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In India, characterised by extreme income disparity and high levels of precarious and informal labour, social entrepreneurship could challenge the status quo by improving existing systems with creative solutions. The present chapter discusses the case of the innovative venture ‘Chamar Studio’. It demonstrates how a social entrepreneur, by rehabilitating the traditional skills of leatherworkers, succeeds in enhancing labour conditions and re-claiming the identity of a low-caste community in Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum. Working with leather is traditionally associated with the Chamar community and by the higher castes considered impure . Moreover, the notion ‘Chamar’ and their identity as leatherworkers have long lastingly been used against a large group of people, which perpetuates the discrimination prevalent within the Indian caste system. Instead of disassociating from the traditional caste-based occupations and social stigma, with his ‘Chamar Studio’, Sudheer Rajbhar deploys the skills of leatherworkers to design and manufacture bags from recyclable rubber tyres. As a social entrepreneur, Sudheer improves the working conditions of the artisans; he also leverages the skills of manual workers into a craft; he provides a sustainable alternative for a scarce resource (leather); and he challenges severe social stereotypes. We expose why Sudheer’s innovative, social entrepreneurship can be considered to be jugaad , or: frugal, flexible, and inclusive.
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