Learning to be owners

SUMITA GHOSE

I once came across a saying which went “women usually work on changing themselves, whereas men are all about changing the world.”

I differ. I believe that everyone, irrespective of gender, who is part of a family, community, organization or society, needs to work on changing both, starting from themselves if we want to create and live in a better world.

Rangsutra was founded on this belief. If we were to establish a viable, thriving organization that kept people, artisans, creators, at the centre, then it would be imperative to not only survive, remain independent, and grow as an organization, but thrive in the world outside — that is, the marketplace.

This requires transformation in many aspects of the dominant market-driven model of doing business.

Let’s look at the base first, which in economics and business is called the ‘supply side’. The first transformation that was required was to move from being beneficiaries or workers to becoming owners.

This was relatively easy in and around Bikaner where the URMUL Trust had worked since 1986. Trust and relationships had been built. As a result, we could mobilize and organize farmers and artisans, women and men, to form their own work groups and organizations.

But when we moved to new areas there was a lot of groundwork to be done. It took much more time because we were beginning work there and people had to get to know us. It was important to invest in forging bonds and building deeper relationships. Without doing this we ran the risk of being reduced to the usual transactional way of working. 

Today we have around 2,200 artisans, mostly women, committed to the organization and owning it in different ways. And then there are another 1,000 across different states of the country who are not shareholders but with whom we continue to work, developing new products and linking them to the market.

The second transformation had to be in finding the right balance between rights and responsibilities. Each worker or artisan who is a shareholder in Rangsutra has the right to get work, access to raw material, a conducive working environment as well as equal and fair wages. Artisans have to balance their rights with the responsibility of being accountable for the quality and timely delivery of their work. And contribute to a conducive working environment.

Most artisans, who were used to embroidering motifs and patterns to embellish tray cloths and decorative items for family and friends, now had to make motifs and patterns deriving from what we felt contemporary urban customers wanted from the market. Initially we were concerned that this might mean taking away their creativity, but we need not have worried. All the artisans were happy to experiment with new designs, and repeat them on 10 or more different pieces. Repetition leads to practice. This trajectory improved the quality of their work, and for many it proved to be easier than picking up a new design each time.

Rangsutra has also been able to create lasting partnerships with a few market partners who understand and respect our social goals. It is a challenge to ensure a ‘win-win’ for both sides. Especially since this is not a level playing field, between those who live and work in villages and create products by hand and those who market and sell such products in towns and cities in India and around the world.

Another challenge is the intense competition in the so-called handicrafts market — a lot of which is not really hand-made. Most of the garment manufacturing units we compete with are based on the peripheries of cities, with a large population of migrants looking for work, even if the hours are long and the pay just enough to eke out a living in the city. 

Balancing the social, economic and financial goals of a social enterprise remains an eternal challenge. In some cases, we have forgone our margins in the interests of ensuring work and fair wages to artisans. At other times, we have had to say no to an order because it does not make any sense for us to accept it. Thankfully, for the most part, we have been able to convince our customers of the inherent value — tangible and intangible — of the beautiful pieces handcrafted by our artisans and our team.

Entrepreneurial ventures are risky, and more so if one is trying to match seemingly contradictory goals, that of running a profitable enterprise, ensuring social inclusion, and making certain that the producers get their fair share of the value that they have been part of creating.

The risk is more acute when played out in the ephemeral world of fashion and the ruthless arena of the market!

So, every once in a while, we are forced to ask ourselves this question: Can one really ‘do business’ in an intensely competitive market, and ‘do good’ at the same time?  Can it be a win-win for all, when the field is not level to start with? Is it possible to ensure a fair deal for the artisans,  do no harm to the environment and still be profitable in order to grow and not stagnate at the same time? Or is this an oxymoron in the intense capitalistic world we live in?

While social bonds, cultural ties and collective action can certainly be valued, respected and accounted for, can these be capitalized without losing their essence? The jury is still out on this one!

 Sumita Ghose is founder-director of Rangsutra Crafts