We were at an exhibition in Pune in March, when COVID-19 struck. With social gatherings no longer a possibility, we had to slam the breaks on all our upcoming exhibitions, including our monthly physical exhibition Go Swadeshi," recalls Madhavi Naidu, general manager, sales and marketing, GoCoop, a social organisation that facilitates e-connect between artisans and customers. Ever since, they have been in touch with their network of weavers and entrepreneurs across India on how to tide over this financial crisis. "We realised that large amounts of their stock were lying unsold in their facilities. They not only had their own families to take care of, but also the artisans working under them. It is why we decided to take the exhibition online," reveals Naidu.

Madhavi Naidu