Inspired by Gandhi, this exhibition campaign aims to champion village industries and their wares

Artisans from different regions across India will offer handcrafted products for sale

Continuing the legacy of Gandhi's Tolstoy Farm established in 1910 in South Africa as a centre to practise self-reliance and sustainable living, Vaikunthbhai Mehta Research Centre for Decentralised Industries (VMRCDI) is hosting the first edition of Tolstoy Farm 2.0. The exhibition campaign offers an organised platform to empower artisans from decentralised industries across India. This includes selling art and craft products by artisans who function from local village set-ups, artisan-led workshops and live demonstrations to understand the labour that goes behind handmade products, book discussions, reading circles and expert-led talks.

Sanchita Das, member, VMRCDI and assistant professor, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), explains how the campaign will help move closer to its objective of forging an alternative economy and promoting self-sufficiency. She notes, "Our purpose is to not just maximise sales but to also connect people with the exhibition's broader ideology. We want to engage with visitors to [facilitate a refocus on] self-reliance, offer a chance to talk to the artisans and understand how they manage to continue engaging with their work and the challenges they face. We are establishing a rural-urban linkage in an effort to strengthen decentralised industries."

The ongoing exhibition that began on October 15, will continue till the end of this month, and is being held in collaboration with Yusuf Meherally Centre, TISSER Artisan Trust and researchers from TISS at VMRCDI, Navi Mumbai. Artisans from across India will showcase their wares; this includes weavers from Bihar selling Bhagalpuri silk, craftspersons from Lakhimpur, UP with products made with moonj grass, groups from Kutch, Gujarat offering jute bags with intricate cotton designs, and artisans from Chandrapur, Maharashtra with bamboo baskets and furniture, among others. You will get to interact with and buy from artists promoting and reviving art forms like Mithila art from Nepal, Pattachitra art from Odisha and West Bengal, Warli art, and block painting from Jaipur. Bihun Collective, a food network that prompts and works with women producer groups, will offer heirloom pickles, chutneys and snacks.

Sanchita Das and Dr GG Parikh

A few scheduled talks include a lecture by Abhijit Bansode on caste and livelihoods on October 22, and a talk by Parth Bapat on Smart Village: Understanding Natural Subsidies on October 28. VMRCDI is also planning a theatre performance on October 29, open mics and daily movie screenings; previously shown was Handmade in India: Kota Weaves.

The exhibition gives women producers a platform to display their wares

"VMRCDI is committed to researching about and promoting village-based and decentralised industries. This exhibition, while focusing on sales, also gives VMRCDI an opportunity to meet the producers of village industries, self-help groups and artisans. This helps the institution understand their problems, which will in turn help us prepare research projects," says Dr GG Parikh, 99-year-old Gandhian and trustee, VMRCDI. Das concludes, "From our observations of the event, we will come out with a report about the artisans, the challenges they face like reaching consumers and sustaining art forms with regard to technique and resources."

Till: October 30; 11 am to 9 pm
At: VMRCDI, Anushandhan Kendra, Sakal Bhavan Road, Sector 15, Navi Mumbai
Log on to: @vm_research_centre
Email: vmresearchcentre@gmail.com