Follow Your Impulse

"Discontinuities in art traditions are common in history and especially threatening to the the crafts in small cultures when the traditional means of transmitting skills from one generation falls into disuse. It is at this point when schools have to provide the means for continuity. At the same time such schools must make it possible for young artists to be able to participate in the global aesthetic driven by technological innovations in the arts". Hans Guggenheim


Hasina Kharbhih who is from the Khasi tribe is working with 3000 women artisans in eight north eastern states through the social enterprisewww.impulsepower.com. Each tribe weave their textile traditional pattern and each tribe has a story. For instance Hasina`s social enterprise supports such as artisan tribe such as The Karbi: http://impulsempower.com/partner-tribes/india/karb... The Karbi are known for their folk-tales, love for dance and music.
The Karbi women are expert weavers and they wear home-made, artistically designed clothes. They are famous for distinctive texture, designs and conspicuous colours. The Karbi women and girls are very fond of their traditional dresses and they have been using them even in the face of a strong competition of modern trends. 
Hasina founded Impulse Social Enterprise, a Shillong-based firm, which has given the local women’s products the brand name “Empower”. Hasina's social enterprise is collaborating with boutiques so that these handmade crafts are promoted outside the region. Future plans are to grown the enterprise so that there are 5,000-plus rural women artisans that will be part of this initiative. This ensures women weavers and crafts people to be employed and when their products are sold the revenue goes back to the weavers and artisans.
Being run by Hasina, she understands how this is not just about the women's livelihood, it is about sustaining their history in a contemporary and innovative way. Layered with contemporary design, modern production technology women are able to actively contribute to the growing eco-system and continue their traditions, whilst not being stuck in the past, they are evolving their own future.
Being able to document these women through this project and the online exhibition that will be done with innovative interactive technology, people around the world will be able to understand how resources within source communities can be mobilised so that there can be greater sustainability within people`s locale without having submerge too much into a perhaps unwanted dominant external pressure, but it is important to note that Impulse Social Enterprise embraces the new so that, just as Guggenheim mentioned, these artisans can participate in the global aesthetic driven by technological innovations in the arts.
Furthermore, Impulse NGO Network led by Hasina is not just rescuing countless victims and fighting traffickers across the eight states of the north east, but also created awareness and support groups around the issue and its causes.
Impulse NGO Network continues to create awareness and fight the issue of human trafficking, ISE focuses on generating sustainable livelihoods, which are in turn to help prevent unsafe migration and let locals live with dignity and financial security.
Through this project both these initiatives will be documented and disseminated so that it will enable other communities and women to be inspired to create their own sustainable ways of living be it through arts and crafts or other resources whilst mitigating other unsafe circumstances that women may be exposed to within their particular locales.
This blog post originally appeared here
Please support this project that will enable a wider audience to learn about these arts and crafts methods through new technology; perhaps develop their own projects and to understand about women's empowerment: https://gogetfunding.com/khasi-women-wisdom

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