Indian craft sector is in need of social entrepreneurs who have a vision and a strong will to revive crafts and help artisans build a sustainable model for times to come. By Swati Sharma
Industry experts too feel that though the Indian handicraft industry has a bright future ahead, it is still clogged with several issues like inadequate infrastructure, effective polices, et al. “Every country does its best to promote and safeguard its works and artisans behind it, then why not in India?” questions Adarsh Kumar, Executive Director, All India Artisans and Craftworkers Welfare Association (AIACA). In fact, in collaboration with Aid to Artisans (ATA), an international NGO that works in over 110 countries, AIACA is now in the process of forming a global community that unites artisans, organisations & experts, which in turn will work towards enhancing incomes of artisans and giving them more opportunities by exploring new commercially sustainable models of livelihood.
Further, organisations like Dastkar, a registered NGO, too are working towards creating self reliant craft groups (in villages of Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar) who are not only able to take responsibility of their own design, production, accounting and marketing, but are also free from the shackles of money lenders and middlemen. Even well-known designers, including Ritu Kumar, Rohit Bal, et al, are now taking initiatives to promote this dying heritage of India. For instance, Nitin Bal Chauhan, a fashion designer and artist who graduated from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi, in 2002, chose to work for the upliftment of the crafts of Himachal Pradesh. Later, he formed an NGO by the name of 'Sewa Himalaya'.
Although government organisations like Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) and All India Handicrafts Board (AIHB) are there to take care of the interests of artisans, but it's not enough. "The problem is the government is still looking at the sector from the lens of welfare measures. What is needed is a reorientation to look at the sector from the point of view of building business competitiveness," says Kumar.
This will mean looking at policies that promote access to credit, brand building expenditures, design & copyright issues, tax incentives for investments in building supply chains & retail outlets that promote crafts. But a still fragmented nature of the crafts industry reveals that there is a little political pressure for policy reform for the sector. And unless that happens, India's rich cultural heritage can't really get a bigger space in the world craft map.
Industry experts too feel that though the Indian handicraft industry has a bright future ahead, it is still clogged with several issues like inadequate infrastructure, effective polices, et al. “Every country does its best to promote and safeguard its works and artisans behind it, then why not in India?” questions Adarsh Kumar, Executive Director, All India Artisans and Craftworkers Welfare Association (AIACA). In fact, in collaboration with Aid to Artisans (ATA), an international NGO that works in over 110 countries, AIACA is now in the process of forming a global community that unites artisans, organisations & experts, which in turn will work towards enhancing incomes of artisans and giving them more opportunities by exploring new commercially sustainable models of livelihood.
Further, organisations like Dastkar, a registered NGO, too are working towards creating self reliant craft groups (in villages of Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar) who are not only able to take responsibility of their own design, production, accounting and marketing, but are also free from the shackles of money lenders and middlemen. Even well-known designers, including Ritu Kumar, Rohit Bal, et al, are now taking initiatives to promote this dying heritage of India. For instance, Nitin Bal Chauhan, a fashion designer and artist who graduated from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi, in 2002, chose to work for the upliftment of the crafts of Himachal Pradesh. Later, he formed an NGO by the name of 'Sewa Himalaya'.
Although government organisations like Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) and All India Handicrafts Board (AIHB) are there to take care of the interests of artisans, but it's not enough. "The problem is the government is still looking at the sector from the lens of welfare measures. What is needed is a reorientation to look at the sector from the point of view of building business competitiveness," says Kumar.
This will mean looking at policies that promote access to credit, brand building expenditures, design & copyright issues, tax incentives for investments in building supply chains & retail outlets that promote crafts. But a still fragmented nature of the crafts industry reveals that there is a little political pressure for policy reform for the sector. And unless that happens, India's rich cultural heritage can't really get a bigger space in the world craft map.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
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2012 : DNA National B-School Survey 2012An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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