Kolkata, Sep 26 (UNI) Ahead of the festive season, Amazon.in today announced the launch
of a first-of-its- kind virtual ‘Handicrafts Mela’, showcasing over 55,000 unique products
across 270+ art and craft forms from various parts of the country.
Over 8 lakh artisans and weavers associated with 1500 Karigar sellers and 17 Government Emporiums including Tantuja, Harit Khadi, Tribes India and national level artisan organizations
like Craftmark & Dastkari Haat Samiti will benefit from this Mela.
The ‘Handicraft Mela’ will run from midnight of September 26 till October 10.
Amazon’s Handicrafts Mela will help customers discover and purchase products from
artisans and weavers from different parts of the country by visiting specific sections like
handloom zone, handicrafts home décor, kitchen items, handmade toys, handcrafted
festive collection and many more.
Customers can also discover unique products like Sambalpuri from Odisha, Banarasi
from UP, Bamboo and natural fibre crafts from north east, Dhokra craft from Chhattisgarh
among many more. During the lead up to festive season sales, customers can shop for
unique products available at Handicrafts Mela and get upto 50% off, an Amazon
spokesperson here said.
Pranav Bhasin, Director- MSME and Seller Experience at Amazon India said “Exhibitions
and melas have been the primary avenues through which Karigars have been able to reach
their customers. However, as these on ground events have been brought to a grinding
halt, the online marketplace has emerged as an avenue that these sellers can leverage to
reach customers across the country during the festive season.”
“Through a virtual Handicrafts Mela, Amazon India aims to generate consumer demand for
arts and crafts that reflect the cultural heritage of the country. Considering the success
witnessed by sellers through previous sale events and initiatives we rolled out, we’re optimistic
about the positive impact that Handicrafts Mela will have in the lives of lakhs of artisans and
weavers from across the country,” Bhasin said.
In its mission to bring all forms of Indian crafts online and expand the selection of products
made available to customers, Amazon India launched the Karigar program in 2016. Since
launch in 2016, Amazon.in has on-boarded more than 3000 master weavers, co-operatives,
artisans and government organizations under various Ministries like Textiles, Cottage Industries,
Tribal Welfare amongst others to sell online.
The Karigar program has made a difference in the lives of over 8 lakh individuals’ part of
artisan and weaver communities from over 22 states and union territories. Amazon.in has also partnered with 22 Government Emporiums and 5 Government bodies to showcase authentic
crafts to craft lovers and increase market connectivity. Today, Karigar store showcases over
60,000 products, including 270+ unique arts and crafts from over 20 states.
To aid in the revival of the businesses of these Karigars, Amazon India had announced the
10 week long ‘Stand for Handmade’ initiative in July 2020. The event proved to be a massive
success, nearly doubling the sales of Karigar sellers from across the country over the 10 week
period.
In addition to this, the initiative positively impacted over 10,000 artisans from Chhattisgarh,
whose businesses were revived through the sale of Bell Metal and Dhokra handicrafts. Over
5200 weavers from Bengal are now back to weaving exquisite weaves on their looms and
over 4500 Pochampally weavers from 56 villages of Telangana have recovered and were
able to resume their handloom weaving business.
UNI BM SJC