Our Craft Communities

We work with over 2,000+ Artisans across 9 states of India. 80% of our shareholders at Rangsutra are rural women.

Active Clusters
Jammu & Kashmir :: Srinagar, Bandipora
Rajasthan :: Bikaner, Barmer
Uttar Pradesh :: Hardoi, Eastern UP, Amroha
Haryana :: Jind
Gujarat :: Tharad
Maharashtra :: Pune

Past Clusters
Manipur :: Imphal
Chhattisgarh :: Raigarh

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Each region specialises in a unique craft that local artisans have mastered over generations. These crafts are a form of language that talk about their histories, regional cultures and their identities.

Applique

Applique is a decorative textile made by cutting intricate designs from fabric, gluing them to a base fabric, and stitching them with hem stitch to form a pattern. Initially used to strengthen worn-out fabric, the term appliqué derives from French and Latin words meaning to join or attach. It is vital to ancient Indian folk art, with regions developing unique styles.

Our artisans in Barmer, who migrated from Pakistan during the 1971 war, settled in Rajasthan and Gujarat and have been practicing this craft in India since.

Tie & Dye

Tracing back to the Indus Valley civilization, Tie and Dye holds a significant place in Rajasthan and Gujarat families. This craft involves tying small knots on fine fabrics, resisting dye in those areas.

Bandhej and Leheriya are classic Indian versions, while Shibori is popular in Japan. Our artisans in Bikaner and Churu create beautiful fabrics using Bandhej, Shibori, Leheriya, and other resist dyeing techniques.

Ralli

Ralli, meaning 'to connect,' is the art of joining small pieces of recycled fabric into geometric patterns, hand-stitched with precision. This aligns with Rangsutra's zero-waste policy. Leftover fabric is upcycled into innovative products using techniques like applique, patchwork, and creative weaving by our artisans.

Originating from Sindh, the craft is practiced by communities in Bikaner and Barmer, Rajasthan, who have been lovingly crafting these elaborate fabric connections for decades.

Extra Weft Weaving

Extra weft or pattu craft involves weaving an additional set of threads into the regular weft to create ornamental geometric patterns, inspired by regional flora and fauna. This is done by lifting the warp with fingers and inserting the extra threads.

Rangsutra collaborates with artisans in Barmer, Rajasthan, innovating the craft by training weavers to use finer cotton counts while preserving traditional pattu weaving techniques.

Kashmiri Embroidery

Kashmir's needle crafts, like crewel, aari, chain stitch, and sozni, have been perfected over generations. Using simple stitches such as satin, stem, chain, and long & short, Kashmiri hand embroidery excels in color, beauty, texture, and design. Our artisans from Noorbagh, Srinagar, learned from their mothers and grandmothers. Crewel embroidery has been a family tradition, producing intricate, colorful motifs. When embroidered on fine handwoven cotton, these designs become contemporary masterpieces.

Desert Embroidery

The starkness of Rajasthan's desert is balanced by the brilliant colors of Soof, Pakka, Kharek, and Sindhi embroideries. Introduced by the Meghawaad community from Sindh, Pakistan, during the 1971 war, these styles were used for wedding trousseaus. Soof features fine geometrical motifs, Pakka uses elongated square chain and satin stitches, Kharek mimics the date tree texture, and Sindhi involves interlacing stitches.

Rangsutra artisans practice these in Bikaner and Barmer.

Chikankari

Chikankari is an ancient and traditional embroidery art rooted in Lucknow, introduced by Persian nobles in Mughal courts. Initially, it was white-on-white but evolved into a colorful fabric embroidery. Handmade by women, it involves over 40 stitches and demands discipline and precision.

Rangsutra artisans use five main stitches: tepchi, sidha bakhiya, phanda, ghas patti, and chana patti. They hail from Rithwan, Salempur, and Akbarpur Talu in Hardoi district, Uttar Pradesh.

Handloom Weaving

Our handwoven pure cotton fabrics are crafted on frame looms in villages around Bikaner, Barmer in Rajasthan, and Imphal in Manipur. Stripes are carefully designed in advance. Over the last decade,

Rangsutra has encouraged artisans to use finer yarn counts. With skill upgrades and loom installations, the younger generation is now embracing weaving. Handloom weaving has become a major income source in these clusters.

With the new generation aspiring to move to cities for better opportunities and stable income, the future of these crafts are at stake.

We work hard to preserve and revive these crafts. We work closely with communities to ensure that handlooms and handicrafts are a viable and thriving profession.

EMPOWERING ARTISANS

We work with community heads, panchayats and artisans across regions to collaboratively build and grow more clusters.

“The establishment of more clusters in India will enable us to connect with a greater number of artisans across the country, serving an expanded network of crafts. Through our cluster development projects we make concerted efforts to include as many artisans as possible, so that craftwork can act as a pathway to sustainable livelihoods. This approach aids in preserving both the craft and the craftsperson.”

Richa Bhatia  
Cluster Coordinator at Rangsutra

We work with community heads, panchayats and artisans across regions to collaboratively build and grow more clusters.

“The establishment of more clusters in India will enable us to connect with a greater number of artisans across the country, serving an expanded network of crafts. Through our cluster development projects we make concerted efforts to include as many artisans as possible, so that craftwork can act as a pathway to sustainable livelihoods. This approach aids in preserving both the craft and the craftsperson.”

Richa Bhatia  
Cluster Coordinator at Rangsutra

Stories from the field

Jul 5, 2024

The Ladies aren’t Laapataa anymore - The Route to Happiness

Marriage, in many cultures, marks the beginning of a new life—but for most women in rural India, their life is characterised by a new village, a new family, a new...

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Rangsutra started with the vision to make Artisans and their crafts across India thrive. Strengthening them, their work and their communities has always been at the centre of all our work.

Rangsutra started with the vision to make Artisans and their crafts across India thrive. Strengthening them, their work and their communities has always been at the centre of all our work.

We work with over 2,000+ Artisans across 9 states of India. 80% of our shareholders at Rangsutra are rural women.

Each region specialises in a unique craft that local artisans have mastered over generations. These crafts are a form of language that talk about their histories, regional cultures and their identities.

Applique

Tie & Dye

Ralli

Extra Weft Weaving

Kashmiri Embroidery

Desert Embroidery

Chikankari

Handloom Weaving

We work hard to preserve and revive these crafts. We work closely with communities to ensure that handlooms and handicrafts are a viable and thriving profession.

We work with community heads, panchayats and artisans across regions to collaboratively build and grow more clusters.

We work with community heads, panchayats and artisans across regions to collaboratively build and grow more clusters.

Stories from the field

The Ladies aren’t Laapataa anymore - The Route to Happiness

The Power Of The Collective

Growing The Rural Startup

Rangsutra X Desi Oon Collaboration: A Journey of Innovation and Empowerment

The Chikankari Legacy: A Thread that Weaves Through History

Applique: An Enduring Craft

Gandhi Jayanti: Celebrating Sustainable Practices and Artistic Vision

Desert Embroideries: Threads of Tradition and Resilience

The Ladies aren’t Laapataa anymore - The Route to Happiness

The Power Of The Collective

Growing The Rural Startup

Rangsutra X Desi Oon Collaboration: A Journey of Innovation and Empowerment

The Chikankari Legacy: A Thread that Weaves Through History

Applique: An Enduring Craft

Gandhi Jayanti: Celebrating Sustainable Practices and Artistic Vision

Desert Embroideries: Threads of Tradition and Resilience

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