Anant Centre for Documentation and Development of Crafts documents, supports, nurtures and disseminates knowledge of crafts and traditional systems. India’s vast geography, diverse culture and subcultures present varied vernacular design narratives and traditional knowledge systems, many of which are languishing. ACDC seeks to revive these languishing crafts through design innovation, education, training and documentation of vernacular systems.
ACDC also focuses on
To put its mission and vision to fruition, ACDC has three constituents:
Indian Designs and Innovative Crafts (INDIC) Centre
INDIC is responsible for offering workshops and academic programmes on crafts for Anant students through dedicated studios. These studios will document the craft’s history, methodology and economic dimensions while aiding student and faculty learning.
ANUSHILP
ANUSHILP is a consultancy-oriented programme aimed at training in various crafts, enabling artisans to earn a livelihood and offering consultancy to other bodies to help with skill empowerment.
Handmade@Anant
Handmade@Anant, a pop-up store, showcases the artefacts developed by Anant students, staff, faculty and artisans in residence. Through this store, Anant seeks to instil appreciation for artisanal skills and techniques and encourage students and artisans to craft wonders together. It ensures that the tapestry of Indian heritage remains vibrantly alive. The pop-up store also brings together ideas, masterful craftsmanship and cultural influences that mirror the heritage of India’s vibrant art and design tradition.
ACDC, in association with the Department of Academic Affairs and Centre for Visual Arts, hosted Ms Shamjetshabam Kamala Devi, a black pottery master artisan, entrepreneur, and community leader from Manipur in February 2025. Kamala Devi from Thongjao village is renowned for dedicating her life to preserving and promoting the traditional black pottery exclusive to Manipur.
Regarded as a leader of climate resilience through craft, Kamala Devi led a 15-day black pottery workshop at Anant, teaching students this rare art form known for its distinct features, unique patterns, and sustainable nature. In turn, ACDC and Anant supported Kamala Devi in contemporising her black pottery products and making them more aligned to modern market needs.
Jamini Payeng, a traditional weaver and activist from Majuli, Assam, has been dedicated to preserving and promoting the vanishing art of traditional weaving within her community. In December 2024, ACDC visited Majuli to document these endangered crafts and support Jamini in her efforts to revive them.
In February 2025, Anant invited Jamini to the WITH Festival, held on the 21st and 22nd at the Anant campus. During her visit, she conducted a workshop on the traditional crafts of the Mising community, sharing her skills with Anant students. Through this hands-on workshop, students explored and learned the intricate weaving techniques and designs unique to Mising artisans.
This initiative, led by ACDC, connected Jamini with a global network of artists, scholars, and practitioners working on Indigenous knowledge systems and practices. It also provided her with a platform to showcase her craft to a wider audience, taking her community’s artistry to new horizons.
ACDC team met the weavers of Kahawaibhuruka, Jariguri, and Pokonia, Mising villages in the Nowboicha district, Assam, in August-September 2024 and documented their traditional weaving techniques, their traditions, and expected government support.
Most families, especially women, of these isolated villages are traditional weavers who have been practising this age-old craft for centuries. The knowledge and skills are passed through generations. The weavers produce stoles, waistcoats, tablecloths, bags, and garments made of Eri silk, Muga, and cotton using simple handlooms. The weavers use bright colours and traditional motifs in their weaving, telling stories inspired by nature, folk arts, and the life they live.
Shital Paati, or cool mat, is a traditional mat-making process of plaiting an indigenous reed locally known as Murtha – a lemon-coloured reed with waxy leaves. This mat was traditionally made by men and women in a wide variety of patterns and sizes to supplement the income from agriculture. They are pliable and easy to fold and store, and they are used as floor spreads for sleeping and eating meals and as prayer mats in shrines. The people involved in this craft believe that the roots of this craft go back to ancient times when sages used these mats to sit and meditate.
Over the years, this laborious and time-intensive process of mat-making took a hit. Due to a lack of proper infrastructure, market-readiness, and collaboration with the outside world, this craft is now facing survival issues.
ACDC visited the villages of Ratanpur, Rahimpur, Baleswar, and others in the Kaliganj area of Assam in January 2024 to bring this art form into the mainstream and provide support by documenting its roots, processes, and artist stories and finding support from organisations working on promoting and preserving such traditional art forms.