THE SLOW DEATH OF

INDIAN HANDICRAFTS
Indian handicrafts and traditional crafts showcase
the rich heritage and true culture of our
nations.With beautiful designs, the artisans carry a
legacy of their land, myth, culture and carve their
art into forms that can be forwarded to generations.
The condition of this industry in India has been
changed now.Instead of higher potentialities. This
sector is suffering from the acute decline in export
business.
Below are difficulties Indian artisans have been
facing since renent:
Processing and procuring raw materials:
Earlier, raw materials used by artisans were largely accessible
due to the close links between the evolution of crafts and
locally available materials. Further, the Jajmani system, which
mainly comprises artisanal caste and the village community to
supply goods and services; offered artisans with access to
community resources. Over the time, this traditional structure
has been broken down along with competition from organized
industry; artisans find it difficult to buy quality raw materials
at a price they can afford to pay. In the absence of raw
material banks, these local artisans are forced to rely on local
traders who provide them raw materials against orders, at high
prices, or switch to non-traditional raw materials.

Aggregation and mediator trade:

The process of aggregation involves bringing products from
decentralized units with aim to enable economies of scale in
transportation, storage, and retail. Due to the dull status of
 infrastructure and lack of communication in the country,
aggregating the product is a difficult job to do. This, as a
result, leads to many of the troubles in the chain of crafts
supply. Buyers and retailers both lack incentives to rise above
upstream, supply-side issues, which resulting in loss of
opportunities for artisans to access markets.

Production:
The techniques and the process of crafting vary from one craft
to another; the production takes place in households, with all
the family members get engaged in various aspects of the
process. Even though there are organized artisans structures
exist, those craftsmen typically produce within community
settings. The production of handcrafted products is mostly
seasonal, with crafts activity being balanced for the period of
the harvest season, as most of the artisans is also engaged in
agriculture to for their livelihood.

Markets:
The market for hand crafted products can be understood as
local, retail shops – high-end as well as mainstream,
exhibitions and exports. Out of all these, local markets are still
the most common market for many artisans. The new age
markets, national as well as international, have grown with an
expanding demand for products that have a story linked to
them. However, such products are low in supply due to
inefficiencies in the supply chain.

Demand:
With the beginning of globalization and the availability of
more affordable and varied products, the market is facing
severe competition in the global market. These products are
 typically perceived as traditional, old-fashioned and
antithetical to modern tastes. There have been lesser efforts
made in order to reposition the image of handicrafts in India
and build customer appreciation of the history and cultural
identity associated with these products. Apart from that, there
have been a few instances of traditional crafts being
contemporized to fit with changing market patterns.

This can be observed through

changes noticed in different
Indian states.
 KASHMIR
HANDICRAFTS
Kashmir, the lovely paradise on earth, is a place that is
a melting pot of cultures. People from Persia, Tibet,
North Asia, Central Asia, and other parts of the world
have come, been conquered by its beauty, and stayed. It
is only to be expected that such ethnic diversity would
also promote the culture and reflect in the arts and crafts
of the region Kashmiri.

Handicrafts are unique and some of them, like

pashmina shawls, are highly prized throughout the
world. Another factor that promotes extensive
handicrafts apart from culture is the weather and the
cold winters may partly be responsible for people
staying and working indoors. Carpet-making is an
arduous, time-consuming task and Kashmir carpets,
following the Persian styles, are a case in point.
Kashmir is known for its handicraft items such as
carpets, shawls, silk, crewel stitched and embroidered
fabrics, wood carvings in walnut wood, papier-mache
products, wall hangings, silver and bronze craft, namdas
or rugs, and basketry.
 TIMES HAVE NOTICED TOUGH
DECLINES IN LOCAL INDUSTRY
According to the industry, exports that were to the tune of Rs 1,800
crore in 2013-14, slipped to about Rs 1,200 crore in 2017-18.
Kashmir’s handicrafts, including carpets, are sold in the Middle-East
and European market. Germany is the major hub in Europe. The
Valley mainly exports handicrafts such as silk carpets, crewel,
namdah, chain stitch, wood carving and papier machie.

“Before 2014, on an average we exported handicrafts worth Rs 1,700-

1,800 crore annually. However, it dipped to Rs 1,300 crore in 2014-15
in the wake of September floods. Later, the 2016 unrest happened and
it further dipped to Rs 1,100 crore only in 2016-17,” said Mushtaq
Wani, businessman and former president of the Kashmir Chamber of
Commerce and Industries (KCC&I).

The flood that hit the valley in 2016 had inundated most parts of
Srinagar city where artisans and most of the exporters live. This
disrupted the entire supply chain and rendered almost 1 lakh workers
jobless.

A slight increase in exports was seen initially in 2017-18 but then the
GST came as a rude shock, said Sheikh Ashiq, an exporter, who is
also the member of the Committee of Administration, Carpet Export
Promotion Council of India.

“We were shocked when 12% GST was imposed on handicrafts. After
almost a year, the tax was reduced to 5% in June this year after
protests,” he said.

The sector, especially the carpet industry, needs a helping hand to

help it get back on its feet, he said. “The reduction in the GST rate
will help a bit, but the sector still needs a big push. In the last budget,
Rs 5 crore was allocated for marketing support, but we are still
waiting for its implementation
INDUSTRIAL DECLINE IN PUNJAB
The rich tradition of Punjab handicrafts includes
Phulkari along with Pidhis, Jootis, Durries and
Parandis. Phulkari is however the most popular of them
all. Many of the crafts are used as household items or
decorative items in houses and portray the colorful
identity of the state. Weaving durries is mainly done by
girls and they begin learning the same since childhood.
But this long tradition of glories and colours for the
local craftspersons in Punjab has noticed a steady
decline since years.
Phulkari Artisans and craftsmen make use of
number of techniques combined with exquisite and
vibrant designs to make the most intriguing artistic
artifacts. Till early 19th century, the Phulkaris
were produced for domestic consumption (within
the family) only. It was only in later part of the
19th Century, in times of famines and hardships
that the Phulkaries were put to sale and
commercialization.
 CASE OF RAJASTHAN
The handicraft sector of Rajasthan is a cultural
heritage of the north-western state of India and
exemplifies the most rustic, ethnic and aesthetic
artefacts the soil has to offer. The handicraft sector
is facing survival threats and is in need of
conservation strategies much like our depleting
resources in fauna and flora. The advent of
globalisation has not only opened up new
avenues for cultural exchange and marketing but
has also increased the risk of exhaustion of
traditional arts and crafts due to our dynamic
market needs. This has had
disastrous effects on the quality of traditional
handicrafts as presented by the artisans, artists,
and craftsmen of the older era.
Handicrafts are an important productive sector
and export commodity for many developing
countries and in some countries constitutes a
significant part of the export economy. The
growth of international markets for home
accessory products and an increased interest in
global goods have opened up new-market
opportunities for artisans. In India, handicraft
industry is a major source of income for rural
communities employing over six million
artisans including a large number of women
and people belonging to the weaker sections of
the society. However, observers of the
handicrafts sector predict that the escalating
number of small businesses turning to
handicraft production is unlikely to decline
significantly in the future. The present study
entails the various problems of the handicraft
industry which can be worked upon by the
mutual association ship of the Indian
government and the handicraft exporters in
order to boost and promote the traditional
sector.This can all be controlled by following
these steps: