Politician and activist Jaya Jaitley is not one to mince words. The founder of Dastkari Haat Samiti says that a lot of unaccounted work is done in handmade sarees, jewellery, toys etc. “So it’s a shame that people bargain for a pot made by an Indian artisan; while paintings sell for lakhs. People say pots are just clay. Paintings are just canvas cloth and colours,” she says.
She adds, “However, Chennai has great customers. They never bargain. They are understanding and they respect the craftsmen. That’s why we are very happy to be back in Chennai after 10 years.”
Between January 30 and February 5, the campus of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Chennai will soon turn into a bazaar of mirages and miracles. After a decade, the famous Handcrafted Haat Crafts Bazaar filled with rows of hand-woven khadis, carefully designed rugs and numerous Ikat, Chanderi and Maheshwari sarees will now be available for the people of the city to peruse and shop.
Dastkari Haat Samiti started outside a Hanuman temple in Delhi. Usually, the streets adjacent to the temple have shops selling goods, especially bangles, flowers and sweets. “Vendors would come to the temple from their villages for only a day. On the rest of the days, the stalls would remain empty. I eventually managed to get the municipal committee to allot stalls for two days and I realized that it would not be viable for potters, for example, to keep their wares. After checking out village markets in north and eastern India, we came back and established Dilli Haat in 1986. It’s been 40 years since we ran the organisation,” she says.
In this edition in Chennai, one can expect Ajrakh block print, Ikat weave, Chanderi, Maheshwari, Jamdani, Banarasi weave, Bandhani, Patola and Gamcha weave. It will also have ornate carpets from Uttar Pradesh and Kashmir. Apart from this, there will also be chikankari, kantha, suf embroidery, crewel embroidery from Kashmir and clay-mirror work from Gujarat.
For those interested in exquisitely framed Indian paintings, handcrafted hand-painted Pattachitra, Pichwai (including the gold-leaf raised Pichwai of Rajasthan), Gond, Kalighat, Godna, Madhubani, Phad painting and Shaji art will be available.
In the market, one can also be entertained as Chhau dance artistes from West Bengal will take the stage. They also plan to serve traditional Rajasthani cuisine at the event.
Jaya says that in a world full of such interesting artistry, the use or misuse of Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems to be a matter of concern for her. “We are at a point where crafts in India are still getting the GI-tag. Sophisticated technology like AI not only promotes de-skilling, but also proves that carefully made art can be changed, replicated (albeit unfairly) and even sold. India should take a very advanced and strict step about regulating AI coming into the creative industries, into the creative arts, into creative crafts. We need a button “Entire livelihoods of other people should not be allowed to be destroyed in one click.” She says.
She says she is looking forward to seeing NIFT students engage with the artisans during the program.
Dastkari Haat Crafts Market is from 30th January to 5th February from 11.30 am to 7.30 pm at NIFT, Tharmani Complex. For details: @dastkarihaatsamiti on Instagram.
published – January 31, 2026 04:14 PM IST