In the rural pockets of East Africa, Malaysia, and the islands across Vietnam and Indonesia, the local artisans still cling to their ancestral occupation, sewing art with their bare hands. They walk to the forests, fetch wood, and bring it home. Then the entire family sits, carves, etches, chisels, and paints together, giving shape to traditional artefacts. These scenes were enough to inspire Shyam Chittari to conceive the idea of bringing together such handmade pieces from scattered corners of the globe under a brand he named Bagus — a word that means “goodness” in Indonesian.
The alarming fact that the planet is becoming a dumpyard of plastics, and people are preferring cheaper products over the sustainable ones, propelled him to structure the intangible ideas he had into the brand.
Shyam, the director of the Bengaluru-based home décor brand, says, “During my course of travels, I thought of delving into the creative side of the products, and also trying to market a sustainable and eco-friendly product, which is a tough call in today’s market.”
The timeless crafts
These products are whittled down from natural resources — wood, rattan, bamboo, jute, leaves, twigs, roots, banana fibres, palm and coconut trees, etc. Each piece is unique, “essentially single products,” because they aren’t machine-made. Shyam’s labour-intensive process is behind their creation. For example, one of the resources, driftwood, is found on the shores. He explains, “Most of the wood used is Albizia, which is washed off during heavy rains or typhoons.” The artisans go in search of the wood, bring it home, and go ahead with the making. Shyam says, “We have the art, we have the skills — we just need to curate them.”
The journey begins with the material. He narrates, “The soapstone used in some artefacts comes from a far-off mine in Kigali, East Africa. From there, the team travels to specific villages where artisans, who have practiced this craft for generations, carve the stone into animal figurines. We go there ourselves, identify some vendors, and invest in them.”
The process, according to him, is time-consuming and tedious. But the deeper concern is that these artisans were neglected, and hence, today, this art is dying. He fears that in the next three to four decades, such art forms will vanish. “There is a faster world out there, and people are moving away from tradition,” he says, pointing to the pressures of urbanisation. Yet, he speaks with hope. One of the messages he brings back from Indonesia is deeply rooted in their culture. “They are communal by nature, peace-loving people; they stick to their history,” he says. And in that, he sees a reason to believe these traditions may yet endure.
The business is a good source of income for the artisans, as the deal is with the artisans directly. There is no middleman who would otherwise, “squeeze in the profit”. Thus, the artisan gets the entire advantage. Over the past one and a half years, he says, he has built a “good equation” with the artisans. “They are very genuine and honest,” he shares, stressing that relationship-building is one of the key elements of the deal.
Many of the artisans he works with are women — bamboo workers, rattan weavers, and terracotta plate makers. He says, “East Asia essentially is a matriarchal society, and women have greater influence over work and family affairs. Almost 50% of the local artisans are women.”
Since there are no machines involved, the production takes longer, and the turnaround time for each product is, he says, about four to five months. “So I’m able to do only two cycles,” he adds. He emphasises that most of the products go to the West. The concept and appreciation of art there, he notes, is different from Indians. Some of the significant products are terracotta pans, glass blown vases, jute/rattan wall frames, handcrafted statues, and memorabilia. “Some want African figurines, or a Ganesha idol; we Indianise it to suit the clientele. When it comes to India, the market is price conscious.”
Though the orders placed in India are scarce, he expresses his excitement over a recent order that had come from the hinterlands of Nagaland. He hasn’t ventured into Indian artisans yet, as he thinks the Indian market is flooded, and there is a lot of focus on replicating one item. But gradually, he eyes on expanding the reach.
Shyam advocates the use of natural materials like stone and wood at home, too. Earthy colours, brickwork, stonework, woodwork, he believes, are timeless elements. “We have a range of more than 60-70 products, each variable in terms of size. But no products are the same.”
Shyam emphasises that the brand “would like to cultivate age-old art forms”. As someone who has travelled to over 50 countries, the experiences he has gathered — of old cultures, tradition-loving people, and their connection to heritage crafts — have shaped his commitment to working closely with artisans and supporting the continued creation of handmade artefacts.
To buy home décor items, visit Bagus.in