UpdateBot at 12:26, 15 June 2022

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{{Short description|Indian craft designer and social activist (b. 1947)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Laila Tyabji
| image =
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| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth-date and age|2 May 1947}}
| birth_place = Delhi, India
| death_date =
| death_place =
| restingplace =
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| othername =
| occupation = Craft designer and social activist
| yearsactive = 1968{{endash}}present
| spouse =
| domesticpartner =
| children =
| father = [[Badruddin Tyabji (diplomat)|Badruddin Tyabji]]
| website =
| relatives = [[Tyabji family]]
| awards = [[Padma Shri]]<br>[[Aid to Artisans]] Preservation of Craft Award<br>[[National Institute of Fashion Technology|NIFT]] Lifetime Achievement Award<br>Chishti Harmony Award<br>[[Limca Book of Records]] Person of the Year
}}
'''Laila Tyabji''' (born 2 May 1947) is an Indian social worker, designer, writer, and craft activist.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/society/i-was-30-and-riding-a-motorcycle/article19132537.ece|title=I was 30, and riding a motorcycle: Laila Tyabji|newspaper=The Hindu|date=24 June 2017|last1=Nair|first1=Malini}}</ref> She is one of the founders of [[Dastkar]],<ref name="Dastkar">{{cite web | url=http://dastkar.org/ | title=Dastkar | publisher=Dastkar2014 | access-date=3 December 2014}}</ref> a Delhi-based [[non governmental organization]], working for the revival of traditional crafts in India.<ref name="Tehelka">{{cite web | url=http://www.tehelka.com/laila-tyabji-the-keeper-of-heritage/ | title=Laila Tyabji: The Keeper of Heritage | work=Tehelka | date=2013-10-23 | access-date=3 December 2014 | url-status=dead | archive-date=13 December 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213013805/http://www.tehelka.com/laila-tyabji-the-keeper-of-heritage/ }}</ref><ref name="Asia INCH Encyclopedia">{{cite web | url=http://www.craftrevival.org/voiceDetails.asp?Code=217 | title=Dastkar and the Marketing of Craft: A Subsideized Con Trick or a Success Story| publisher=Asia INCH Encyclopedia | date=April 2010 | access-date=3 December 2014 | url-status=dead | archive-date=14 February 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140214072718/http://craftrevival.org/voiceDetails.asp?Code=217 }}</ref><ref name="University of Copenhagen">{{cite web | url=http://conferences.saxo.ku.dk/traditionaltextilecraft/keynote_speakers/laila-tyabji-biography/ | title=Laila Tyabji Biography | publisher=University of Copenhagen |year=2014 | access-date=3 December 2014 | url-status=dead | archive-date=15 December 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215032502/http://conferences.saxo.ku.dk/traditionaltextilecraft/keynote_speakers/laila-tyabji-biography/ }}</ref> She was honored by the [[Government of India]] in 2012 with the Indian civilian award of [[Padma Shri]].<ref name="Padma Shri">{{cite web|url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Shri |publisher=Padma Shri |year=2014 |access-date=11 November 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 October 2015 }}</ref> She is the daughter of late [[Badruddin Tayyabji, ICS]], who was a senior Indian civil servant and diplomat.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150114/jsp/opinion/story_8222.jsp|title=Brussels in winter|work=The Telegraph India|url-status=dead|access-date=11 April 2016|archive-date=23 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423130701/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150114/jsp/opinion/story_8222.jsp#.Vwun9Zx95dg}}</ref>

==Biography==
{{quotebox|align = left|width=21em|''Beyond her image as a sophisticated and stylish woman, Laila could make and hold a bridge with craftspeople. She has been there for them through calamity and crisis; from teaching them how to price their products to valuing themselves. The respect and affection they have for her is rare,'' says Archana Seth, a Delhi based entrepreneur and author of the book, ''Shifting Sands, Kutch: Textiles, Traditions, Transformations''.<ref name="Live Mint">{{cite web | url=http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/9pqC54RHYjw9R8B62fKKLP/Laila-Tyabji--The-crafts-revivalist.html | title=The crafts revivalist | publisher=Live Mint | date=9 August 2014 | access-date=3 December 2014}}</ref>}}

Laila Tyabji was born in Delhi on 2 May 1947<ref name="Limca Book of Records">{{cite web | url=http://www.limcabookofrecords.in/peopleoftheyear/17.aspx | title=Limca Book of Records | publisher=Limca Book of Records |year=2014 | access-date=3 December 2014 | url-status=dead | archive-date=13 December 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213020209/http://www.limcabookofrecords.in/peopleoftheyear/17.aspx }}</ref> to an Indian civil servant as one of his four children. Her early schooling was in schools abroad and at the [[Welham Girls' School]] in [[Dehradun]]. She subsequently continued her studies in art at [[Vadodara|the Faculty of Fine Arts, MS University, Vadodara]].<ref name="Business Standard" /> Later, she went to Japan to study with [[Toshi Yoshida]], the well-known [[Japanese people|Japanese]] printmaking artist, before returning to India to start a career as a freelance designer.<ref name="Tehelka" /><ref name="Live Mint" /> Assignments included graphic and interior design, costumes and sets for the theatre, garments and textiles.

