Campus fair boosts local artisans

The students from final year Master of Arts in Advertising and Public Relations (APR), School of Communication and Media Studies (SCMS) at St Joseph’s University, organised ‘Artisans for Impact’, a campus fair aimed at promoting small businesses across Bengaluru. Held on Wednesday from 9 am to 5 pm, the fair showcased a diverse range of handmade goods, including jute bags, candles, posters, and food items like spices, baked goods, ragi mudde, and jolada rotti. The event witnessed a vibrant footfall of around 4,000 to 5,000 students from the university.

According to Rehan, a final-year APR student, the inspiration for this initiative came from their rural exposure outreach camp experience in Manvi, Raichur, where they encountered villagers running small businesses, creating handmade products like jute bags, earrings, etc.

Determined to support these businesses, the students expanded their scope to include eight NGOs across Bengaluru. These included local artisans, some reportedly with physical or intellectual disabilities, who create various handmade products such as bags, bookmarks, candles, posters, food items and chocolates.

“The villagers from Manvi had a successful day, selling more than 200 jute bags, spices, earrings, and jolada rottis. The NGOs expressed their gratitude and eagerness to participate in future events organised by the university. The event successfully garnered sponsorships from local businesses, enabling us to provide transportation to the villagers and gain support for the great success of the fair. All the proceeds from the sales went directly to the villagers and NGOs, with no expenses incurred by them,” said Rehan.

The entire staff commended the students for their initiative. “The finance officer even purchased all 200 remaining jute bags on behalf of the university, intending to use them as mementos with the university’s logo,” added Rehan.