Case Study

Stone Artisan Park Training Institute (SAPTI) has been established by the Industries & Mines Department and the Office of Commissioner of Geology & Mining (Gujarat) since 2009 under the Gujarat State Mineral Policy, 2003 Government to harness the tremendous potential of state’s stone industry and carry forward its valuable heritage of stone art and architecture.

The mandate of SAPTI is to optimise the potential of Gujarat’s stone industry and build on its rich heritage of stone art and architecture. The State has set up two artisan parks - one in Ambaji and the other in Dhrangadhra. SAPTI-Ambaji in North Gujarat focuses on marble while SAPTI-Dhrangadhra in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat focuses on sandstone. Both artisan parks are registered under the Society Registration Act, 1860 and the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950.

AIM - SAPTI aims to be the best institute for developing sandstone and marble stone craft skills among the craft communities of India. It seeks to foster a dynamic process of skill formation and knowledge-building to enrich the stone based artwork business in the country.

• An organisational structure is a system that outlines how certain activities are directed in order to achieve the goals of an organisation. These activities can include rules, roles, and responsibilities.

• The organisational structure also determines how information flows between levels within the company.

The organisation has multiple professional relations but to understand the larger picture of craft ecosystem, we mapped the various stakeholders involved here. The contribution and role of all the possible participants in craft education is mapped through stakeholder mapping.

SAPTI is situated in a culturally rich and geographically apt location for stone craft. There are many influences on the exchange of knowledge. Understanding the interrelations among various elements provided us with a clear perspective towards education in stone craft. The ecosystem mapping is a vivid and broad representation of the current scenario in Ambaji, Gujarat.

There are different ways leading towards learning stone craft in Ambaji. The user journey here traces the path followed by different users of diverse background. It helps us identify the entry and exit point in craft learning cycle of different kind of learners.

The services offered by SAPTI involve many microservices together and a seamless sync among them. Creating a blueprint has enabled us to understand the interaction between the front end and back end of service. It highlights the crucial points of the user journey and support system for the service.

Meeting with Centre Head and Strategic Advisor

We had an in-depth discussion gave a detailed introduction of the revamped structure of SAPTI. We discussed the ongoing courses and the curriculum followed. The cluster and its prominent culture play an important role in shaping peoples perception of the Institute. We got to know the context of locality along with mobilisation done to bring students on board.

Mobilisation with the team

A drive to the nearby village where we met a few families and introduced them to SAPTI. It was interesting to understand their perspective of education and craft practice. Next stop was ‘Koteshwar temple’ and we met stonecraft artisans in the vicinity.

As the minimum requirement of SAPTI is 8th class and there is a huge dropout rate among students we proposed the team to visit the nearby secondary school. We had a good discussion with the teachers there and got insights to connect dots in our research.

Interaction with Trainers and students at SAPTI

The students and trainers at SAPTI share a friendly bond and it makes the learning a lot easier. We got to interact with the students and understand their approach to craft, their expectations from the course and aspirations post-completion. The trainers also gave their input on the courses, environment and the culture of the place which is enabling the students to learn.

Observations- SAPTI

• Sapti was established with the intent to upgrade and dignify stone craft.

• SAPTI is aiming for a certificate program for students all across India and affiliation from UGC.

• The availability of mines led to the establishment of the institute.

• Most of the people are involved in Cutting, cubing, Chiseling.

• Institute provides safety kits, uniforms,etc.

• SAPTI provides inhouse tools and machinery for practicing.

• Initial stages of training is for everyday utilitarian objects like bowls, lamps, platters, soap cases, etc.

• SAPTI gives an opportunity to financially incapable students to learn and become self-reliant. It provides a valuable addition to students’ skillset.

• The Ministry of skill development and social entrepreneurship is looking after SAPTI.

• Sapti offers Creative + innovative inputs to students and try to bring the intersection of art, craft and design in its curriculum.

• In Sapti The teacher-student ratio is 1:10

• Currently only the 3-month beginner course is functional.

• The traditional crafts skills are taught in advance level course

• Payment is more for SAPTI students compared to the normal artisans.

• The classroom setting is quite informal which makes the working atmosphere at ease where the trainers engage with the students in the activities.

