Uncover the Legacy of Self- Reliance: Craft and Learning through the Jawaja Experiment
Date: 27 June 2025
Time: 5:00 - 6:45 pm
Venue: KCC Library
This June, join us for a Library Talk with Dr. Ashoke Chatterjee—former Executive Director of the National Institute of Design—as he shares the journey of the Jawaja experiment through the bilingual book Learning Together at Jawaja, co-authored with Harji Malik. This session revisits the 1975 ‘Rural University’ model initiated by Prof. Ravi J Matthai, which brought together craft, design, and management to empower rural communities in Rajasthan.
Blending decades of hands-on experience with reflective storytelling, Dr. Chatterjee will discuss how participatory design and collaborative learning transformed the lives of craftspeople in Jawaja. The talk invites students, designers, educators, and social changemakers to explore how craft and education can be tools for justice and sustainable development.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Learning Together at Jawaja chronicles a unique experiment in participatory design and rural empowerment that began in 1975. Conceived as a ‘Rural University’ under Prof. Ravi J. Matthai, the project brought together craftspeople from Jawaja, design students from NID, and management experts from IIM–Ahmedabad. Rather than impose external aesthetics, the artisans themselves co-created the designs—rooted in their own earth-colours, motifs, and geometric patterns.
This collaborative model addressed real rural concerns—poverty, self-reliance, dignity—while redefining the roles of education and design. It questioned standard pedagogies and rather than charity, fostered mutual learning, local leadership, and collective agency . More than four decades later, Jawaja remains a touchstone for inclusive design and social innovation, proving that craft and collective learning can be powerful tools of transformation.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Prof. Ashoke Chatterjee is a renowned design advocate and former Executive Director of NID, Ahmedabad. With a background spanning industry, international civil service, and development sectors, he has worked extensively in areas such as water, sanitation, disability, livelihoods, and craft. He served as Honorary President of the Crafts Council of India for over two decades and currently advises the Centre for Heritage Management at Ahmedabad University. He continues to write, teach, and support design for social change.
