Traditional handlooms, crafts and Indian handicrafts are essential for both the nation’s culture and economy, benefitting millions of locals. Over the years, weaving, pottery and both simple and detailed embroidery and metalwork have been the main sources of income in rural areas. Because of their historical and economic value, many crafts could soon disappear from the world. Thanks to young folk eager to learn, we have a roadmap for moving ahead and senior artisans are key to continuing these traditions.
Having an economical, cultural, social and environmental impact is important for the handicraft sector. Traditional crafts support the employment of more than 17.5 million people directly in India.[1]Not only do artisans earn income, but the supply chains for raw materials, retail, logistics and marketing in the sector together support an additional 200 million people by providing jobs.
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Indian Arts and Crafts History
Most traditional arts and handicrafts happen in rural areas, so the sector supports development in rural areas. Most of these activities are done at home which allows people from the villages to earn a living there, strengthening the neighborhoods and avoiding even more crowded cities. A large number of artisans are women and senior citizens which means the sector is significant for the economy and also helps empower women and improve the lives of seniors.
Indian handicrafts are appreciated all over the world for their cultural value and international allure. Both the Chanderi sarees and Kundan jewellery from India’s states artfully display its wide range of cultural traditions and are main attractions to tourists. Also, it is standard for most handloom and craft items to consist of locally sourced, natural materials which mean they are great eco-friendly options to regular, mass-made items.
Rising Demand of Handcrafted Accessories India
At the same time as their cultural and environmental value, there is increasing interest in using these products. Handloom textiles and handicrafts are still in high demand at Indian weddings and for ceremonial celebrations. This need for tourism is rapidly increasing because more people want to see the real thing, care about cultural heritage and want to tour in an environmentally friendly manner.
Demand of Handcrafted Accessories India: For weddings, festivals and special traditional events, people often prefer buying Khadi, Banarasi sarees, Kanjeevaram sarees and similar fabrics. According to KVIC, Khadi sales reached a record ₹3,000 crore (~$350 million) in 2020-21 which is 24% higher than the previous year. In 2020-21, handloom exports were around ₹18,200 crore or around $2.1 billion.
The number of sales for Indian handicrafts for use as wedding gifts, gifts for holidays and other occasions is on the rise. For the past few years, the IHEC has found a rise in sales of handcrafted jewellery, woodwork, pottery and traditional gifts—and especially for wedding and festival presents. Total exports of handicrafts in 2022-23 were valued at Rs. 30,019 crore (about US$ 3.60 billion). The value of handicraft exports from India in 2021-22 was Rs. 32,408 crore (~US$ 4.35 billion), up 25.7% from the previous year.
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The fact that some people are becoming richer is also a major reason why more of these products are being bought. India’s middle class is growing very quickly. India’s middle-income households are estimated to grow from 50 million in 2018 to 200 million by 2030. The sector is also growing at a CAGR of over 10% between 2023 and 2028,due to consumers becoming more aware of sustainability.
As a result, people are expected to spend more on traditional handlooms and handmade items. So, India’s traditional handlooms and handicrafts are well prepared to do well within the country and internationally.
Extinction of Traditional Indian Handicrafts
In spite of their deep cultural and financial importance, traditional crafts in India are almost gone. Several reasons are adding to this crisis. Because machine-made items and fast fashion are now cheaper and more popular, fewer people want handlooms and handicrafts, especially when affordability is a main concern.
Because of migration to big cities, many young people now refuse to learn these traditional skills. With little access to their traditional training, many seniors artisans have a hard time giving their skills to the next generation. Because families are smaller and opportunities abound in office work, many youngsters think there’s little reason to continue these traditions. Because of this, the well-known apprenticeship model is now in decline which cuts younger people off from their cultural roots and causes the decrease in supply, as market segments that care about culture and sustainability still want more products and services.
What is important is government support and initiatives. The Indian government supports traditional crafts by operating programs like the National Handloom Development Programme, the PM-VKSS and GI tagging. They equip artisans with money, promote their products and give them useful technology access. Yet, these programs tend to be confusing and poorly organized, so their total utility is reduced.
A better-organized system will make it simpler for artisans to make use of the support that is provided. Gathering these initiatives within a single, well-controlled system would help artisans by making everything less complicated.
These centers can greatly help by designing specialized courses to fill the information gap between senior artisans and interested but less experienced learners. By combining timeless crafts with trendy design and technology, these centres could continue to be important in the current market.
Why Senior Indian Artisans are so Important?
