiency in the handloom sector, and encourage entrepreneurship.
Centres run by the trust are being envisaged as education and business development hubs for artisans, enabling them to be weaver-designers and help build a community of micro-entrepreneurs across the handloom value chain in each region.
A full-time expert team with professionals from business, textile design, and technical backgrounds would facilitate this process.
The Tata group has recently put Assam on the global map with a Rs 27,000 crore semiconductor plant. Earlier this week, the Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma met industrialist Ratan Tata Trust Chairman Ratan Tata and expressed gratitude for the project at Jagiroad in the Morigaon district of central Assam.
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