The 800-year-old, ?1,400 crore Kolhapuri chappal industry employs close to 1 lakh artisans, and is spread across four districts each of Maharashtra and Karnataka. Vinaya Deshpande Pandit explores the trade and the tradition of this all-leather, nature-derived, hand-stitched footwear, which has been GI tagged. The craft lacks policy impetus, often leading to its misappropriation, the exploitation of its already-marginalised kaarigars, and an erasure of culture
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