How CtoK is helping Kashmir's craftspeople become sustainable entrepreneurs

Connecting Valley to the world: CtoK has supported 30 plus artisan-led enterprises and worked directly with more than 300 artisans

The summer unrest that gripped the Kashmir valley in 2009 and 2010 paralysed livelihoods of thousands of crafts persons with few opportunities and guidance. It was this that led to the birth of Commitment to Kashmir (CtoK). Launched in 2011 as a charitable trust under the Trust Act of India, the idea was conceived by the late LC Jain, former member, Planning Commission and crafts visionary. CtoK is an initiative to support a new generation of crafts people from Kashmir become independent and sustainable entrepreneurs. 

Speaking to Business Standard, Shruti Mittal, project manager, CtoK says, “our vision is to provide a sense of purpose and sustainable livelihoods to people in the Valley by enabling positive transformation in the handicrafts linked economy of the state that has been severely affected by decades of violence and strife”. 

But working in the Valley has come with its own set of challenges. The first being the unpredictable political and economic environment of the region itself. With frequent curfews and shut down of communication channels, work gets interrupted. “The CtoK team has regularly faced situations where we have made travel plans for the designers, mentors and trainers but have had to cancel them one night before a workshop or skill development programmes in the Valley due to sudden disturbances in the region,” says Mittal. She adds, how timelines get severely stretched and thus any development project that would take a year to complete in any other region, takes more than two years in the Valley. 

If the environment in the Valley was not enough, another key challenge for the team becomes getting the funding. The private companies prefer to carry out CSR activities in the regions where they have their plants or offices. However, Mittal feels, in the Valley, it is negligible. There is hardly any investment in the local communities.

 

“The violence and unstable socio-political environment makes corporates nervous and wary of investing in Kashmir,” says Mittal. But like challenges, there have been learnings too along this tumultuous journey for the CtoK. According to Mittal, the crafts of Kashmir are the living links to the common heritage we share with Persia, Europe and Central Asia. “Every street in Srinagar and every town and village in the Valley has master practitioners of these crafts,” she adds. Mittal fears if these skills are not safeguarded, the crafts will die. Militancy has anyway resulted in reduced tourism to the Valley thereby depleting the markets for the artisans as well as isolating them from innovation, design and change. 

The youth has nowhere to go despite being skilled, educated and enterprising. “There are no private enterprise or alternative source of employment. Craft is all they have for social and economic development,” says Mittal adding entrepreneurship based on the existing strong skill sets and new market appropriate skill sets is the need of the hour. 

 

In a state that’s always on the cusp of infiltration and violent activities, it was tough for the CtoK to associate with the people in the Valley in their initial years. “The youth just don’t want to continue in this field. The common retort is that “Nothing has changed in so many years, what will you do to change the situation for us?””, says Mittal. So identifying the right talent amongst the young crafts people who were keen to take their craft forward and motivating them to join the CtoK programme and remain committed to the craft was a big challenge. CtoK has partnered with Craft Development Institute in Srinagar to provide the logistical and technical support to run the initiative. “Having a local partner is very important to win the initial trust of the people. Thereafter, it has been our work that has helped us build on and deliver on that trust,” she says.

Despite all the hardships, Mittal is positive. She has learnt that tenacity and patience are the two most important virtues in the Valley. The delays and interruptions may have led people to quickly leave or not do a repeat show in the Valley. But if one has the will and patience to persevere and stick on then “the people will begin to trust you and will partner you”. She has also understood that adhoc solutions don’t work in the Valley. “It is not enough to give the artisans only designs but no access to new markets to sell them and reap the rewards of their hard work. CtoK thus works on all aspects of the value chain from raw material sourcing to providing new tools and machinery to upgrade workshops, to skill upgradation solutions and training programs, market led design and product development and finally market connect,” she adds.

To date, CtoK has directly supported 30 plus artisan led enterprises, worked directly with more than 300 artisans and reached out to 2,500 people in the allied craft sector through its intensive craft leadership programme.The crafts they have been engaged in are pashmina, kaani, willow wicker, copper moulding and engraving, paper mache (sakta and naqashi) and embroideries like ari, sazni, tilla.