Senior Indian Artisans History: The flavor and identity of India’s crafts are preserved largely by senior Indian artisans. Since they have worked in these traditions for many decades, they have the abilities to teach the next generation. Unless tradition is taught to new generations, these trades could soon disappear.
For this reason, mentorship programs should be given top priority. Guiding younger learners through both old craft skills and up-to-date business methods (branding, marketing and e-commerce) by senior artisans can help save the craft and ready the new generation for the market. The importance of both making craft and learning about its cultural history and application today should be strongly emphasized when these programs are explained to educational institutions.
Helping to Overcome Differences Between the Younger and Older Generations
Although youth are enthusiastic about traditional crafts, it’s tough for them to find someone to teach them, as the main skill holders tend to be found outside cities and the skills are not offered in formal education. Because most crafts are hard to find, it becomes difficult for beginners to work with talented experts.
To close the gap, both the government and private organizations should support building online platforms that host webinars, online lessons and mentorship workshops. The platforms would make it possible for elder master artisans to guide younger learners from elsewhere and encourage them to collaborate across the country. With this system, mentorship is open to anyone and the knowledge is also kept safely in digital form for children in the future.
Besides, local celebrations, exhibits and fairs offer great opportunities for collaboration, with senior artisans being featured as mentors and leaders. These events can help starting artisans bring attention to their work which may inspire people to support traditional craftsmanship.
Opening More Markets for Traditional Indian Artisans
Accessing a market is a major difficulty for traditional artisans. Because people are asking for more sustainable and ethical goods, there is an excellent chance for India’s crafts to operate both locally and globally.
They function as an effective way to increase who can buy and sell goods. If artisans use dedicated e-sites and share images of their work on social media, they attract more customers worldwide, earn more and help boost India’s exports. Programs by the government ought to provide artisans with skills to succeed in digital marketing and better reach people who appreciate sustainability and handmade crafts.
The Next Step to Preserve Indian Handicrafts
In order to preserve and energize India’s age-old crafts, we must acknowledge the major part senior artisans play in teaching and passing their knowledge. Their abilities should be enhanced so they can carry on old traditions and also adjust to what is happening in the market.
A national plan ought to be formed, with older craftspeople identified as cultural leaders and instructors. To aid this, governments could give tax benefits, subsidies or provide funding for apprenticeships that support sharing knowledge. With government help, artisan centres can spotlight the uniting of traditional skills and new design styles, making them up-to-date and useful for today’s buyers.
An organization should be formed to acknowledge senior artisans as important teachers and stewards of the arts in Nigeria. For example, the government might encourage people to share their skills by giving special tax breaks, subsidies or funding to apprenticeships. These supported centres can act as hubs for creativity, as artisans can mix cultural handmade work with today’s designs, helping them stay important in the markets.
Keeping India’s traditions alive is not just to protect old methods; it also helps millions of artisans and their communities remain dry in the long run. With their wisdom, guidance and creative ideas, senior workers can make a big difference in building this future.
Giving young artisans better opportunities to skill up, find markets and get government backing allows India’s craft traditions to thrive for a long time. These efforts will not only keep India’s traditions safe but also create new economic chances, making traditional arts an active and growing part of the global market.
How the Indian Handicrafts Industry Can Recover from the Pandemic?
Even though things look bleak for the sector now, there are positives that suggest it can improve after the pandemic. A number of recent trends have brought us hope as well.
The superficial bond between artisans and impact entrepreneurs was made clear soon after the pandemic lockdown hit the country. Since the real skill of these artisans can be found in their work, the brands and individuals selling their pieces focus on highlighting their artisans through their marketing.
But the pandemic and its following stages clearly reveal that the artisans care most about making a living and maintaining their place in the community. The result is that many artisans wonder if it makes sense to keep making crafts that aren’t selling well. Linking crafts with markets, entrepreneurs should remember that caring for artists will help their crafts keep evolving while also making sure their family is supported if they decide to keep making art.
Following this, digital commerce has boomed since early 2020 and even those least interested in shopping online are now trying and adopting it. This new focus has helped craft products enter a booming new trade channel with possibilities in the world market. Demand is also supported by the rising movement for conscious and sustainable living around the world. It’s an exciting development for craft making since reaching and informing the customer has been the most difficult part so far.
As an example, Mysore Saree Udyog helped its most important weavers link their shop inventory to the store so they can stay informed about what sells in real time. As a result, weavers sell their products themselves and clearly know what is being purchased. As well as boosting our relationship and trust, VET helps weavers become more motivated to try out new marketing ideas.
