In India, there is extremely high significance on food cooked by #mothers – “maa ke haath ka khana” (#maakehaathkakhana)… it is said, there is magic in the hands of mothers and no professional #cook can bring the magic in his food the way a mother can, and hence the importance placed on food cooked by mothers.

The same can be said about products made by artisans. It is the magic in the hands of #artisans that makes a product stand out – something that can’t be found in machine made products. The hands of the artisan give shape to what the artisans’ mind imagines and what his heart feels. Every #handmade product is a story of the feelings of the artisan – shaped into a product by the mind and given a form by the hands of the artisan. Such is the power of the feelings that it is said that an artisan who is at peace with himself creates a product that has the magic that can’t be replicated – translating into blessings for the buyer and the user of the product. It is for this reason the #rug manufacturing company @JaipurRugs boldly adopts the line “made with a family’s blessings” and rightfully so, the number of people involved in making the rug, and hence their families who are taken care of because of the employment of the artist, are indebted to the buyer of this rug .. and are all blessings for the buyer.

Handmade products generate #employment and are a source of livelihood for the artisan families. The products are #ethical and #moral. They are #ecofriendly and use resources available locally and most of these products also use #naturaldyes and #naturalcolors, thus doing their bit for the #environment.

Talking of the larger picture of employment, the #handicrafts sector is important for the Indian economy as it is one of the largest employment generators and accounts for a significant share in the country’s #exports. The Indian handicraft industry is fragmented with more than seven million regional artisans and more than 67,000 exporters/export houses promoting regional #art and #craftsmanship in domestic as well as #globalmarket. During 2017-2018, #handicraft exports from India reached US$ 3,555 million and is slated to grow further.

So each time you buy a product, check if it is handmade … cause each time you buy handmade, you are buying something that may be the only piece of its kind every made – may be promoting a skill which may be unique – may also be bringing smiles to several members of the artisans’ family and surely contributing to the #economy of this wonderful country called #India!

So when you buy, buy Handmade – after all it is #justbyhands!!