Reviving Dying Crafts of Channapatna - Karthik Vaidyanathan.

Tucked away in the cozy natural environs in a basement in Indra Nagar in Bengaluru, aesthetically done Varnam - the creative outlet of Founder, Karthik Vaidyanathan, is silently making waves and redefining Indian crafts revival. Varnam happened quite by chance four years ago, informs Karthik for whom traditional Indian crafts revival is more than just a passion. Karthik was pursuing his regular job as a communications professional but the creative bug and the desire to do something related to arts and crafts was itching all the time. To satiate his craving, he approached Fab India and offered his services pro bono to be part of their project on Channapatna toys. Karthik shares “ I had a regular job and could not take up another job which paid me, so I told Fab India that I could work pro bono as arts and crafts was my passion and reviving them, a dream. However, the pace was too slow for a restless person like me and I decided to venture out on my own and the seed of Varnam was thus sown”.

For months, Karthik spent his weekends in Channapatna, a small town located 60 kms to the South of Bengaluru, (which is known for its traditional wooden toys and doll) developing and designing products and training local craftsmen. Karthik says ” When I started meeting the craftsmen, in the beginning none of them took me seriously and thought I would order a couple of things and then disappear. They had experienced far too many designers visiting them but not taking their skill further after a point. Initially, I would design the products and buy them outright just to gain their trust. Slowly, the relationship developed and they started believing that I was not one of the fly by night designers but was serious about working with them. I also made a conscious choice to employ and empower women and at one point in time, we had only women artisans though now with the increase in production, we have male artisans too. But women’s empowerment is something we still give priority to”.

Karthik had previously held an exhibition of home furnishings which was a compete sell out and had customers asking for more. When he readied his first Channapatna product range, he created a Facebook page and even that sold out quickly. He then opened a by-appointment studio at his residence and started supplying to two stores in Bengaluru which has now increased to 14 stores across India. Karthik says “ I was and am not in a hurry to do a million dollar business. I take each day as it comes. We are a social enterprise and by reason of my penchant for crafts, I started designing and exploring the possibility of doing new things with the craftsmen of Channapatna. I am a lover of traditional Indian arts and crafts but sadly, most of them are dying. I wanted to play a role in their revival, regardless of how small my role was. I know that as an individual, there is only so much I can do and the craft itself cannot be revived by me alone. I also understood that these craftsmen were abandoning their craft for more lucrative options. Unless I created sustainable livelihoods for them, there was no way they would have been interested. Like everyone, they also wanted to and have a right to earn well”. Varnam now works with 4 groups in Channapatna and 2 of these work exclusively for them. The flagship store in Bengaluru opened in 2014. Varnam is featured amongst the top 13 places to shop in Bengaluru on Tripadvisor. More than half their customers are foreigners. Exports feature high in their future plans agenda.

Karthik has no professional qualification in product design and is a Computer Engineer and works for ACT Television. He adds ” At first, I thought it was a disadvantage that I was not professionally qualified but now I think it is actually a blessing as I am not constrained by the baggage of knowing it all and also as an engineer, my brain is wired to sketch designs and know the challenges of implementation. I have had interns from the best design schools who can design on the computer but cannot visualise the problems associated with their implementation. I am a hands-on person and sit with the craftsmen during the manufacturing process, I blend my creativity with my common sense and engineering background to create my product range".

Varnam is also known for its unique packaging ideas and quirky product range. Karthik says “ The best selling product range have been a customer’s idea that I chose to take forward. Like the kitchen towel collection was a suggestion by a customer. It is always a sell out at whichever place I exhibit. Similarly even the piggy bank range was a random suggestion. Karthik has innovated and given a new twist to the Channapatna toys and created pieces of utilitarian art with his products. ” We need to keep adding to our product range and innovating to keep the interest alive and of course, most importantly to keep the craft alive". From ice-cream scoops, door stoppers, mouse hangers, lamps, stationery holders, wine bottle holders, door knobs, honey dippers, the range is eclectic and combines tradition with the modern. Varnam reorients the craft to the modern context and ensures its relevance in today’s times. For instance, Varnam’s range of quirky and functional tableware, the OINKSTONS is inspired from the classic piggy bank toy. At first glance, the range looks like a set of toys. However a closer look reveals a salt & pepper shaker, a coaster set and toothpick-napkin ring holders.

Karthik has won many awards including the Kyoorius Blue Elephant Design Award for packaging design and craft design, and the CII Design Excellence Award for industrial design (home products). In 2014, he received the CII Design Excellence Award for visual communication and packaging and last year, Varnam was amongst the top “10 craft design studios in the country” list created by POOL design magazine. Karthik was one of six Indian designers picked by Create Culture, a London based company to be part of the curated show, ‘INfluence’, which was a museum-quality exhibition of the Indian design platform of Create Culture. Arpna Gupta of Create Culture chose Karthik to display his range during the London Design Festival in September 2015. The design studios chosen represented the next generation of Indian designers who work with local craftsmen and preserve centuries old traditions and skills. Karthik modestly adds “Honestly I don’t think I have created anything exceptionally spectacular though I am grateful for the awards and the love our customers have showered on our products. I did not set out to win awards, or even set up a store or be the number one. I was merely driven to follow my love for crafts and their revival and thanks to my regular job, I don’t need to do this for money but work on my own terms”.

“I would love to see not just Channapatna crafts but each and every craft and art of our country which is so richly blessed with such a colorful heritage and culture to be revived. Varnam (which means colour in Tamil) is just a speck in this colourful dust that we as a country are enveloped in".

Images Courtesy : Varnam, Colours for your home.