Kalpana Baghel- Dhokra/Gadhwa Kala Artist

Throughout human history, women's roles in society have traditionally been relegated to the confines of the home. Women were solely required to perform the tasks of providing for the family members, ensuring that they had adequate food and nutrition, and maintaining the cohesiveness of the family unit. However, when one takes a more in-depth look at the life of Kalpana Baghel, one sees that in addition to these responsibilities, she also has the added burden of providing for her family financially.

Kalpana Baghel is a native of Belwapadar, which is located in Kondagaon  Chhattisgarh. She began refining her craft when she was a little child. She endured the loss of her spouse at a time when their children were still very little. To provide for her family, she decided to start selling Mahua Drink, which is a traditional Bastar beer. Additionally, offering assistance to other Dhokra Artisans during the period in question. In addition to the various chores around the house and the administration of day-to-day life like a typical woman.

Currently, she works side-by-side with her younger son Vikas to produce these fantastic artifacts. She is frequently seen placing the patterns on clay tablets and winding thin ribbons of beeswax around the mold to give the final product elaborate designs. Both of these processes are necessary for giving the product its final appearance. Therefore, the ingenuity and careful craftsmanship displayed by the artist in Dhokra handicrafts are responsible for the minute and laborious features that give each item a one-of-a-kind appearance.

The female craftsman, on the other hand, thinks that plaudits are of no worth when they are unable to alter the predicament of their intolerable day-to-day obstacles and their low economic conditions.