• The activities are exploratory in nature to let the students figure out their own ways. Previous works are displayed in the cupboards inside workshops which encourages and motivates students to do more.

• Safety gears, uniforms, tools and stationaries are provided by the institute for the students.

Inference

• SAPTI is aiming to scale up to get UGC accreditation and upgrade the courses.

• The abundance of material has a positive effect on exploration by students but at the same time it leads to students not valuing the worth of material.

The Institute is still struggling to bring students on board.

Observation- Trainers

• Language becomes a major constraint for the trainers as they don't know the local meaning of any technical terms.

• The trainers are passionate to work with stone as material and it is one of the major reasons they Joined SAPTI.

• The short span of the courses are another problem faced by them.

• The students not having any background in craft becomes a challenge to trainers.

• The trainers are also involved in mobilisation as well as they do other projects for the institute.

• Most of the maintenance and management of resources is done by trainers.

Inference

• The trainers have a one-on-one interaction with students.

• They engage in learning by doing.

• The work environment is casual and friendly.

• The trainers also work alongside students and take a co-creation way of learning.

• The beginners training is about value addition in utility products by carving.

Observation- Students

• Students in Sapti do not belong to stone artisan family.Most of them come from nearby villages and tribal communities.

• Most of the students are not going to take up craft in future and it affects the dynamics of the whole group in learning.

• Most of the students plan on extending the course and learning more.

• Children have no exposure to the market and traders around Ambaji

Inference

• The tools, machinery, uniform and safety gears are provided.

• Most of the students do not value the facilities as it comes for free.

• The courses depend on the number of students enrolling during that duration.

• The students learn to handle different materials including clay, POP and stone.

• The students get motivated by displaying previous work in classrooms.

• Students don’t associate with craft culturally and emotionally.

• Mostly children from farmer families prefer to learn from SAPTI.

• SAPTI is not an aspirational option for career rather it is an exploratory option.

• The students also get influenced by each other and the group dynamics of class.

• There is no provision for students who want to learn more.

Observation- Mobilisation

• Mobilization is a continuous struggle with institute

• Children sit idle at home without doing any work which makes them decide to join SAPTI.

• Another reason for children to join SAPTI is because of all the free amenities provided to them.

Inference

• The team is coordinating the communication with the locals.

• It is informing the future potential of learning the craft.

• The mobilisation team becomes the face of the institute among locals.

1. Design opportunities involving the tourist in the educating process.

2. Skill enhancement of the existing stone workers.

3. Learning the business of craft.

4. Stonecraft as a source of additional income

5. Free Access to Culturally driven Open craft schooling just after formal education.

6. Availability of online course material independent access, open source

7. Opportunities to make use of stone waste and rejected pieces in craft.

8. Design intervention to bring dignity in craft learning through fairs and festivals

9. Unified language that can cater to different tribes

10. Solution for Craft sensitization and storytelling to bring emotional connect and motivation to pursue craft.

11. Design intervention for students to earn and understand the business design nuances like visual merchandising and retail design while learning crafts.

12. Design opportunities for dropout students to make learning of craft seamless irrespective of educational qualification.

13. Design intervention to make SAPTI an aspirational craft learning experience for the higher status sector.

14. Design intervention to bring women on board for stone craft other than just polishing.

15. Opportunities to impart craft interest in students at school level.

16. Solutions to bring artisans with technology(online platforms) in more efficient ways.

17. Design Intervention to understand safety measures and health hazards associated with stone craft.

The visit to SAPTI Ambaji centre proved to be a wonderful experience in our project journey. The framework of the institute to address a social cause is a major takeaway for us. The trainers, staff and students coming together to create better career prospects are for a greater good. However, the cultural setting of the place is a challenge to mobilise students into learning craft. We observed many potential areas for design intervention which can make the learning seamless for everyone involved in the process.

We would like to thank Mr Nagendra, Mr Dibjyoti, Mr Dhanesh, Mr Jeetendra, Mr Ajesh, Mr Shiva, Bharat Bhai and Bachha Bhai for a pleasant and productive stay at Ambaji. Thanks to Mr Abhinav for coordinating and arranging the visit at very short notice.