The turning point in her career came when Tyabji was asked by the [[Gujarat State Handloom and Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd]] to document, revive and design the traditional handicrafts of Kutch tradition.<ref name="Business Standard" /> The assignment, originally fixed for 3 months got prolonged to six. Returning from Kutch, Tyabji worked as a merchandiser for ''Taj Khazana'', a chain of luxury lifestyle stores run by [[Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces|Taj Group of Hotels]],<ref name="Taj Khazana">{{cite web | url=http://www.tajhotels.com/Taj-Khazana.html | title=Taj Khazana | publisher=Taj Hotels |year=2014 | access-date=3 December 2014}}</ref> dealing in Indian arts and crafts. However, the difficulties of getting small rural artisans to benefit from and become a sustainable part of the mainstream retail chain gave Tyabji the idea of starting an organisation that would act as a bridge between craftspeople and urban buyers.<ref name="Live Mint" />

A meeting with Bunny Page, a Parsi woman with the same concerns and ideas, and many discussions and meetings, resulted in Tyabji co-founding [[Dastkar]] with five other women<ref name="Business Standard">{{cite news | url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/lunch-with-bs-laila-tyabji-114032101237_1.html | title=Lunch with BS: Laila Tyabji | newspaper=Business Standard India | date=21 March 2014 | access-date=3 December 2014| last1=Krishna | first1=Geetanjali }}</ref> in 1981<ref name="Tehelka" /><ref name="University of Copenhagen" /><ref name="Free Press Journal">{{cite web | url=http://freepressjournal.in/crafts-crusader-laila-tyabji-has-the-key-to-a-gold-mine/ | title=Free Press Journal | publisher=Crafts crusader Laila Tyabji has the key to a gold mine | date=19 August 2012 | access-date=3 December 2014 | url-status=dead | archive-date=13 December 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213014708/http://freepressjournal.in/crafts-crusader-laila-tyabji-has-the-key-to-a-gold-mine/ }}</ref><ref name="Harmony India">{{cite web | url=http://www.harmonyindia.org/hportal/VirtualPageView.jsp?page_id=566 | title=Harmony India | publisher=Harmony India |year=2014 | access-date=3 December 2014 | url-status=dead | archive-date=13 December 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213014734/http://www.harmonyindia.org/hportal/VirtualPageView.jsp?page_id=566 }}</ref> The objective was to give traditional craftspeople the design, product development, market information, and entrepreneurship training that would help them regain their place in the mainstream market. The Dastkari Bazaars, where craftspeople came directly to sell their own products in the Metro market, were both a sales opportunity and a learning place for craftspeople who had never previously encountered their urban customers. It was a novel idea at that time – much imitated since. The inaugural Dastkari Bazaar was held in New Delhi, the same year at the [[Triveni Kala Sangam]].<ref name="The Hindu">{{cite news | url=http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/ethnic-yet-chic/article2518177.ece | title=Ethnic yet chic | work=7 October 2011 | date=7 October 2011 | access-date=3 December 2014| last1=Tripathi | first1=Shailaja }}</ref> Bazaars in Mumbai, Kolkota, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, and other Indian cities followed, and became annual events.

The first NATURE BAZAAR in 1995 was an attempt (inspired by Valmik Thapar, the well known tiger expert and wildlife conservationist) to get craftspeople to use Nature as a source of both creative inspiration and raw material . It has since become a regular event, with a permanent venue at Kisan Haat, Mehrauli, Delhi. Over the last 35 years, Dastkar and Tyabji have worked with numerous crafts organisations and NGOs to use craft skills as a means of earning and empowerment. She is credited with revolutionizing the craft industry in India by developing a market for Indian crafts, modernizing the artisans' skills, and acting as the liaising link between the artisans and the buyers.<ref name="Tehelka" /> Dastkar operates on the policy of leaving the ownership of the goods to the artisans who produced them, retaining a 10 percent revenue towards the operating costs.<ref name="Asia INCH Encyclopedia" /> It provides the artisans with entrepreneurial training and assists them with credit, designs, and product development techniques.<ref name="University of Copenhagen" /><ref name="Limca Book of Records" /> The organization has a producer group base of over 700 artisan groups, collectively comprising over 1 lakh craftspeople.<ref name="University of Copenhagen" /><ref name="Limca Book of Records" />

