Giving Voice to People, Practices and the Systems that shape them
Our advocacy work centers around amplifying voices, influencing systems and engaging with policy and public discourse. Desi Trust has been working in collaboration with other handloom organizations towards the cause of handloom weavers. It has advocated for better policies to favour the artisans, the handmakers.
Kaimagga Satyagraha was a sustained, non-violent protest led by handloom weavers across Karnataka, with solidarity from weavers in the Seemandhra region. Rooted in Gandhian methods of resistance, the movement unfolded over the course of a year and included hunger strikes and padayatras quiet but resolute acts that drew attention to a deepening livelihood crisis in the handloom sector.
Friends of the Handloom emerged as a collective expression of solidarity with the handloom movement, bringing together influential voices from the worlds of art, education, design, and public life. At a time when handloom livelihoods were under severe strain, the initiative sought to shift the conversation beyond policy rooms into cultural, intellectual, and civic spaces where public opinion is shaped.
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The GST Satyagraha was a nationwide civil resistance demanding 0% GST on handmade products, led by Grama Seva Sangha in association with the All India Federation of Handloom Organisations, with Desi Trust playing an active and visible role. At its core, the movement sought to hold the State accountable to a constitutional promise: protecting livelihoods rooted in skill, labour, and sustainable production.
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The Badanavalu Satyagraha marked a significant expansion of the Kaimagga Satyagraha, evolving it from a sector-specific struggle into a wider, values-driven movement. The campaign brought together organisations and collectives working across sustainability spanning agriculture, environment, labour, gender, language, folklore, culture, education, khadi, and handlooms under a shared ethical framework. At its heart was a simple yet powerful idea: sustainability must be lived jointly by producers and consumers, villages and cities alike.