Dastkar Nature Bazaar

Dastkar is one of India’s most celebrated and influential craft promotion organisations, a private not-for-profit society founded in 1981 in New Delhi by a group of six women including its current chairperson Laila Tyabji, who was awarded the Padma Shri in 2012 for her contributions to Indian craft and culture. Operating from its permanent home at the Kisan Haat Nature Bazaar venue at Andheria Modh near Chhatarpur, Dastkar has spent over four decades working to improve the economic status of Indian craftspeople, many of them women and village-based, by providing them with design training, market access, and direct connections to urban consumers. The Nature Bazaar hosts monthly themed craft fairs featuring over 100 artisan stalls with participants rotating to showcase craft heritage from all parts of India, including handloom weaves, block and natural dye prints, tribal Gond and Madhubani folk art, Dhokra and Bidri metalwork, handcrafted jewellery, organic and herbal products, and handwoven baskets and furniture. Between the bazaars, permanent stalls at Gali-E-Khaas provide year-round access to craft and textile products. Dastkar has worked with over 350 craft groups across India and is internationally recognised as a model of ethical, artisan-centred craft promotion.