tribal Art and Crafts Mela Aadishilp Begins in the Capital

If you are fond of our Tribal handicrafts it is an occasion to meet the Tribal artisans and buy their products. The National Tribal Crafts Mela popularly known as ‘Aadishilp’ has begun in the capital. The mela has been organised by Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd. (TRIFED) and will continue up to 30th of this month at INA Delhi Hart. More than 100 tribal artisans from all over the country are showcasing the unique and exquisite tribal artefacts in 113 stalls in the Exhibition. Hand crafted items, handloom products, dry flowers, cane and bamboo products, tribal jewellery, Dhokra craft, tribal weaves and embroidery, tribal paintings and lot more are being presented by these artisans during this 11 daylong event. The main objective of organising Aadishilp is to give tribal artisans an opportunity to showcase and sell their traditional Art and Craft works directly to the customers and get their feedback which would help them in having valuable inputs. Aadishilp provides them a platform for direct interface with art and craft lovers, share their talent with the urban elite and know the customers taste and preferences for adapting their product designs and creations accordingly. TRIFED has been taking a number of promotional initiatives for marketing tribal products. From a single sales outlet set up in 1999 at New Delhi, today it has 36 outlets of its own and nine Consignment outlets across the country. TRIFED has also initiated the concept of sourcing tribal products by way of organizing Tribal Artisan Melas (TAMs) to identify new artisans and products from different regions where tribal artisans are invited to display their products for selection and inclusion in the range of products marketed by TRIFED. Design and quality inputs are given to the artisans wherever required for overall improvement and better marketing prospects of their products. TRIFED, under Ministry of Tribal Affairs, is the only apex body of Govt. of India which is engaged in the development and marketing of traditional tribal products including Metal craft, Paintings, Textiles, Jewellery, Natural/ Organic/ Herbal products etc. TRIFED’s main objective is to improve the livelihood of the tribal communities by creating a sustainable market and create business opportunities for them based on their cultural knowledge and traditional skills whilst ensuring fair and equitable remuneration for their products by organizing Tribal Crafts Mela. TRIFED also focuses on trainings for skill up gradation and capacity building of tribal artisans and Minor Forest Produce gatherers.