I remember working as a volunteer in the International Trade Fair a few years back. Well known for instigating trade relations, it works as a wonder tool for ‘small-town’ artisans. I had never heard of Madhubani or Bandhej before, but state-wise exhibitions took me closer to the twisted threads of local India.
I was curious to see how these people do that with their hands! Those exquisite Madhubani and Warli paintings, graceful Bhagalpuri and Banarasi silk, sublime Pashmina, and not to forget the ethereal terracotta, their muse, our wares! But what intrigued me more was the buyer’s attitude towards this exceptional knack. Others were equally fascinated and laid their eyes on the exhibited artefacts but something stopped the patrons from buying them. Later I discovered it was the ‘price tags’.
Carved by diverse cultures, beliefs and behaviors, the handicraft art is more than 5000 years old now. The chikan of Lucknow, dhotis and dopattas of Ahmedabad, silk bordered clothes of Nagpur, Umrer and Pasni in central provinces, the Palampore industry of Madras formed the textile base in India. Other than silk, Varanasi was also famous for brass, copper and bell-metal wares. And the shawls, we all know the next word. The handmade craft was the soul of ancient India and it adorned chateaus of the Nawabs.
The traditional business started fading in the 18th century and lost the context in the 19th century with the invasion of European traders into the Indian terrain. Soon, the Nawabi courts were abolished and the arty art lost its eternal shelters. With the disappearance of the native Indian counts and the rise of newly-found and developed form of industry gave a setback to the handicraft identity.
The new industry brought with it the new ways of business, cheaper and inferior. Adulteration in textile and harmful dyes were introduced, all this to tempt the buyer for a low-cost product promising to be the original piece of art. Attraction towards western civilization took a toll on the Indian ancestry. Now, the handicraft art is a thing of the past, leaning to a slow death and mainly due to the ineptness of the artisans towards the world of marketing.
In the present marketing age, the sustainability of every product depends on its ability to capitalize upon its core competencies. Then no matter, whether it is a toothpaste pack or pots for ‘pooja’, the marketing logic remains same for all. Today’s consumer is not only attracted towards the usefulness of the product, but constant hammering by advertising industry and attractive packaging also plays an equally important role in pulling him towards products. Besides change in fashion sense and tastes, marketing has a big role to play in influencing the buying behaviour of the consumers.
The current business environment is too demanding. Are you faring well on the technology front, is the social and political environment favourable for the business or is the business reaping fruits— these are the pillars of any successful setup.
And when you end up reading the above three lines, I am sure you must have forgotten that we were talking about the handicrafts. I don’t blame you. Handicrafts and business are in stark contrast with each other and that’s one big reason behind dying arts in India.
Nonetheless, the handicraft sector is the most unorganized. The entrepreneurs involved in this realm are those who live at the verge of starvation. Coming from the world of social injustice and incessant poverty, it is difficult for these backward classes and minorities to embrace avant-garde management formulae and latest technology.
With poor infrastructure in place and lack of capital, the handicraft units remain local. The stakes in the issues of authenticity are high and hence it denies capital from potential investors and the transition from obsolete to modern practices gets even more difficult for the local entrepreneur.
Now taking all this in perspective, I guess the ‘price tags’ are now well justified. The immense hard work that goes into making of those artefacts explains it all. The death of handicrafts is not just about the ‘buyer story’; it also comes from the unwillingness of the new generations to join the family tradition of handiwork. And needless to say why!
And if we look at the statistics, the handicraft exports were expected to register a surge in 2008 from Rs. 17,000 crore to Rs. 30,000 crore in 2010. But unfortunately and actually the value came down to Rs. 8,000 crore in 2010 (Rs. 30,000 being a far cry).
With this, it appears that one has to fight an uphill battle to reinvent this picture. But it comes to us as a responsibility to shelter and preserve our inheritance. Initiatives by NIFT to culminate the old art in the new designs have proved fruitful in revitalizing the old fangled. With immense social capital in hand, it’s not much of a task to create self-help groups and propagate, as I call it, the arty art.
So, we can only hope for this sector with its highly skilled indigenised and earthy flavour to gain resurgence. Subliminal advertising comes in form of fashion-designers using its concepts to boost their line in a particular trendy season. At the other end, are handicrafts-focussed exhibition displaying their wares in several places, the recent one being a 10-day affair at Nellore organised by All India Handicrafts and Artistic Textiles Expo. With these endeavours, one may hope that the earthy tones will beckon the fast westernising populace of India towards its rich heritage. Till then, the sector continues to languish!
And as it has been rightly said, “If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.”
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