Capacity Building Initiatives

In Lalbazaar, the livelihood means of the Lodha community are not sufficient. They are not financially independent or secure thus has to face many social challenges in their personal life. Due to their previous identity as a criminal tribe, the people lead submissive lives away from the literate society. The challenge is to educate them in order to bring them out of their social positions. The class-caste barrier also needs to be shattered to facilitate opportunities for the community. These people majorly depend upon heavy agricultural works which are meagerly productive or economically beneficial. They do not have any exposure to the allied or non-farm sectors. Through art it is possible to initiate a dialogue or exchange. Through the weekly basic art training program and few mural projects, Chalchitra Academy has been successful to break the barrier. Women of the village have also been actively picking up the skill of Kantha embroidery. Couple of sewing machines has been gifted to the community, and basic workshops on tailoring have been conducted intermittently. Few product development brainstorming sessions have also taken place in the recent past. The idea is also to integrate their own traditional skills and knowledge with the other artistic forms, in order to create an avenue for a better future.  It is necessary to empower this community so that they can live with dignity and lead an economically independent and stable life. Chalchitra Academy’s effort has significantly contributed towards minimizing the gender gap, class exploitation by instilling a new self confidence.