Rural craft and cultural hubs, India
with Collaborator Saurav Moni
In West Bengal, India, the Rural Craft and Cultural Hubs is a social enterprise model that is improving livelihood prospects for local artists, advancing the sustainable economic development of their communities, and securing viable futures for musical and other cultural practices.
This case study probes this model through Bhatiyali, an endangered West Bengali genre of boat-songs, with its leading exponent Saurav Moni. Exploring intersections between poverty and cultural sustainability, it considers how cultural pathways can build the economic capacities of musicians and communities, while also progressing cultural sustainability goals.
The Hubs model demonstrates how cultural tourism, cultural sustainability, and economic justice can work in the service of each other, lifting people out of cycles of marginalization and deprivation, and enabling them to lead more culturally and socially fulfilling lives.
The state of West bengal, India, where the rural craft and cultural hubs operate. Map: catherine grant / stepmap