Inspired by khadi, just shortly before covid started, Ally Matthan had managed to get the legendary sari and fabric collection put together by Martand Singh. At the height of the lockdown, she sent her beautiful testimony to India’s heritage on a digital trip to meet the craftsmen working in Kodiyala, Dharwad and Punduru. The rural artisans were trying this for the first time, using easy phone connections to reach the supply chain.
After the digital process, the samples found their way to the clusters. Because of this, artisans became eager to produce even more beautiful goods. Within a few short months, she managed to assemble a large and excited team for research, record everything and build both a production and sales foundation. The pandemic was the driving force behind the creation, conception and store launch of Yali.store.
The way entrepreneurs think about their work makes a big difference in telling a social brand apart from the rest. There were many entrepreneurs like Ally, for whom the sudden pause during the pandemic drove them to support the crafts community for its long-term growth.
Many large and experienced organisations have joined the effort in their own ways. Tanishq and Jaipur Rugs are good examples of this. They came to see that giving the artisans the resources they need helps create value for the customers.
Because the brands trusted their artisans and gave them more time to develop creative, quality and waste management abilities, they achieved notable growth during the pandemic. As we look ahead, we can expect their progress to become even stronger. Partnerships with farm artisans raise their standard of living while also adding new options to the supply chain. Eventually, all involved earn more from what they contribute.
Sustainable changes in our product range and supply chain will lead the way for the craft industry in the future. We are slowly beginning to see that trust and transparency are increasing after years of failed attempts to help artisans. Giving rural artisans control over their lives is essential for the future and this crisis is helping that happen.
Entrepreneurs ought to focus on connecting and guiding the interests of the value chain, from those who purchase to those who create, rather than simply seeking to save crafts without building lasting ways to boost sales and help the artisans become more productive and desirable.
Not utilizing the current moment and failing to adjust our artisanal craft industry approach could lead to customer discontent and miss a major chance to affect India’s creative and cultural sector.
Impact of COVID-19 to Indian Artisans and Artists
The ongoing shutdowns of the American Indian and Alaska Native art market, closures of Indian art galleries and decrease in tourism due to COVID-19 are pressuring the finances of Indian artists and their communities everywhere in the United States.
As part of the U.S. Department of the Interior and tasked by Congress to boost Indian economic development by growing the Indian arts and crafts market, the Indian Arts and Crafts Board is thoroughly concerned about the serious challenges Indian artists are experiencing because of COVID-19.
We are sharing vignettes about four different and very talented Indian artists to help the public better recognize and understand the cultural and economic role of Indian art as well as the effects of the pandemic.
James Star Comes Out (Oglala Sioux Tribe) has worked as an artist almost continually for 30 years.It was through making wooden horse dance sticks that he learned and became inspired to use other materials such as beads, quills and regalia for dances.
His formal education in art education and information technology hasn’t dulled his true passion for making traditional Lakota art. After the death of his nephew over a decade ago, Star Comes Out started channeling his art into bringing back the traditions and custom horse gear in the tribes of the Great Sioux Nation. When he had worked in this niche for a while, cultural institutions and museums brought him in to teach. But, the pandemic halted his way of making money:
“Before the pandemic, I had summer classes and activities planned, but now those aren’t happening. I depended on that money”.
A lot of the Star Comes Out project’s focus is on creating and sharing artwork for important ceremonies in Lakota culture. Since events are not happening, he is looking to make art that will sell more effectively now.
Just before [the pandemic], my thoughts were to focus on selling my small items, instead of taking commissions. Small containers made of parfleche and little beadworks. I’ve considered arranging for pictures to be taken of both my horse masks and a prepared horse, turning them into postcards or prints to sell.
Dustin Twiss (from the Oglala Sioux Tribe) is an enthusiastic young artist who uses western South Dakota’s scenery for inspiration. Though Twiss learned to draw on his own, he has received advice from some of the senior artists over time.
All of his recent works are made using colored pencils and paper. I start with a little sketch on paper and transfer it to a larger format when creating the finished piece. With all lines positioned, Twiss uses paint to complete the work by filling in the drawn fields. He makes the natural formation of Fairburn agate from South Dakota the focal pattern behind each sketch. With the Lakota philosophy Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ in mind, Twiss hopes his pieces might lead someone to wonder about the many relationships around them in nature.
Twiss has found an opportunity to sell his art through the tourism revenue in western South Dakota. Usually, the number of visitors each year at Mt. Rushmore National Memorial and Badlands National Park stands at millions. Several tourists have already pulled out from booking trips this summer. Twiss said face-to-face sales are an important part of his revenue and a lack of tourist season will greatly reduce these sales. Since things didn’t work out as I planned in 2020, I have to think about other ways to make money.
