For Master Weavers of Western Odisha, IIM Sambalpur organised the second edition of a 12-day weekend certificate programme dubbed the 'Small Business Management Training Programme' in collaboration with SIDBI to transform and promote business while maintaining culture and tradition.
The course, run by the Centre for Responsible Business, focuses on several topics, including operation, design, digital marketing, GST, financial management, and communication skills.
About twenty-five Master Weavers are undergoing the program, which focuses on marketing via online retailers like Flipkart, Amazon, and ONDC.
The director of IIM Sambalpur, Professor Mahadeo Jaiswal, emphasized the institution's commitment to recognising and assisting India's native handloom sector. He made the observation that, prior to British colonization, 25% of the world's textile manufacturing was produced in India; today, that percentage is less than 3%.
Professor Jaiswal said, "We think the textile industry is crucial for India's development." "We first collaborated with Flipkart to advance marketing and distribution.
But to provide business training, we realized that our talented master weavers and craftspeople needed a foundational understanding of concepts like marketing, GST, and invoicing. All faculties use Odia languages to offer courses in areas including strategy, operations, financial management, marketing management, and more.
IIM Sambalpur is the first management school in India thanks to its innovative endeavour to provide business education in the local language, with a focus on assisting small businesses."
He went on to say, "The goal of the next training phase is to improve market generation skills. Global market trends and the five Ps of marketing—Product, Price, Place, Promotion, and People—are covered in the curriculum. Global product marketing is the goal of a startup that is in the process of receiving incubation support. "Our ultimate goal is to elevate India's weaving industry globally by creating a 'Bunkar Valley,' akin to Silicon Valley."
Sambalpur's DM and Collector, Akshay Sunil Agrawal, emphasized the significance of comprehending India's environmental issues. "There is a big generational divide, and we should want to grow rather than merely get by.
It is essential to comprehend market trends, desires, and the bridging of information and economic differences. Craftspeople, such as those in Sambalpur, rely on successful product packaging, marketing, and knowledge of current fashion trends to thrive.
This kind of initiative, which includes interactive sessions and feedback, is essential for addressing problems and coming up with solutions."
"Artists and scientists from all over the world come here to learn the art of weaving, which cannot be replicated by machinery or computers—it requires the weavers themselves," said Ramkrishna Meher, a World Craft Council Awardee (UNESCO, 2018) and 2015 National Awardee for Handloom.
Weavers' lives have changed significantly as a result of IIM Sambalpur's efforts to train them and enable their products reach foreign markets, maintaining weaving culture, developing tradition, and empowering weavers."
Future training phases will enhance market creation skills and promote global product marketing.
The initiative aims to create a 'Bunkar Valley' to elevate India's weaving industry. Akshay Sunil Agrawal emphasised the need to address sustainability challenges, while Ramkrishna Meher and Dr Surendra Meher praised the programme’s impact on preserving and advancing the weaving tradition and empowering weavers.
The 'Small Business Management Training Programme' is a 12-day weekend certificate course organized by IIM Sambalpur in collaboration with SIDBI, aimed at transforming and promoting the businesses of Master Weavers from Western Odisha while maintaining their cultural and traditional practices.
The programme covers a range of topics, including operation, design, digital marketing, GST, financial management, and communication skills. It also focuses on marketing through online retailers like Flipkart, Amazon, and ONDC.
IIM Sambalpur supports the Handloom industry by providing business education in the local Odia language, focusing on areas such as strategy, operations, financial management, and marketing management. This initiative aims to assist small businesses and promote the handloom sector globally.
The next phase of the training programme aims to enhance market generation skills by covering global market trends and the five Ps of marketing—Product, Price, Place, Promotion, and People. The ultimate goal is to elevate India's weaving industry globally by creating a 'Bunkar Valley.'
The programme addresses sustainability challenges by emphasizing the importance of understanding market trends and bridging information and economic gaps. It also preserves and advances the weaving tradition by enabling weavers to market their products internationally and maintain their cultural practices.