Abstract:
A Haat is an informal market, normally held temporally and is conducted on a regular
basis. A Craft Haat, as conceived in ‘Delhi Haat’, has the ambience of a traditional
informal market, but is modified and designed for contemporary urban needs. Here
one sees a synthesis of crafts, food and cultural activity. Crafts Haats are organized in
to support or promote trading directly with crafts-persons, to eliminate the
middleman. In addition to providing trading opportunities, haat bazaars aim at
reviving dying crafts by introducing it to the urban population.
This Food and Crafts Bazaar at Dilli Haat, is a treasure house of Indian culture,
handicrafts and ethnic cuisine. A unique bazaar, in the heart of the city, it displays
the richness of Indian culture on a permanent basis. It aims at providing
encouragement to the needy artists from all over the country in order to sustain and
preserve the rich heritage of India. While allowing free interaction between buyers
and sellers, the organizers control prices for fairness to both the crafts-person and
the consumer.
My design for the NOIDA Craft Haat adopts an approach, which is different from ‘Dilli
Haat’. Here, there is an attempt to bring together the traditional crafts-persons and
young designers for continuing the crafts tradition of India. A skilled artisan may
conduct training workshops to teach his craft to the young urbanite as a certified
vocation. This will impart dignity to the artisan, and open the craft tradition to all
inclined to learn it, as in a vocational training course. Also, the crafts-person is seen
here as a designer, rather than as a mere labourer.
To achieve the desired model of the Haat and to make it an interesting and attractive
place for both the crafts persons and the visitors, case studies and interviews were
conducted. The final design brings different approaches from these studies to create
a modern and urbane experience, while achieving the objectives of design.
