Rare India Partners with India Craft Week 2021, to be Held at New Delhi From February 18 to 21

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Industry Watch | February 17, 2021 | News

India Craft Week 2021 Craft Village Rare India Rare India

In order to give exposure to craft communities post the pandemic, Craft Village has partnered with Rare India, a community of some of the best conscious luxury hotels and experiences in India, for the third chapter of the India Craft Week (ICW). With this partnership, Rare India aims to bring into the limelight the craft and textile heritage and traditions of various States of India through curated tours to small towns and villages where these crafts and textiles are hand-made.         

ICW 2021 will be held in partnership with the British Council, India from February 18 to 21 at the British Council building and Bikaner House in New Delhi.

In addition to the exhibits, cross-talks, workshops, installations and craft cinema, visitors attending ICW 2021 will also get an opportunity to get an in-depth understanding of the craft tours curated by Rare India to various destinations in West Bengal, Rajasthan, Kutch, Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh.

Vision for India Craft Week 2021

Iti Tyagi, Founder of India Craft Week said, “This year is very special as artisans and craftspersons have gone through a massive phase of distress. It is heartening to see that after one year of the pandemic, these cultural ambassadors of crafts would be joining us from all over India. This is the largest delegation at a Craft Week so far and these artisans will be gathering anywhere for the first time to showcase the grandeur of India’s vast traditions and culture. The initiative is to help revive their homes and hopes and connect with communities that appreciate and patronize them. I am hopeful that people would not only extend their hands, but hearts too. ICW 2021 brings the core theme as ‘Crafting Tomorrow’ by bringing everyone together who can help the craft sector revive and bounce back.”

Partnership with the Craft Village for ICW 2021

Shoba Mohan, Founder, Rare India said, “It is no surprise that our country is a goldmine of textile and craft traditions. What Iti and Somesh Tyagi have tried to achieve through India Craft Week is exemplary and the synergy is evident between showcasing the crafts and creating tours to see them in their workshops and homes. While every citizen of India will understand and recognise this wealth of craft traditions, ICW will ensure its continuity. We have been associated with ICW since its inception in 2018 and will continue to support Craft Village.”

“When we speak of the cultural heritage that India possesses, more often than not, we find ourselves picturing massive forts that have been an inherent part of our visual understanding of heritage for a long time. But as much as these tangible sources of cultural heritage narrate tales of the land and its people, several layers of culture remain hidden in the intangible aspects of life that eventually complete the picture of culture in totality. Art, craft, textile, food, festivals and folklore speak volumes about the ways of life practised by people of a particular region and over the years, all the hotels in the Rare India community have contributed significantly towards the conservation and promotion of these intangible elements of our culture,” Mohan added.

ICW is the brainchild of Nari Shakti Puraskar awardee Iti Tyagi, a woman entrepreneur who has dedicated her life for upliftment of the craft sector through revival and image building, constantly creating and engaging with communities for sustainable employment and dignity of life and recognition of their skills. Hailed as India’s official and the second largest craft week in the world after its international counterpart, the London Craft Week, the showcase this year brings a community of over 100 craftspersons, artisans, craft brands, museums, organizations and figureheads while embracing multiple artistic genres.

Through its curated experiences, ICW envisions to formulate a harmonious ecosystem of craft and the people who make it, connecting them with national and global opportunities.