Sewa Kalakruti, promoted by Gujarat State Women’s Sewa Co-operative Federation is a marketing outlet for the products generated by women artisans organized under co-operatives. Its objective has been to serve as direct marketing link between the customers and the products made by these artisans. A storehouse of handicrafted products, Kalakruti is a non profit making entity. It products include a broad range of stationery items, apparels, home décor furnishings, personal accessories, bed linens and artifacts.

The poor, home-based women artisans have always been exploited by the middlemen who give them work. Their products are sold at high prices, reducing the artisans as mere laborers of the craft.

It was learnt that these women were losing hold on their traditional craft because of low earnings. Surveys revealed that the socio-economic condition of these artisans had become deplorable. In order to revive the craft and uplift their condition, these women came to be organized into co-operatives. The objective was to make available an ideal business environment to them along with an interface which would directly help market their products to the customers. This led to the development of 11 such artisan co-operatives which supported crafts like block printing, patchwork, appliqué work, tie and dye, jewelry making, beadwork, badla work, puppet making, khatla, crochet and hand embroidery. Design Sewa, a design house established by the Federation, acted as an incubator to support the artisans in design development, product diversification and educate them on new product-based skills.

Today it has churned out 11 master craftswomen who create samples, keeping in sync the modern trends for products to be exported, sold at exhibitions or marketed on a whole sale basis.

The uniqueness of Kalakruti lies in the fact that 65% of the revenue generated through the products sold, directly goes to the artisans. This gives them the leverage of earning a fair price for their skill.

Kalakruti also supports training of artisans working under the co-operatives. Product diversification and skill upgradation are two measures which are constantly practiced here.

It also facilitates linkages with other design institutes and corporate entities to initiate product development, its diversification and better visibility.