Age long techniques and knowledge of material applied in the creation of everyday use objects. The origin of crafts goes a long way back, to the Indus valley civilization. It had its fair share of evolution through the centuries that followed from the Vedic, Mauryan, Mughal period to the British colonization and the onset of industrialization. With the last decade of our newfound Independence, creation of a democratic unified country, the latest revolution in the information technology, automation and the changes in our socio-economic status and policies, the crafts of India have gone through several impactful events which leads us to the present scenario of the sector of craft.
Craft is a strong source of identity for the craftspeople practicing it. It was not seen as a separate activity that they practised, it gave them the narration and a meaning for their life. It is a material evolvement of the identity of the community, a material culmination of its tradition, culture, environment, and religion and has developed through a long line of rich cultural heritage. The function of crafts varies from being utilitarian, ornamental to finding purposes in religious, ritualistic and festival purposes. Crafts now are much more susceptible to cross-cultural influences pertaining through the increasing spread of media, internet and education.
The Development Commissioner of Handicrafts defined crafts as ‘items made by hand, often with the use of simple tools and generally artistic and /or traditional in nature. They include objects of utility and objects of decoration’. The three main confluence for the creation of a craft comes with a) a craftsman along with his ability working on b) the raw materials with a little help from the c) simple tools that aids where human abilities limit him.
The raw material sourcing is done in local areas, in remote areas and are also brought in through middle men in cases of brands bringing raw material with them for the orders that they place. The local raw material sourcing is possible because of the material’s geographical availability. The increasing popularity of the craft has also led to proper farming of the raw material such as in the case of Muga silk of Assam, Rearing of Eri, Muga and Mulberry silk worm are playing an important role in the economic development of a large section of the rural population of the State. It is practiced in more than 10532 villages and provides employment to 2.6 lakh families. The remote sourcing of material comes in the picture with the unavailability of material in near affinity. High cost of good quality raw material also causes a problem for its procurement by the craftsmen who usually have little to no extra finance, to invest in it by themselves. With the middle men such as govt, NGOs and brands coming into picture, to ensure regular supply of raw material at affordable economic rates, government has set up raw material depots, where raw materials are stored for its procurement.
For certain crafts, the tools used in its creation is another craft product itself as in the case of the block printing where the blocks itself becomes a tool for block printing (in case of Ajrak). With advents in industrialization, other processing tools have been industrialized causing in ease of the process due to better efficient tools in picture. The new technologies also affected the craft process, through the pre-making, making to post-making craft processes. With pre-making processes, procurement and treatment of raw materials got efficient, leading to better quality and higher priced raw material. Better sanding and cutting machines for the making process got introduced in cases of stone craving. New packaging and finishing mechanisms also came into picture as a part of value addition. Nevertheless, even with the increasing pace of progress in new technology, there is low level of penetration of the technology in the craft sector yet.
With the presence of raw material and tools described above, it should be added that it is still the ability of the craftsmen that brings out quality craft product. The skills and ability of a crafts-person is still mostly restricted to the knowledge of material, process and the craft itself, with very few comparative market knowledge. Based on the ability, four major divisions made would be Master-craftsmen, Craftsmen, Apprentice and newly joined, where master-craftsmen as the name suggests displays the highest skill and brings novelty in the craft. Apart from the newly joined category of craftsmen, all other craftsmen majorly learn the craft from within the family itself, passed down through the generations.
It is a labor intensive sector where craftsmen get less return in the terms of money, recognition, value for craft for the much more investment they put into it in terms of effort, time and number of manpower, leading the craftsmen themselves to switching to other jobs or wanting a different life for their children.
Whereas a strong identity derivation from the craft practice and craft also being a matter of pride for the craftsmen coupled with lack of other job opportunities keeps the practice intact in many other families.
Living environment and the role of gender in crafts
The living environment and work spaces are pretty well merged in practicing craft as craftsmen practice it around the house. They are exposed to arduous positions for long hours which often leads to ergonomic related issues. There are also no set standards of practicing when dealing with harmful noise, substances, and particles for breathing or for exposure to chemically hazardous material which leads to health issues.
