Weaving Destinies

ISSUE: 129

Abhilasha Bahuguna & G Prasanna Ramaswamy
initiated a farm-to-fashion collective in Ladakh to help
local women earn a sustained livelihood

Introduce us to Project Laksal.

A & P: In Ladakhi, lakt-sal means skill. The project was formulated to impart skills to women, from remote Ladakhi villages along India’s border with China, that could enhance their income-earning potential. The project trained more than 150 women from far-flung villages in the arts of spinning, weaving and knitting quality sheep wool and pashmina products.
It was very challenging to make it all happen because not only was it difficult to coordinate the training of these women by qualified master-trainers, but it was also hard to keep the women motivated enough to complete the training which lasted a couple of months. It was also a challenge to bring convergence in the efforts of different public and private agencies meticulously and sensitively. Our efforts were fruitful in the end as not only had we succeeded in training many women, but two of the women had learned enough to become master-trainers themselves.

Has Ladakh’s new status as a Union Territory created new possibilities for artisans?

A & P: It has opened many new possibilities for artisans not only because they can now reach out to and pitch their ideas directly to the Central Government, but also because they now have to deal with a hopefully less cumbersome bureaucratic apparatus administering the various government schemes and programs. They now do not have to contend with the artisans of Kashmir, who have a greater degree of prominence and can demand government action tailored for their peculiar needs and necessities.

How much difference has media recognition made to the collective?

A & P: Recognition is usually helpful to maintain high morale among the women artisans. The publicity has so far helped the collective attract the right partners and patrons. We encourage the women to increasingly become the face of the cooperative on media platforms and it has helped us foster a greater sense of ownership and achievement in their hearts and minds. This idea, after all, is only worthy till it is shared by all the women of Looms of Ladakh.

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