Learning Within a Working Handloom Ecosystem
Charaka offers structured, hands-on internship opportunities within its production ecosystem for college students and researchers seeking direct exposure to handloom-based livelihoods, cooperative systems, and textile production processes.
Interns are placed within the Production Department, where training spans the full lifecycle of handloom textile making. This includes practical exposure to natural dyeing, textile design, sewing, embroidery, pattern making, tailoring, and finishing processes. The internship is designed to move beyond observation, allowing students to engage meaningfully with real production environments and artisan-led workflows.
Who the Internship Is For
Charaka has hosted interns from a wide range of academic backgrounds and institutions. Past interns have included students and researchers from design, management, social sciences, textiles, and development studies, ranging from undergraduate and postgraduate levels to Master’s and PhD programs.
The organisation has previously received interns from institutions such as NID, NIFT, Azim Premji University, and the IIMs, among others.
Facilities and Living Arrangements
During the internship period, food, snacks, and accommodation are made available at subsidised rates, subject to availability. These facilities are intended to support students during their training period and allow them to stay close to the production environment.
Code of Conduct
All interns are required to follow the rules and regulations of the Charaka association during the training period. This includes adherence to workplace norms, cooperative values, and production schedules, ensuring a respectful and disciplined learning environment for both interns and artisan members.
A Practice-Led Learning Experience
Internships at Charaka are best suited for students who are interested in learning through practice, understanding handloom systems from within, and engaging with textiles not only as products, but as outcomes of labour, skill, and cooperative organisation.