With some crafts, the entire family members are involved in its creation with division of different processes based on gender stereotypes and abilities. It would be important to look at the dynamics of gender play and division of work accordingly. Men owing to their physical strength and the patriarchal status of society mostly do the hard-labor work in the craft sector. It is the men who owns the responsibility of travelling to nearby localities or cities, for selling and marketing the products in order to ensure economic security. Although in most of the areas it’s the women who practice the craft in the village along with taking care of the household works. Intricate detailed hand works and ceremonial craft works are categorized as feminine crafts requiring time to finish and are mostly done by women. The socio-economic status of women is lower than the male counterpart. All of these led to the introduction of the new policies and schemes for women empowerment like reserved seats to improve education, to reservations in craft awards for recognition.
Caste and community dynamics
Within a village itself, caste and community played a major role in defining the dynamics within the community in terms of hierarchy and along with it a division of occupation within the community. It is also tied with associating the material worked with and its perceived value with the caste and hence their level of involvement in the village such as the community of leather craftsmen live in outcast-ed areas of the village.
The more economically well off craftsmen in the rural context either have lands to them where they work upon during off seasons of the craft, or are able to hire others. Those without the lands also take upon animal husbandry as another means of income. Crafts such as pottery, glass work have off season during rainy seasons during which there is a need of other source of income.
There is a presence of multiple craftspeople in a village, but only a very few crafts person get high visibility and frequent contacts from the middle men, owing to the factors of ease of approach, the support they get from their family, word of mouth and their own networking skills. Such few crafts person in turn hire other craftsmen under them for the orders that they receive. The dynamics has shifted the interdependent community system to monopoly players in the craft community. Such crafts person also become the representative of the community and a connection between major middle men and the community of craftsmen themselves.
Craftsmen migration and the semi-urban cluster
The migration of craftspeople to urban cities stems from a low income from crafts and a need of better paying jobs along with a need to moving up the social strata. The semi-urban cluster in the urban setting are much more influenced by the urban facilities of education facilities, availability of other job opportunities, healthcare facilities and telecommunication. The living spaces are congested with still poor un-standardized work spaces and basic facility of electricity and water issues. Self-promotion and networking through social media and whatsapp is prevalent for higher visibility. The proximity to the urban market and other urban organisations provides more accessibility to direct market hence reducing multiple middle-men in between as compared to rural craftsmen.
The local market and the sustaining factors
The immediate market has always been majorly the local market. The craftsmen understood the need and the demand of the community. However, there has been a loss of traditional market due to penetration of volume mass manufactured products which are cheaper, replacing the daily use crafts. The needs of the local market now are generated by festivals, functions, marriages and other rituals mainly. Local festivals and fairs provides a platform for selling and is also a means of seasonal work.
The urban and the global market, the bridging links and the sustaining factors
The stakeholders other than the middle men which come into picture are the Government organisations, NGOs, Central and state craft organisations, brands and export houses. The middle men bridges the gap between the craftsmen and the increasing urban market for craft. The expansion of the market from earlier localized ones also led to the disconnect between the craftsmen and the consumer wherein the maker does not know for whom they are making and the buyer is ignorant of the maker and their effort.
All the stakeholders tap into different areas of potential that the craft sector holds. The export houses cater to the global market which is every increasing for the crafts. India has a 2% share of Indian crafts in the 400-billion dollar global crafts market. Export is projected to increase 18% annually and contribute 10% employment opportunity. With the common global challenges of climate change, growing awareness and affinity towards organic, sustainable, slow fashion, the market Value for organic handmade product is currently on the rise. Brands have tapped this very potential of crafts being sustainable for their venture into crafts sector and has been working on combining craft with trends and contemporizing it, making it relevant to the urban masses and hereby also generating employment for the craftspeople.
The urban market provides the exposure and the platform needed by the craftspeople. It owns the potential of generating income, increased demands, and the recognition which remains due to the craftspeople.
The Craft & cottage industry is the most significant non-agricultural decentralized/unorganized sector of the Indian economy. In the wake of Govt. attempt to organise the sector and tap into its full potential it works on multiple value chain of the craft sector. The govt. provides market platforms through multiple exhibitions, HAATS, fairs and emporias, wherein efforts are also put into making the customer realize the cultural context of the craft and the effort that goes into it. One of the major competitors in the market remains to be the mass produced industrialized products flooding in domestically and also via imports from other countries such as china. Domestically, mass produced fake craft led to loss of market due to fake craft flooding in which were sold cheaper for the similar handmade looks.
