Dastkar Ranthambhore

Dastkar Ranthambhore

The Ranthambhore National Park-one of the finest natural tiger habitats in the world. However, the creation of this sanctuary came at the price of displacing several villages that were in this region. Not only did the people now need guidance on how to resettle, they also needed an alternate way of surviving as now they had lost all their farm lands and other means of livelihood. In Spring of 1989, the Ranthambhore Foundation invited Dastkar to set up an organisation that would utilise the unique talents of the displaced villagers, especially women, and thus generate income for this region. What started out in a tiny room in the Sherpur village, has now become a 1 crore organization that has provided new means of livelihoods to these villages. With Dastkar, traditional craftsmanship is being adapted to changing trends in order to ensure their continuing existence and sustainability. Moreover, several people have gained financial independence which has enabled them to live better and more prosperous lives than they had ever imagined. Though we started out with the visions of providing economic opportunities to the artisans in the area by collaborating with them and producing works of art, we have now got additional goals and missions that drive us in everything we do.