Exploring weaving in different communities
Kanistha Kujur is a Textile Designer currently located in Sikkim. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Textile Design from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. Her internships were with enterprises like Welspun Group, Mumbai and KSR Handlooms, Chirala, Andhra Pradesh. Currently she is working with Echostream based in Sikkim.
The choice of Textile Design came from her familiarity with textiles, witnessing her mother knit and crochet as well as her own practice. Design, in her opinion, has long been reserved for the privileged as they have access to knowledge and tools to practise and propagate it and has the power to bring about change in various sectors in various ways. As a designer, Kanistha feels obligated to bring about a change.
Most memorable assignments of Kanistha include a craft documentation project in Khunti, Jharkhand where she worked with a weaving co-operative which helped her understand the history and origin of crafts. Her graduation project was about creating a new brand for a B2B company. She worked with Etsy India on a freelance basis where she assisted small scale sellers with branding and displaying their products on the online platform. Presently, Kanishtha is working with Echostream with weaving communities of rural Sikkim.
She wishes to make handlooms affordable for the common population which unfortunately now have been restricted to elite class due to high prices. Handloom, in its true sense, she believes will be promoted when it finds a place in everyone’s lives.
Her long term vision is to be associated with a craft enterprise associated with a social sector. Wishes to pursue a Master’s degree in allied field through which she can be accustomed to the reality of present times and is able to utilise her design knowledge substantially. Design for social change can be used as a tool to bridge the disparities in development for indigenous communities. The background and history of indigenous people is crucial to work with craft so as to bring a positive change.