Asha Handicrafts
ASHA in Sanskrit means "Hope", and Asha Handicrafts has brought hope into what was largely a "hopeless" situation for over 103 producer groups and 5,000 artisans throughout India.
Asha is an association of voluntary professional men who provide technical training, medical help, education, finance assistance and a marketing outlet for marginalised Indian craftspeople. From carpet makers and papier mache workers of Kashmir, to leather workers of Calcutta, to women artisans doing Kalamkari printing in Andhra Pradesh, to tribal Gujarati women doing their ethnic embroidery, to wood workers, brass workers, weavers, silversmiths and rural blacksmiths, Asha's work has encouraged the growth and development of cottage industries, assisting once impoverished artisans towards self sufficiency.
Madanlal Sharma is a wood carver who worked with one of Asha's producer groups in Jaipur, carving wooden Christmas decorations and nativity sets. Madanlal was born in Sirsi village in Rajasthan in a family of farm labourers. He learned his craft early by apprenticing with his father, who taught him the basics of woodwork.
In 1980 he and his wife and small children migrated to Jaipur in search of employment, and began work with Asha's producer group there. With regular work and perseverance, he prospered over the years, and was able to build his own house, see his children study up to high school graduation, and build a workshop where about 10 artisans worked with him. Madanlal has now retired and has handed over the operation to his eldest son Ramesh who oversees the workshop with his younger brothers.
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