Bhujodi
The vast sprawl of 45,674 km of Kutch houses a large number of craft clusters within. Bhujodi is one such hub close to Bhuj city that can be visited easily by travellers.
See detailsKala Raksha
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Kala Raksha was founded in 1993, keeping in mind participation and interest of artisans, community members, and experts in the fields of art, design and museums. In 2005, the education initiative of the Trust turned into Kala Raksha Vidhyalaya, the first institution of design for traditional artisans.
See detailsKhamir
Khamir was conceived after the devastating earthquake in Bhuj in 2001, where many lives were lost, and infrastructure was razed to the ground. This was a massive impediment in the lives of local artisans who live in the Kutch area. Prof Neelkanth Chhaya designed the Khamir Campus, Hunnarshala, using rammed earth technology
See detailsHiralaxmi Craft Park
The Hiralaxmi Craft Park opened its doors on December 18, 2005. It is the brainchild of Chetan Shah, Managing Director of Ashapura Group. The idea came about when a delegation of rural artisans was invited to the Ashapura guesthouse to demonstrate their craft. After his discussions with artisans, Shah realised that many of these valuable arts were breathing their last. Lack of an organised forum to exhibit, financial support and avenues to showcase their work was slowly choking the crafts of Kutch. Shah conceived the idea of Hiralaxmi Craft Park to support artisans and give them an atmospheric place to show their craft skills and earn a stable livelihood.
See detailsLiving and Learning Design Centre Crafts Museum
The Living and Learning Design Centre (LLDC) was established in 2016 by the Shrujan Trust to preserve, revitalise and promote the craft heritage of Kutch. Apart from the museum, the complex also houses a gallery, a library, three crafts studios and a café that serves local food. Shrujan is the brainchild of founder, Chanda Shroff who visited Dhaneti village in Kutch to help in drought relief work in 1969.
See detailsShrujan
Shrujan translates to 'creativity' from Sanskrit. It is a not-for-profit organisation that works with craftswomen in Kutch to reinvent and revitalise the ancient craft of hand embroidery from the region. In summer of 1969, Kutch was affected by drought for the fourth consecutive year, and the artisans of the region took a great hit on their livelihood. Founder of Shrujan, Chanda Shroff, was part of a relief team that had visited the village of Dhaneti to help run a free kitchen. Shroff was amazed to see that the village women refused to take charity. Shroff saw the underutilised scope of their ancient craft heritage and decided to set up a long-term sustainable project that would give them livelihood. Shrujan was born the same year.
See detailsNirona Rogan Painting
The art of rogan is unique to this small village in the middle of Kutch, but the trajectory of the craft can be traced back to Iran. The Khatri family of Nirona is originally from Iran; their forefathers arrived here more than 300 years ago. They fortunately continued with this art form and have infused life into it over eight generations.
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