• Preserve the ancient Indian art forms

• Create Sustainable livelihood opportunities

• Empower women artists

• Promote a fair and equitable world for artisans

Every art form is unique and tells tales of the culture, traditions and belief systems of the region it originated in. Different versions of the art form also explains the story of human evolution. With rampant urban migration taking place in search of employment and livelihood, the traditional art forms are losing their glory. 

MITHILAsmita does all it takes to inspire the rural artisans to continue practising the art in its original form. This includes 

• • Promoting the art, domestically and globally, 
  • Creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for artisans, 
  • Engaging the governments, civil societies and corporates in the drive and,
  • Using technology to form a sustainable supply chain model.

“Every product at MITHILAsmita is hand-made. And, all the art workshops at MITHILAsmita are on a real-time basis to promote interactive learning engaging rural artists. Thus, at least one artist directly benefits financially every time we conduct a workshop or sell a hand-crafted product”.

As per a survey in 2015, 75% of rural India survives on INR 33 per day which is not even half a dollar. And, we must not be surprised if we discover that the rural artists do not even have certainty for this income. We realise that the artists will continue practising the traditional art and pass the baton to their youth only if they are assured a life of dignity through regular income and respect for their work.  

Through our partnerships with the governments, corporates, multi-lateral and bi-lateral institutions, we work towards creating better and sustainable economic opportunities for rural artisans. We also focus on giving them the due recognition so they can take pride in what they do.   

Traditionally, rural women have been practicing the various art forms of India. However, most of their work has either been unpaid or bought at throw-away-prices. The status of rural women in India has mostly been that of a second class citizen with no say in the major decisions of the family or even related to themselves. A large segment have also been subject to domestic abuse and ostracization if they are widows, single or separated. This is primarily because the men in the family tend to get the bread on the table and women are largely restricted as caregivers. 

The first step towards curbing such practices is to make women financially self-reliant. We work primarily with women to give them a regular source of income. We organise rural women artists into clusters and train them to create world class handmade merchandise. This enables them to be financially independent and get recognised while commanding respect in the society.

We work towards creating a direct channel between the artists and the buyers of the artwork to ensure they get their due. We educate artists on the various government schemes they can benefit from.

We also sensitize them on on the importance of becoming part of a global artisan network to learn about market demands and need for customisation of their products without altering the authentic style followed.