Introduction
The soft toys craft of Baleshwar, Odisha, is a lesser-known but promising livelihood activity that has been practiced in small pockets by women and youth from economically weaker sections. Using simple tools, fabrics, stuffing materials, and creative stitching techniques, local artisans craft a variety of soft toys including animals, dolls, and utility-based items like cushions and puppets. This craft not only preserves cultural motifs but also serves as a potential home-based income source for rural households. Despite the growing demand for eco-friendly, handmade toys in urban and global markets, Baleshwar artisans remain on the periphery due to multiple structural challenges.
Haven Crafts, founded as a social initiative by young entrepreneur Rakhi Jain, is committed to the empowerment, advocacy, and sustainable livelihood development of traditional artisans across Odisha. With a special focus on marginalized craft clusters, Haven Crafts promotes skill development, technology integration, design innovation, and market linkage. Its mission is to ensure dignity, fair trade access, and digital empowerment for rural craft communities.
Key Problems Identified by Haven Crafts
Challenges Faced by Soft Toy Artisans in Baleshwar
- Limited Skill Upgradation : Most artisans use outdated patterns and techniques due to the absence of advanced training. There is little awareness of current trends in children’s toys, character licensing, or educational toys.
- Lack of Access to Raw Materials : Quality fabrics, hypoallergenic stuffing, and safe sewing tools are difficult to procure locally, making production inconsistent and cost-inefficient.
- Design Gaps & Lack of Market Understanding : Local artisans are often unaware of the evolving demands of domestic and export markets. Their designs do not always meet safety, aesthetics, or utility standards expected by consumers.
- No Digital Presence : Most soft toy makers rely only on local fairs or word-of-mouth sales. With no online presence, they miss out on opportunities available through digital platforms.
- Absence of Organized Production Systems : Unlike Gujarat or Tamil Nadu, which have cottage industry clusters for toy making, Baleshwar lacks cooperative production models, leading to low output and inconsistent quality.
Why Baleshwar Artisans Lag Behind Artisans from Other States
- Other states have dedicated toy clusters supported by government schemes like the Toy Manufacturing Policy in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.
- More design intervention and better exposure to trade fairs, export buyers, and e-commerce in other regions gives artisans a competitive edge.
- Women-led SHGs in other states have received targeted CSR funding and continuous training from premier institutes such as NID and NIFT.
- There’s a lack of packaging, branding, and child safety certification support in Baleshwar, unlike better-supported clusters in other regions.
Proposed Solutions by Haven Crafts
- Skill Development Workshops : Conducting design, quality, and stitching technique upskilling programs in collaboration with NIFT/NID and Toy Designers.
- Setting up Raw Material Banks : Create a hub where artisans can get certified fabrics, stuffing, and threads in bulk at reduced cost.
- Collaborative Product Development : Partnering artisans with designers to create theme-based, functional, and certified soft toys.
- Market Linkage and Branding Support : Enabling artisans to sell via HavenCrafts.in and platforms like Amazon, Flipkart and Etsy.
- Creating Soft Toy Clusters : Organizing artisans into SHG-led clusters with standardized production guidelines.
Initiatives Started by Haven Crafts
- Artisan Mapping & Skill Survey: Haven Crafts identified 30+ soft toy artisans across Baleshwar block who were willing to improve their craft.
- Pilot Design Interventions: Soft toy samples were developed in collaboration with young product designers for upcoming festive collections.
- Infrastructure Support: Plans underway to establish a mini production unit with stitching machines, cutting tables, and storage spaces.
- E-Commerce Integration: Initial product listings were created under Haven Crafts’ digital platform with branding and catalog support.
Awareness Program on Digital Marketing by Haven Crafts
To bridge the digital divide, Haven Crafts conducted a Digital Marketing & Financial Literacy Awareness Camp on 12th May 2025 at Sunhat, Baleshwar for soft toy artisans. Highlights include:
- Introduction to Social Media Platforms (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp Business) for craft promotion
- Hands-on training on photographing soft toys with smartphones
- Creating and managing digital catalogs using Canva and Google Drive
- Building online payment options through UPI and QR-based methods
- Awareness about e-commerce opportunities on marketplaces like Amazon Karigar, Flipkart Samarth
- Loan facilities, especially PMEGP, Mudra Yojana, SHG loans
- Awareness on Frauds & Cybersecurity
This program was attended by 48 artisans, mostly women, and concluded with live demonstrations and Q&A sessions.
Conclusion
The soft toy craft of Baleshwar has the potential to evolve into a recognized and sustainable rural enterprise. With focused intervention by Haven Crafts in skill building, cluster formation, and digital access, artisans are now better equipped to compete with national-level peers. Continued support, policy attention, and design partnerships can unlock new avenues for growth, livelihood, and creative expression for Baleshwar’s toy makers.
Acknowledgments and Gratitude
A special thanks to Mr. Uttam Sethi, Branch Manager of Indian Overseas Bank, Kuruda Branch, for leading the Financial Literacy Awareness Program and for his dedicated efforts in educating artisans on critical financial concepts. His practical demonstrations and patient guidance greatly helped participants understand formal banking, digital payments, and government financial schemes.
We also extend our heartfelt gratitude to Odisha Shilpi Mahasangha for their valuable support in mobilizing artisans from various villages and ensuring smooth coordination of the entire session. Their commitment to artisan welfare and empowerment remains an inspiration to all.