Yakjah Reconciliation and Development Network participated in an art and craft exhibition held by the All India Women Conference in New Delhi.

Yakjah Reconciliation and Development Network participated in an art and craft
exhibition held by the All India Women Conference in New Delhi. The exhibition is the
13th edition of an annual feature by AIWC to showcase local and traditional crafts made
by women artisans. The three-day exhibition from October 25-27 brought together
more than 100 women artisans, NGOs and entrepreneurs across the 19 states of India.
Yakjah is working with a diverse group of around 20 women practicing different
traditional crafts including Sozni, Aari and Bosohli miniature painting. The groups
include Dogri women from Basohli and Jammu, Kashmiri Pandit women from Jagti
camp in Jammu and Kashmiri Muslim women from Srinagar and Ganderbal in
Kashmir. The groups are Yakjah’s grassroots community partners in a Global
Challenges Research Fund project supported by the London School of Economics. The
women artisans were trained in design, product innovation, finishing, pricing, and
branding. The beautiful and eye-catching products that they created include terracotta
plates and mugs with Basholi miniature art on them. The themes, color combinations,
textures and finishing are unique. While they have continued to use the traditional
styling and techniques of the art and carry forward the legacy of the Dogra pahadi art,
they have innovated and created masterpieces inspired by Basohli thematic series. The
Pandit women who had to abandon their skills after migration picked up their cultural
connections and started to re-learn aari work. The cushion covers that they are
creating in contemporary designs using imaginative color combinations are a perfect
buy for home decor. The Kashmiri Muslim women are creating both modern and
traditional stoles. After being trained in design, they are becoming less and less
dependent on the local chapawala and gaining more control over their products. The
project is focussing on building women artisans’ resilience, self-identity and capacities
for re-claiming their agency.
The project is aimed to advocate and promote women-led development, sustainable
livelihood, and financial inclusion which is also G21 agenda and SDG 2030 goals 5 and
16.
Yakjah will also hold exhibitions in different cities including Jammu and Kashmir to
connect women artisans with different markets.