The Skilling Centre in Lucknow, already a familiar space for the community it serves, hosted something new on 1st August 2026 — FLO Lucknow’s first Haqdarshak Camp, a national initiative adopted by the chapter to help artisans access government support schemes.
The premise is simple but deeply impactful. Government schemes designed for artisans — covering financial assistance, skill certification, market access, and other livelihood support — often remain underutilised, not because artisans are ineligible, but because they lack personalised guidance on what they are entitled to and how to access it.
The Haqdarshak Camp seeks to bridge that gap, one artisan at a time.
More than 50 artisans attended the inaugural camp, with immediate results. By the end of the day, more than 25 artisans had been connected to two or more government schemes each. Rather than simply receiving information, participants were supported through documentation, eligibility verification, and the application process, turning awareness into meaningful access.
For artisans who may have spent years unaware that these schemes were available to them, the camp represented a tangible opportunity to strengthen and support their livelihoods.
FLO Lucknow’s decision to host the camp at its existing Skilling Centre also played an important role. Many artisans were already familiar with the space and had an existing connection with FLO through earlier skilling initiatives. This familiarity helped create an accessible and trusted environment from the very first day.
The inaugural camp was designed as a beginning, not an endpoint. FLO Lucknow has set a three-month target of reaching 600 artisans across the city. With more than 50 artisans attending the first camp and 25+ already connected to multiple schemes, the foundation for the campaign is firmly in place.
The process has begun. What follows is a sustained effort — camp by camp and artisan by artisan — to turn government schemes into real opportunities for the people they are designed to support.
Kalasrot Art Gallery in Aliganj transformed into a working studio on the afternoon of 28th July 2026, as twenty members gathered for an immersive resin art workshop. With protective sheets covering the tables and a quiet sense of concentration filling the room, members stepped into an entirely new creative medium.
The session began with the fundamentals of resin — understanding how it behaves, how it cures, and what makes it both forgiving and unforgiving. For many members, this was their first experience with resin, and the introduction helped make an unfamiliar medium feel approachable.
The workshop then moved into mixing and colouring, one of the most creatively satisfying stages of the process. Members experimented with different colour combinations, some choosing subtle palettes while others embraced bold shades. As each person made their creative choices, it became clear that no two platters would look alike.
Design techniques and embellishments followed, with members layering, swirling, and adding decorative elements to create depth and character. The process required patience and a steady hand — qualities that several members discovered they had more of than they had expected.
The most memorable moment of the afternoon, however, had little to do with technique.
A small hiccup arose during the process, the kind of minor mishap that resin work can occasionally bring. Instead of troubleshooting alone, members immediately stepped in to help. Advice was shared, hands helped steady a tilting platter, and what could have been a frustrating setback became a wonderful demonstration of what FLO’s Art Circle is all about — women showing up for and supporting one another, even in the smallest moments.
By the end of the session, all twenty members left Kalasrot Art Gallery with a handcrafted resin platter and, perhaps more importantly, the confidence that comes from creating something beautiful they had never imagined they could make that morning.