Qasab Kutch Craftswomen

Dhebaria Rabari Embroidery Represents Ancient Cultural Ways

Qasab is a cooperative enterprise by 1500+ rural craftswomen from 11 ethnic communities spread across 65 villages in the arid interiors of Kutch who channel their traditional skills to sustain their craft and culture while ensuring dignified secondary income working from their homes. Designs originate from centuries-old traditions of pastoral communities.

Embroidery craft in Kutch was done by women for personal wear and adorning their homes with their beautiful creations. It was an important part of their wedding trousseau and an integral part of their cultural identity. Consecutive droughts in Kutch after the 1960s brought the embroideries to the outside world for the first time. Soon the craft became commercialized with women ending up as lowly paid job workers for middlemen and traders, as they did not have direct access to markets. In 1997, artisans of the KMVS collective organized themselves to extricate themselves from this vicious downward spiral of commercial exploitation. They formed self-sustaining producer groups to create and market their products under the name of Qasab (meaning craft skill) in Kutchi, leading to the formation of their own producer company in 2010.

The biggest challenge for the women has been to maintain their traditional art forms and balance them with a market, creating products that highlight their cultural identity, bring rightful and consistent income, and be connected with their art. Over the past 25 years, they have successfully found this balance; with the work being now appreciated by art and craft lovers the world over.