Under the [[aegis]] of Dastkar, Tyabji has worked with Self-Employed Women's Association of India ([[SEWA]]), a similar non-governmental organization founded by renowned [[Gandhian]], [[Ela Bhatt]], URMUL, Sandur Kushal Kala Kendra, Rangsutra, SASHA, Berozgar Mahila Kalyan Samiti, and many others. Other major DASTKAR projects are in Kashmir for the social reestablishment of the victims of terrorism, in Ranthambore, for the rehabilitation of the people who were evacuated for the [[Ranthambore National Park|National Park]]<ref name="Asia INCH Encyclopedia" /><ref name="Limca Book of Records" /> and in Bellary for the revival of the dying art of [[Lambani]] embroidery.<ref name="Tehelka" /><ref name="The Hindu" /> She is associated with the artisans across the country such as [[Banjara Needle Crafts]] and [[Rabari]] mirror work craftswoman of Kutch and Maharashtra, Chikan craft workers of Lucknow, [[Kasuti|gond, Phad, mata in pacheri and madhubani painters, Kasuti]] embroidery artisans of Karnataka, handloom weavers in Bihar and Karnataka, and the leather, textile and terracotta artisans in Rajasthan.<ref name="Asia INCH Encyclopedia" /><ref name="University of Copenhagen" /><ref name="Limca Book of Records" />

Laila Tyabji authored ''Threads and Voices – Behind the Indian Textile Tradition'',<ref name="Threads & Voices: Behind the Indian Textile Tradition">{{cite book | title=Threads & Voices: Behind the Indian Textile Tradition | publisher=Marg Foundation | author=Laila Tyabji | date=7 October 2007 | pages=148 | isbn=978-8185026794}}</ref> published in 2007,<ref name="University of Copenhagen" /><ref name="Limca Book of Records" /> and has written numerous articles in Indian journals.<ref name="University of Copenhagen" /><ref name="Article">{{cite journal | url=http://www.india-seminar.com/2007/575/575_laila_tyabji.htm | title=Handcrafting a Culture | author=Laila Tyabji | journal=India Seminar | year=2007 | issue=575}}</ref> Unmarried by choice, she lives in Delhi, designing, writing, and speaking on behalf of crafts and craftspeople at her Andheria Modh office<ref name="The Hindu" /> as Chairperson, [[Dastkar]].<ref name="Live Mint" />

==Awards and recognitions==
In 2003, Tyabji was awarded the ''Aid to Artisans' Preservation of Craft Award'', the first [[Asian people|Asian]] and the second overall recipient of the award,<ref name="University of Copenhagen" /> the investiture ceremony taking place in New York.<ref name="Asia INCH Encyclopedia" /><ref name="Harmony India" /> Eleven years later in 2012, the [[Government of India]] honored her with [[Padma Shri]], the fourth–highest Indian civilian award.<ref>{{cite web|title=Padma Awards Directory (1954–2013) |publisher=[[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|Ministry of Home Affairs]], Government of India |url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 October 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> She is also a recipient of the [[National Institute of Fashion Technology, Ludhiana|NIFT]] Lifetime Achievement Award<ref name="Harmony India" /> and the Chishti Harmony Award.<ref name="Limca Book of Records" /> The [[Limca Book of Records]], an Indian repository of records and achievements, named Laila Tyabji as the ''Person of the Year'', in 2014.<ref name="Limca Book of Records" />

==See also==
{{Div col}}
* [[Dastkar]]
* [[Lambani]]
* [[Banjara Needle Crafts]]
* [[Kasuti]]
{{div col end}}
{{portal|India}}

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book | title=Threads & Voices: Behind the Indian Textile Tradition | publisher=Marg Foundation | author=Laila Tyabji | date=7 October 2007 | pages=148 | isbn=978-8185026794}}
* {{cite journal | url=http://www.india-seminar.com/2007/575/575_laila_tyabji.htm | title=Handcrafting a Culture | author=Laila Tyabji | journal=India Seminar | year=2007 | issue=575}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.dastkar.org/}}
* {{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bawD9AdvLo | title=Laila Tyabji on the art/craft divide | via=YouTube | work=Video | date=1 January 2012 | access-date=3 December 2014}}
* {{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhCXop5UeMA | title=Workshop on Deconstructing Design presentation by Dr laila Tyabji from Dastakar | via=YouTube | work=Video | date=27 November 2013 | access-date=3 December 2014}}

{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Art}}
{{authority control}}

{{Tyabji family}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyabji, Laila}}
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts]]
[[Category:Social workers from Delhi]]
[[Category:Social workers]]
[[Category:Sulaymani Bohras]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian educators]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women artists]]
[[Category:Women artists from Delhi]]
[[Category:Women educators from Delhi]]
[[Category:Educators from Delhi]]
[[Category:Welham Girls' School alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century women educators]]
[[Category:Indian people of Arab descent]]

Laila Tyabji - Revision history

UpdateBot at 12:26, 15 June 2022