"ONLINE AND OFFLINE MARKETING THROUGH UMSAS PLATFORM"

ADDRESSING MEETING OF TIKULI ARTISTS AT GAIGHAT MAHALLA. JULY 13, 2018; SATURDAY

The agenda was "ONLINE AND OFFLINE MARKETING THROUGH UMSAS PLATFORM"

The Upendra Maharathi Shilpa Anusandhan Sansthan (UMSAS) is in a big-way, venturing for the online and offline marketing of Handicraft products.

The stage has been set for the overall development of the Handicrafts Development of Bihar along with the centrally sponsored IDPH Project, which has extended the development of 11 crafts in 15 clusters across 10 districts of Bihar under the overall guidance of UMSAS; and they include the following: -

Eleven crafts - Applique, Sujni, Tikuli, Wood Craft, Stone Craft, Manjusha, Terra Cotta, Sikki, Madhubani Painting, Bamboo and Jute.

Fifteen Clusters - Arrah, Sutihar (Daryapur), Nasriganj (Danapur), Bhusra (Gaighat), Gaya, Patthatkati, Bhagalpur, Maulaganj, Mangrauni, Rampur, Raiyam, Jitwarpur, Chandpur Dhamaun (Shahpur Patori) and Katihar.

Ten Districts - Bhojpur, Saran, Patna, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Bhagalpur and Katihar.

Along with the Three-Month Training programme of Semi-skilled artisans and Designed Development Programme; the next happening thing in Bihar is the making of 15 Common Facility Centres (CFCs) in all 15 clusters across Bihar with four clusters (two Sikki, one each of Madhubani Painting and Terra Cotta respectively) at Madhubani district, two each in Patna and Gaya districts respectively. The UMSAS will be distributing Tool Kits to 10,000 artisans across 11 crafts.

UMSAS is venturing in forming about 101 Self Help Groups (SHG) in Bihar, through whom Producer Group and its Committee will be formed, who will market the handicraft product and will look after the functioning of CFCs and marketing of products of respective crafts.

Presently, UMSAS has tied up with AMAZON to market handicraft products and has uploaded more than 80 products. As a result, the online orders and its marketing have been initiated and it is looked after by professional hands.

The on-line marketing and offline initiative by UMSAS will give artisans of Bihar, a great platform, to sell their products, with proper remuneration.

Bihar is having Geographical Indication (GI) Registration in four products Sikki, Sujni, Khatwa Applique and Madhubani Painting; but all of the four need renewal of GI. Since the GI of Madhubani Painting was done by the Department of Industries (Govt. of Bihar); UMSAS has taken the initiative to renew it. The renewal for the other three GIs is to be done by the Office of the D.C. (Handicrafts) as they were the parties in having the GI.

UMSAS has taken steps to get the NEW GI of Tikuli and Manjusha craft.

This time, the initiative for the registration and GI tagging in the products of the artisans are one the biggest challenge, otherwise the original artisans of Madhubani Painting, Tikuli or Manjusha painting will be deprived off the marketing benefit of their produce.

TIKULI ARTISTS of PATNA

The Tikuli artists of Patna are generally concentrated in around Danapur and Digha Area (about 150), as the Tikuli Cluster has come up in the Nasriganj Mahalla of Danapur, where several SHGs have been formed. The leading Tikuli Artist of Patna and Bihar is Ashok Kumar Biswas and other master artisans are mostly his disciples.

There are about 60 artisans in Gai Ghat area under Alamganj PS; who are working/students under Madam Geetanjali, a disciple of Ashok Kumar Biswas and also successful entrepreneur on her own merit. The meeting of Tikuli artists were organised at premise of 'Ethnic Fashion World under the initiative Madam Geetanjali. There can be formation of 3 SHGs of Tikuli artisans in Gaighat area.

The Tikuli artisans had given a patience hearing but also requested for regular meeting in Gaighat area as it is difficult for them to move to Danapur, every time, to attend the meeting at Nasriganj CFC!