Himanshi Singh watched helplessly as Kamla, a master artisan with 25 years of leatherwork experience, was forced to walk barefoot back to her village a few years ago during the pandemic. Kamla had spent decades perfecting her craft, but now she had nothing-no income, support, or future. "If someone like Kamla can lose everything, what chance do others have?" Himanshi asked herself then.
Kamla had returned from Delhi to her village, Achrol, in Rajasthan. This question inspired Himanshi to build Bare Craft, a platform that uses AI as a tool and a lifeline for artisans like Kamla. Over 5,500 verified artisans are on the Bare Craft platform, each rooted in traditional crafts like block printing, Chikankari embroidery, and Kantha work.
"We wanted to solve problems like transparency in supply chains, fair wages, and sustainable production," Himanshi explains. The platform's AI matches the right artisans with suitable projects, making it easier for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to source high-quality crafts. Himanshi, the founding member of Bare Craft, works pro bono to support the platform's growth and market connections, while her mother, Kiran Singh, oversees its operations with the artisan communities.
This arrangement allows Himanshi to continue her professional work with other nonprofits. AI Meets Artisans One such artisan is Monu Saini, a block printing artisan based near Achrol in Rajasthan, who has dedicated over a decade to his craft. Through the Bare Craft initiativ.