Protection of crafts ingenuity
This affected the craftsmen and the identity of the craft which led to govt initiatives aimed at creating protection and preservation of craft’s ingenuity owing to the craftsmen and its community through the creation of GI tag, Craftmark logo and also through handicraft census. With over 200 crafts GI tagged, it is beneficial to the owners as they can safeguard their products from unauthorized commercial use. But the presence of GI tag has still left some room for improvements as the craftsmen at the end of the day do not know whom to blame when their craft is fake produced and sold in the market.
The Craftmark logo was an initiative to provide a mark for genuine handicraft for the consumers to authenticate their purchase as true handicraft. Infrastructures are also created for documentation and preservation of the handicrafts such as private exhibitions and museums.
Artisan ID cards
Under a standardized organizing attempt by the govt comes the artisan ID and tribal ID card which aims in providing a legal identity to the craftsperson and to aid in handicraft census. This identification provides an aid to take part in the opportunities provided by the government and other bodies such as participation in the market platforms, training and education facilities, financial and other aids. The attempt of standardization and identification by the govt, brings in the other artisan validation certificate for the upliftment of artisans, such as the Thatan society in Kerela. Such identification helps in providing financial aid such as health insurance and home loans and reservations.
Training and education
Training and education workshops are implemented by various organisations dealing at various sections of the value chain, from hand skill up-gradation, raw material exploration , entrepreneurship skills, including training institution for women, specially-abled and for the craftsmen’s children, aiming at overall self-sustainability and self-reliance of the women and handicapped through means of craft as livelihood. With the higher visibility of the craft in the market and its huge potential of economic and employment generation there is an increasing involvement of the educational institutes such as design schools and management schools in providing design innovation, R&D solution, and entrepreneurial workshops, seminars to craftsmen communities.
Government policies and schemes
The policies and schemes of govt. aims at wages, support for women education, support in their old age and policies that aid the physical health by providing medical facilities through provision of infrastructure in terms of hospitals and clinics and its affordability. However, inaccessibility and awareness of such schemes and policies holds a barrier to ultimately availing all such facilities.
The emerging technology in the fields of infrastructure, telecommunication and social media led to sharing, trading, consuming goods easier owing to better connectivity. This increased connectivity coupled with increasing purchasing power and an increasing tourists attraction campaigns targeting cultural, heritage and historical aspect has led to both an increase in the expansion of the urban market and an increase in the tourist footfall. Telecommunication in the rural setting pertains in the maintenance of connectivity to the middle men. However there is also copying of designs from internet, an attempt made by the crafts person to make their craft relevant to the urban market that they are not aware of.
Tourism holds high economic potential. The tourism department of central and state government taps this potential of strategizes with promotion of regional craft. The major domestic tourism is pilgrimage based while the international attraction is the heritage and the wide geographical variance. In terms of handicrafts, tourism strategies have evolved from product souvenirs to catering experiences, around the craft process and the lifestyle of the craftsperson. The rural tourism includes home stay with the craft community for an immersive experience of lifestyle by inviting tourists to their working spaces therein increasing promotion, visibility and also sales of craftsmen and their craft.
There are an Estimated 23 million craftsmen engaged in 360 craft clusters in India. These craft clusters are created with multiple crafts communities across multiple villages. There are multiple self-help groups created among communities as well within which schemes of micro-financing is conducted.
NGOs come closely as an organisation working with a community in their vicinity, either aiding directly to the craft or through other aspects of their lives, health and environment. Under Corporate Social Responsibilities, CSR projects, companies also tie up with NGOs in conducting the craft welfare projects. The craft related policies of the government aim at the production, distribution, and demand of craft to create economic stability within craftsmen community and to create an organised employment sector. Policies provide financial aids as subsidies, grants, incentives, etc. and the necessary facilities for the production like better workspaces and provision of raw materials.
An estimated 23 million craftsmen are engaged in 360 craft clusters in India. India's Craft sector occupies a viable socio-economic space within the country's development framework and possesses an enormous potential for employment generation, growth and wealth creation, including stemming of rural to urban migration with a potential of creating a rural ecosystem of self sustainable economy. It has been a collective effort of all these various stakeholders at different value chain aiding overall in organizing of the craft sector in India.