Young Designers '13

Diploma Project

Ringal – Dwarf Bamboo Craft

Souvenir Product Development at Uttarakhand

Keywords

Uttarkhand
Tourist souvenirs
Social innovation
Bamboo craft

Student

Sanjeev Gupta

sanjugupta25@gmail.com

Guide

Shimul Mehta Vyas

shimul@nid.edu

Sponsor

Outreach Programmes, National Institute of Design

Synopsis

The design of souvenir articles with the artisans of Uttarakhand necessitated a sensible perceptive methodology of work: understanding the craftsmen’s skills and the appropriate treatment of bamboo as the basic raw material.

Intended for the growing tourist market in India, the products were aimed to be portable, aesthetically rich in appeal and less labour-intensive. Various explorations in traditional weaving techniques combined with design intervention resulted in the production of simple, elegant and yet contemporary artefacts. A value-addition system ensuring the artisans a steady means of livelihood was designed as a collateral benefit.