Workshop

Ambalika has organised several design and development workshop assisted by NIFT designers who stayed in the remote villages for one month, assimilated with the craftspersons, and expose them to modern designs in order to bring out their inherent skill. Besides, the workshop had other objectives too-

To protect and preserve the traditional handicrafts of the primitive tribes-

For many generations the primitive tribes have been making many products of bamboo, palm leaf, kanshigrass, brass, etc. but they could never command a good price due to lack of modern design element, as a result, many young people of the tribe have turned away from their traditional crafts and have been taking to illegal activities, such as felling of trees. This in turn has brought the lanuishing craft of the primitive tribes on the verge of extinction. To market and establish a presence of handicrafts of these primitive tribes at national and international levels. Traditionally tribal craftspersons used to make only a small number of items in limited quantity. Their efficiency was abysmally low. A single hat made of palm leaf used to take as many as four days to be made. The eco-friendly products of shabar and other primitive tribes were sent to foreign countries and they attracted good deal of attention and interest. A few orders followed but could not be fufilled due to professional efficiency reasons (of the tribes). This led to the Design and Development Workshop with a view to improve their efficiency levels and marketing their products in India and abroad.

To check illegal deforestation and protect environment-

Primitive tribes live in thatched houses of palm leaves on hill top and in the midst of forest. Hunting and illegal cutting of forest trees comes naturally to them, and they consider it as their birthright. Such illegal acts resulted more from hunger abject poverty rathervthan a willful violation of the law of the land. These ignorant and naive primitive tribes become convenient victims in the hands of mafiosi, which exploit them for plundering the forest wealth forcing serious threat to environment. The design and development workshop hope to enable them to earn enough money thorough their newly found skills.

To develop eco-friendly products from palm leaves and kanshi grass as alternative to environmentally hazardous plastic products. Natural resources like palm leaves, kanshi grass, bamboo are available in abundance for free or at a very small price- were used as raw materials for making all the prototypes. These products reflect an ethereal beauty and are vey cost-effective as well. Needless to say that marketing and adoption of these products will go a long way in checking environmental degradation caused by plastic goods.