‘Misaki’ helping rural art blossom
Misaki bringing out rural skills into mainstream and generating livelihood for the skilled craftsmen
Hyderabad: That rural India is home to a wide range of arts and crafts is known widely. Different parts of the country have their own intricate art forms and Misaki, a city-based social enterprise is one that is attempting to bring these into mainstream gifting and generating livelihood for the skilled craftsmen at the same time.
Started in 2019 by Bhavya Mahendra, the initiative has promoted 10+ arts and weaves, supporting the livelihood of over 100 skilled artisans and artists, whom she refers to as ‘Grampreneurs’ and ‘Kalapreneurs’.
“I was doing my PG in Social Entrepreneurship in Gujarat and as a part of organising a college event, we promoted rural arts and that was the beginning of this initiative. The word ‘Misaki’ is Japanese for ‘To Blossom’ but I also played on the word to have a Telugu meaning, ‘Mi Sakhi’ (your friend), as this is my effort to promote rural and tribal artisans,” says Bhavya, adding, “I wanted to go ahead with the concept of 3G — Grameen, Gifting and Generating Livelihood and since the inception, Misaki has done just that.”
Through various unique projects titled ‘Prakruti to Artkruti’, ‘Grameen to Gifting’, ‘Good Deed Project’, the bootstrapped enterprise has promoted various arts and weaves from Kondapalli toys of Andhra to Cheriyal art of Telangana to Aipan Paintings of Uttarakhand and Himachal and many more.
While the emphasis is on giving a boost to rural artisans and their economy, Misaki also has sustainability at its crux, as their gift hampers and their products are packed in eco-friendly palm-leaf baskets, which again are another form of rural craft. In addition to this, Bhavya also aims to uplift and empower women. “Most of the artisans that Misaki collaborates with are women and I hope to continue doing this more in the future,” she concludes.
