An empowering programme creating new livelihoods in Cultural Industries amongst the skilled but economically vulnerable communities of India, JIYO! - a project of the (NGO) - Asian Heritage Foundation– signifies the arrival of a Swadeshi (Indigenous) Brand” for the 21st Century.

An Indian brand incubated and co created by AHF over 17 years with major grants from the Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) administered through the World Bank, has linked rural skills and legacy enterprises to local market and global outreach. The JCCIPL (Jiyo Creative and Cultural Industries Pvt Ltd) is registered principally to be an artists’ and artisans’ owned company empowering its principal stakeholders through design-led innovations with its current operations being overseen by the AHF.

Investments are being explored for operational, legal and ethical reasons to change with the institutional strengthening of markets and the grassroot cluster organisations. The extent of investment from a social enterprise will boost the scaling up of the operation in each cluster of skilled communities around the sub-continent.

JIYO!: Live on! Live well! Live it! Believe Buy Belong

It’s an attitude!

It blesses… It updates with a street smart ‘live what you believe in’. It’s new. Jiyo! is 18 years old and so are its designs, but the seeds have been around for much longer. For many, this could be their first people-related take on Indian arts, material culture and performance art centuries old: heritage, in short. And it is time, we meet the makers. To everyone Jiyo! has something to say.

Globalization, digital technologies, corporate aspirations, international branding and consumerism distance us as never before from the living culture we once shared. Yet it is this that sources in us all that is most deep, most precious and most playful about being Indian. And it is still out there. Come together; map the world from where you are, Jiyo! suggests.

Jiyo has become an empowering programme creating new livelihoods in Cultural Industries amongst the skilled but economically vulnerable communities of India, it signifies the arrival of a ‘Swadeshi (Indigenous) Brand” for the 21st Century.


An Indian brand incubated and co created by AHF over 18 years with major grants from the Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) administered through the World Bank, has linked rural skills and legacy enterprises to local market and global outreach. The JCCIPL (Jiyo Creative and Cultural Industries Pvt Ltd) is registered principally to be an artists’ and artisans’ owned company empowering its principal stakeholders through design-led innovations with its current operations being overseen by the AHF.

For greater impact on livelihood, Jiyo has introduced product and service diversification with a three tier brand approach, Jiyo (luxury premium), Jani (youth premium) and Jiva (local market) offering increased employment opportunities to its skilled stakeholders. Investments are being explored for operational, legal and ethical reasons to change with the institutional strengthening of markets and the grassroot cluster organisations. The extent of investment from a social enterprise will boost the scaling up of the operation in each cluster of skilled communities around the sub-continent.

• Imparted over 250 training camps for Capacity and Institution building in six states of India and eight in Nepal. This has resulted in empowering 22 Community led organizations with state of art facilities for production and value addition.
• Conducted over 200 Design development workshops with Jiyo! barefoot designers and artisans engaging with each other for over 18 years.
• A repository of over 1000 Prototypes were developed and the around 200 shortlisted products will be on display and sale.
• 22 Community- led organizations are all legally registered and empowered:

Bihar: Sujni Hand embroidery, Bawanbuti hand loom weaving, Sikki basketry and hand painted Madhubani.

Odisha: Sabai Natural fibre Basketry, Metal casting - Dokra and Hand weaving in Kotpad

Jharkhand: Culinary skills in Gumla and Hazaribagh and Bamboo artisans

Madhya Pradesh: Block printing textiles in Bagh, beadwork Jewellery in Jhabua, Gond hand painting and Mandla pottery.

Andhra Pradesh: Kalamkari Hand painting Textiles, Leather puppetry, Venkatgiri and Uppada Hand loom weaving, and Culinary skills in Guntur.

Telangana: Banjara hand embroidery and Ikat hand weaving.

The major outcomes of the project have been to enhance the income of Jiyo! community members by giving assured work engagement at their doorstep.

Jiyo! hopes that the local and regional clusters of makers whose work you see now, the creative men and women of our countryside and many more, may be ready to form their own cooperatives, and so equitably handle their own future once again.

Map your world from where you are

You can visit our livelihood store.
T-112, Aam Bagh, Near Shamshi Talab, Opp. Andheria Mod, Mehrauli, New Delhi-110030


For further information, please contact:
Mr. Prabhu Sahu
Mob: 9818507901
Email: prabhu@theahf.org
www.jiyoshop.com