How A Small Cup Of Tea Led Me To Build A Marketplace For Indian Artisans

As a child, I always aspired to be an entrepreneur for the betterment of all. When I set foot on this journey, it wasn’t easy, but it was far from painful—it has been the most enriching experience. I left my cushy and exciting job in an online media start-up as the Director of Operations to join the SBI Youth for India Fellowship and start my journey as an entrepreneur. Among thousands of applications, I found my name shortlisted, and with excitement in my heart at the age of 21, I left home with a small bag and big dreams for the village of Shamgahan, in the tribal district of Dang, Gujarat.

Moving to a mud house in a small tribal village in the Western Ghats, I carried the motivation, hopes, and dreams of transforming lives. However, soon after my arrival, reality hit hard. My skills and knowledge felt useless in making the impact I so passionately desired. Efforts to motivate women to take up stitching and engage in food packaging fell flat. Desperate and disheartened, I called my mentor. He listened quietly. 

Over the next few months, I embarked on a profound of unlearning and relearning. I immersed myself in rural life, I spent time with every household, visited the government school, interacted with teachers and students, worked in farms, and travelled in public, overfull jeeps. During these times, the community bonded over Dangi lemongrass tea, a simple yet extraordinary brew that warmed my soul and broke the ice between me and the village folk. These tea conversations and my immersion became a turning point. I began to see the people behind the needs. I realized who genuinely wanted help and who was ready to take action. 

After living with the community for a year and starting a few enterprises, I moved to my next village in Rajasthan to work with Hatheli Sansthan for three months. Living with the community, I optimised operations for this craft-based non-profit, working with over 500 artisans and empowering women.

My journey then took me to the barren mountains of Ladakh for the next year. Here, I learned the challenges of running unorganized remote craft businesses and of craftsmen and artisans living in the cold deserts of Ladakh. This talent-rich region kept me on my feet, and even in the chills of -7 degrees, we brainstormed and worked to save and enhance the homes run by the riches of pashmina and wool craft.

My journey to founding Haati

Ladakh also gave me time to assess all my learnings. In one of Ladakh's monasteries, I decided to build a bridge between the consumer needs of urban India and the creations made in rural India, calling this platform Haati. Haati comes from the Bengali word "Haat," meaning marketplace, and also resonates with "Haath," the Hindi word for hand. I started alone but eventually built a team of four and worked with hundreds of artisans.

Currently, our model allows multiple entrepreneurs in the space to be associated with us. As a channel, we assist them in:

• Sales
• Knowledge and capacity building of artisans and their central teams
• In this journey, we have been assisted by Saahii Ventures, received the SBI Sahyog grant, and were recently awarded a scholarship from Bevisioneers, a Mercedes Benz Fellowship. We are also recognized by Startup India.

Over the past few years, we have worked with various materials, diversified into many products, and developed expertise in shells, handblock, bamboo, pottery, copper and many more. 

Haati's vision is to enhance our expertise in these materials and bring authentic, sustainable products to the market at affordable prices. We aim to protect artisans from exploitation and ensure their personal development. The spirit of collaboration and transparency bonds Haati and its partners.

This article is in collaboration with SBI Foundation Youth For India. Views expressed by the author are their own.