• We all have our own experience while purchasing a shoe, it may be a roadside sale point; an exclusive showroom or a premium trade show where we buy it from. It may be an ethnic Juti or it may be a Roman Gladiator or something else. We all go heartly and sometimes madly on those piece of art and designs. But, we never peep beyond that.
  We never reach that painful story in which human beings like us are living a life full of injustice and misery.
  These human beings are our artisans/karigars.
  
  While we were going to schools/colleges, they were learning art of shoemaking.
  But, now they lack food, home, education and other basic necessities of life.
  They work for 16-17 hours per day and get merely Rs200-250 for the whole shift.
  This is because of their unorganised employment and ignorance of our society.
  Their children generally don't reach schools as apart from a 16-17 hours shift , they take pending works back at home so that they can earn little extra penny. Housewives and children do the same work at home.
  Willingly, these artisans don't want their children to go on same path of being a celebrated unprivileged artisan, but they are bound to those extra penny for their survival.
  
  This is a highlight of the misery of excellent but underpaid/jobless artisans all over our country.
  We need your help just to make a difference in their life. We are working on a project which aims to provide them organised employment, all medical, pension and insurance facilities. Project includes freedom of their children from domestic child labour and quality education too.
  We aim not to let them loose from machines, but to take help of technology to make their work easier.
  We call our project " Kaarigari ". 
  
  
  This is going to be a indigenous brand and will promote the art of our super artisans.
  The profit earned from market will be used to fulfill the project's aforementioned aim in the long run.
  The group of artisans will get registered under government's welfare schemes and " Kaarigari" will pay taxes to insure all benefits for them.
  We are in the first stage, we don't have profits at this moment.
  That's why we need your help to provide the basic infrastructure and facilities to these artisans.
  These artisans and their families are looking to you...
  Just for a push..just for a hand of support..!!
  And just for the beauty of lovable shoe you own...!!
  Thanks..!!

About myself - Hi, I am Vikram, an aero engineer by academics;  social entrepreneur by profession and a sensitive soul by nature. After finishing my engineering degree from Scotland, UK and thereafter a job, I have been working with local shoemaking artisans in Delhi.My goal is to bring them in the mainstream by promoting their craftwork and help them to get paid what their art deserves.
Most of them were made in India, I felt proud like those were made by me. But, there I never thought about the hands behind those masterpieces. In UK, I observed two images of our India, first, a potential developing country with lots of poor people residing in it. Second, a country of genius people with extraordinary art and an amusing culture.The second one was selling good over there.Lots of British and other international brands exclusively promote Indian made footwear there, with Indian art as a marketing tag.All goes excellent there. Indian art results in amused customers, bulk margins for traders  and lots of appreciations for all.In 2012, I came back home and started activities with a social organisation which was working on betterment of life standards in slums.There came a day, that dig out memories of all those fairy artworks which I saw getting celebrated in UK. In a slum colony of North-East Delhi, I saw some women sewing tags of "Clarks" on awesome looking shoe uppers. Children were helping them in aligning the tags. In first instance , I couldn't figure it out. But after a little conversation, the women told that their husband work in nearby footwear factory and always take some extra work to home. One girl, nearly about 12-13 years old, interrupts firmly " Papa told me that a heroine in a english film will use this shoes".
Clarks is a foreign brand which is popular all over the globe for its quality and designs.I asked one of them, how much her husband earn monthly? She replied with a hopeless tone,"He makes 12 uppers in a day and for each upper he gets Rs15". I calculated within a second, her husband's daily wage was Rs180 per day. It was little more than nothing.It sparked a sense of disappointment and I got curious to know more about the craftsman of masterpieces.All I got to know about them is a story of misery.They make their livelihood by working some 16 hour shifts. And this livelihood  even couldn't afford education for their children. I roamed in that locality for around one month and found the same misery everywhere.There were big brands like Clarks and Zara getting manufactured there. But manufacturing companies never share part of big margins to the artisans. They don't provide any facilities to them. They don't register them as there employees.The craftsmen on account of whose we feel proud on our Indian craft and art, are living in sorrow.There I decided to work with them. Now, we work as a team. My goal is to get their art recognized and ensure respect and resources for their extraordinary work.Yes, we are proud of them. But I want their children to feel proud of their father's profession.
What's the plan? "Kaarigari" works on the concept of self-sustainability.It is driven by artisans for the artisans.
We have started it with a group of shoemaking artisans and will accommodate more as we get more resources.Highlights of "Kaarigari" are as follows.

• We call our project "Kaarigari".
• This is an indigenous social startup, completely devoted to the craftsmanship of our regional artisans.
• Its core idea is inspired by all handcrafted masterpieces we come across in our daily life.
• We see our end products as a nostalgic blend of cultural art with modern technology.
• This project will provide infrastructure, technical training and secure employment to a group of shoemaking artisans. 
• Along with this group, a new batch of trainee will keep getting internship with stipend every three months.
• After completing their internship, they are free to work at "Kaarigari" with proper registration and facilities.
• "Kaarigari" will ensure the enrolment of all artisans in government schemes. This will provide them insurance, educational and medical facilities without any charges.
• Profits earned from Kaarigari products will be utilised in four parts.
  • First part for artisans' salary, funds and government taxes.
  • Second for R&D and improvement in infrastructure and training upto an optimum level.
  • Third to promote "Kaarigari" on global stages.
  • Fourth one will be utilised to enhance capital for production.

We are already in the first phase of our project. We have initiated our production with our limited resources but limitless possibilities. In trial stage, "Kaarigari" products have raised sensation in some markets of Delhi, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. We have queries and orders from very potential clients both from domestic and international markets.
We, along with our team are firmly determined to bring karigars out of misery. To bring them on stage of Kaarigari.
With hopes and determination.....Regards.
Team Kaarigari..!!