Namma Kadai

An online platform that enables rural craftspeople to sell their products at a fair price to buyers wherever they are.

Namma Kadai is an idea based on connecting craftspeople and artisans from rural regions and providing them with a platform, to exhibit their talent and reach out to a larger group of people. 

These people don't get a lot of opportunities to showcase their talent, especially since they're from a community that hasn't been exposed to the modern world yet. Helping them break those boundaries and establish themselves is my goal and this app can help me achieve that. People need to realize that such rare talents exist and that they need their support to grow and continue their service. 

My idea will help artisans sell their products at a reasonable profit and help them get in contact with other artisans and companies. This will help them form partnerships thus expanding their work circle.

The technology that I propose to use is quite simple. It will be an app and a website where customers can buy their products, much like how online shopping works. We can also incorporate geospatial technology to help identify artisans who are closer to the customer's location and thus create a better connection between the two.

India's industrialization and participation in the modern world economy are decades old. Nevertheless, millions of Indians still depend on indigenous modes of production, traditional skills and techniques to make a living based on handmade products. These craftspeople are the backbone of the non-farm rural economy, with an estimated 200 million artisans engaged in craft production to earn a livelihood.

The problem that I’m trying to solve to be specific is improving the lives of these craftspeople and artisans who are finding it really hard to earn this living. My focus, for now, is mainly on the artisans based in South India. If successful, we can expand to other parts of the country as well. People these days spend large sums of money in malls and shopping centres but tend to bargain for tens and twenties with these artisans. They need to understand the value of these talented artists and that the numbers are declining rapidly due to economic hardships.
Thousands of families have been affected. Propelled by loss of markets, and difficulty catering to new markets, a large number of artisans have moved to urban centres in search of low, unskilled employment in industry, especially after the COVID-19 period. They have lost hope in the work that their families have been doing for generations. Centuries ago, crafts used to receive royal patronage, which has now disappeared. We need to help them regain their place in the economic mainstream.

The target population that I intend to focus on is the group of people engaged in craftwork and those whose lives are dependent on the skill. People who have been following this profession generation after generation. They live in remote areas with very little access to technology and hence they cannot sell their products to a larger group of people. They are scattered all over the country. For now, my focus is on the artisans based in South India.

Traditional crafts have largely been marginalized by mass-produced consumer goods, which tend to be cheaper due to the economies of scale associated with mechanization. The nature of the crafts sector and challenges faced by artisans reduces their ability to compete with machine-made products. With the advent of industrialization and increasing urbanization of markets for crafts, the historical artisan-consumer relationship has broken down and largely been replaced by traders. This has rendered artisans' knowledge and skill, acquired over generations, virtually useless and made crafts an unsustainable source of livelihood. The main challenges facing these artisans are unorganized production, outdated production methods, lack of funding, the dominance of middlemen and the reducing interests of the second generation.

My solution will help address important factors like lack of customers, fair price for their products, quality of manufacturing, involvement of the second generation and many more. If the project is successful, the artisans will have a regular inflow of money every month because a lot of people will be interested in their works.

Due to the current pandemic situation, I wasn’t able to interact with a lot of people. However, I've researched a lot about online enterprises that do similar activities. I have learnt more about their work process and how they manage to reach a larger group of customers. To get a better understanding of the needs of the artisans, I tried looking at various analytics provided by the Government of India regarding the crafts sector. I understood where the sector lacked and have tried coming up with ideas to solve them. Taking my pre-covid travel into consideration, I tried to think about where these people are concentrated and what area of the profession they are involved in. I read about developed systems and processes. I also came to know that the failure of many non- profit-run retail operations in crafts is a testament to the fact that non-profits models are not well-suited to business-related operations. Rather, partnerships with commercial entities with strong business acumen are more scalable ways for non-profits to create market linkages. Due to the changing economics of the crafts sector, market-driven models implemented by a private enterprise may be better suited to some of the areas in which non-profits currently operate. I've also attached a graph that I came across while researching the interventions that help in the growth of the crafts sector. This graph was put together by Dasra, a non-profit that focuses on improving the lives of millions by supporting NGOs.

I for now only have a concept to share. It is something that I've wanted to accomplish for a very long time. I however do not have the resources or the capital to achieve this. But, that hasn't stopped me from building a base plan and on how I'd like the website to be. I have come up with policies that would be implemented in my company. I am also very specific about the group of people I'd like to focus on.

My solution uses software technology i.e app development and website creation. I would also like to include geospatial technology to identify where the craftspeople are located so that we can match them with customers who are living more nearby to them. Social media will also be used for advertising and recruitment purposes.

I plan to serve a minimum of 500 artisans in the next year. These 500 artisans will also have a family to look after. Hence, if the project turns out to be successful, I would have managed to impact the lives of at least 2000 individuals in a year.

I plan to transform the lives of at least 2000 artisans and their families by 2025. I will work hard towards that goal by ensuring that they have a wider recognition across different parts of the country. I will ensure that people support these workers by getting them to try their services through my initiative. People need people. If these craftspeople are encouraged to do more of what they are doing currently, that would definitely boost their confidence and help them achieve their goals too.

Indicators like economic growth, reduced inequalities, improvement in the lives of these people would be taken into consideration while analyzing my progress in the next year. Other quality factors would include outreach, endorsements and partnerships. I would also look at the profits gained in a specific period and on whether the workers are satisfied with what they have managed to accomplish.

At the moment, I only have financial barriers that stop me from achieving my goal. To have to connect with a lot of artisans, get them to trust our initiative and finally post their works requires a capital investment that I cannot afford.

Incase I'm accepted and I form a team, then I believe that if we're good at marketing and gathering a lot of customers, we can definitely succeed as a team. Technology will be of great use, especially if we have to work remotely. Since we are really comfortable working with apps and social media, we will be able to deliver our service smoothly without any major difficulties. I will for sure have a team that works collaboratively and is ready to accept other's points of view. I will ensure that we take a collective decision before implementing anything.

I don't have a partnership with any organization as of now.

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