We were on a journey through the villages of the state of Kerala, India, to discover the soul of the land and enjoy the natural beauty that it abundantly has. A week into the journey, we discovered treasures that have the potential to enhance lives of many.
So, we set foot on a different journey with a mission, that has led us to the formation of Graamyam.
We admire art
We appreciate the talent behind good art
We respect the artisans skills and hard work
We support communities around talented artisans
We are Puthussery!
The pillar behind Graamyam
Traditional crafts were a product of a pleasant interaction between mankind and nature. Ancient communities worked around their homes with no pressure of deadlines, no planning and no command or orders to follow. They hand-crafted beautiful utilitarian artefacts out of their imagination. An object to suffice a daily chore; to pacify a need of faith; an artistic expression or just to hone the dexterity of a pair of hands. In many cases, these crafts became proof of existence of civilizations
Deep within its bowels, a craft holds dear the myths, legends, and faiths that lent it its form. These stories desperately need to be shared with the modern day audience. These stories not only help the society to appreciate the craft but also offer many a lessons about humble living. It’s the transfer of this value-system more important than the craft itself.
Handicrafts have gone through and survived many a storms at the hands of increased industrialization and overall paradigm shifts in the crafts’ production and consumption ecosystem. The global consumer now slowly wakes to the actual ecological price that the increasingly mechanized and plastic-addicted industries entail. They are more willing now than ever before to hear and pay heed to the tales of craft.
The Graamyam project was conceived to play the key role of storytelling, and to bring social and commercial benefits to the artisan communities. We desire to become the instrument though which the artisans can connect with the global audience. We desire to be the resource which helps craft sell not as objects but stories and ideologies. We are trying to make not just ‘sales’ but ‘dialogues’ between the craftsmen and their patrons, encouraging ‘co-creation’ possibilities and a collective growth. We are committed to keeping all the good practices intact and all processes humane, just and ecologically balanced.
We want to identify and recognise the talented artisan. We want to bring their face in front of the world
We have been working with different communities to understand their skills, culture, and wealth of knowledge. We work with them to help them adapt their products to modern day needs of the world, ensuring we do not disrupt their “crafting rhythm”. Our communities are culturally diverse and settled in different geographic locations, but their crafts do have many characteristics in common. These are the fundamental values we at Graamyam have learnt from the communities or we have collectively decided to follow. We want to ensure that we do not lose sight of these values in the work we do.
Every product of ours is handcrafted. From the artefacts to the artistry on it, our craftsmen breathe life into materials. Our products are not those replicated in multitude by a machine with engineering perfection, but they proudly display the unique character achieved through personal care and dedication of artisans.
We need to contemporise crafts to stay relevant in changing times. We keenly observe the lifestyle changes and help our artisans to craft items which are relevant to present period. Our products are about innovative designs that create a perfect blend of utility and beauty.
History tells us crafts emerged from an alliance between mankind and nature. That harmony was perfect. There were nothing in crafts that were harmful to nature. We continue the good old practice of producing crafts that can exist in harmony with nature. We take extra care to ensure that our processes, materials, designs and ideas portray a love for nature.
The world around us shows that utility and elegance can go hand in hand. Inspired by this, we strive to bring purpose and style into all our products. They look just as classy as they do good. Every product is thoughtful and intuitive.
Our crafts celebrate their roots. It recalls some forgotten stories and revives the art in it. It gives form to the elements drawn out of traditions. It learns from the wisdom of the past. From colour and texture to processes, we bring the wisdom and beauty of some of the forgotten past, back to life.
Every fusion, pattern, design and material we use is food safe. It’s safe to serve in, it’s safe to cook in (wherever it is not, we make sure to mention it). Our products fulfil their core purpose while retaining their beauty.