Twiss is now working to find positive solutions to these challenges. For him, the internet gives him the ability to practice more art and connect with new buyers or customers.
“While I’m at home, I focus on making sure my art gets better by focusing on the small things and how the designs come together. He wishes to return with strong resolve when the pandemic has come to an end”, he stated.
How Channapatna Toys Are Changing the Game?
How Toys Help Children: Help With Creative and Imaginative Discoveries
Giving children toys is a great way to help them use their minds. They let kids express themselves freely and discover their world safely and enjoyably. For instance, playing with blocks and puzzles enables children to improve their ideas about position and to solve problems.
| Encouraging Kids to Continue Learning |
| Improving the ability to socialize |
| How Channapatna Toys Can Help Adults for Relaxation? |
| Promoting How Well Productivity and Creativity Work |
Encouraging Kids to Continue Learning
Many toys are designed to help children improve and learn new skills. Kids can learn while they play with math games and alphabet blocks. As well, things like balls and bikes encourage kids to use their motor skills and improve at coordinating their movements.
Improving the ability to socialize
Children can use toys to improve their social skills. Cooperative board games and toys with play sets can teach your child how to cooperate, stay in touch and share with others.
How Channapatna Toys Can Help Adults for Relaxation?
Such as toys aren’t just for kids; there are ways they can help adults. Interacting with toys can decrease your stress and anxiety and help you relax your mind. Toys like stress balls and fidget toys help persons or children lower their stress.
Promoting how Well Productivity and Creativity Work
Having toys around you can increase your ability to work and be creative. Experts believe that playing with toys for a little while can boost attention and help someone work more efficiently. Furthermore, creative products, for example, art supplies and instruments, give adults a way to express themselves and be creative.
Channapatna Toys History – A Look at Their History
Toys from Channapatna, made of wood, were first created in the village of Channapatna, in Karnataka. Back in the 18th century, when Tipu Sultan ruled, these toys first appeared. When he ruled, Tipu Sultan welcomed Persian craftsmen, who taught the local craftsmen to use lacquer for making toys.
Why Channapatna Toys are Different?
Because Channapatna toys are so special, adults as well as kids often like to play with them.
Aiming for both safety and the safety of the environment
All Channapatna toys are created using natural wood and safe vegetable coloring. Therefore, they can be used by children without danger to the environment.
Channapatna toys are unique in several different ways.
Tradition: Toys from Channapatna are created by hand using techniques that have been passed through many generations. Attention to detail and care goes into the making of every toy, so every one is truly unique.
The majority of Channapatna toys are made with wood which comes from the native Aale Mara trees of the region. After that, the toys receive many layers of natural dyes and lacquer, made from many substances, including plant, mineral and tree resin pigments.
The durability of Channapatna toys means they can last decades, if given proper care. Their high-quality wood and careful craftsmanship mean they resist common signs of wear and tear.
Suitable for kids: Channapatna toys let children have fun, while also encouraging them to learn. Little ones improve their coordination and hand skills and exercise imagination as they play with these toys.
Safe: Both adults and children of all ages can play with Channapatna toys because they are not toxic.
Channapatna toys rank higher when it comes to environmental friendliness. All their materials are natural.
Made by hand and different from anything else
No two Channapatna toys are exactly alike because they are each made by hand. Traditional skills and procedures are used by craftsmen to create them.
Efforts to Spread the Word about Tradition in Art and Craft
When you buy Channapatna toys, you help the local artists as well as encourage traditional crafts. Each purchase of Channapatna toys helps to maintain an important cultural tradition.
References
- India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF). (2024). Handicrafts industry in India. https://www.ibef.org/exports/handicrafts-industry-india
- India Development Review (IDR). (2022). Why India needs to empower its artisan economy. https://idronline.org/article/livelihoods/why-india-needs-toempower-its-artisan-economy/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF). (2024). Handloom industry in India. https://www.ibef.org/exports/handloom-industry-india
- India Brand Equity Foundation. (2024). Handicrafts industry in India. https://www.ibef.org/exports/handicrafts-industry-india
- World Economic Forum. (2019, January 10). 10 mega trends for India in 2030: The future of consumption in one of the fastest-growing consumer markets. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2019/01/10-mega-trends-for-india-in-2030-the-future-of-consumption-in-one-of-the-fastest-growing-consumer-markets/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- (2024). India green fashion market analysis. https://www.globaldata.com/store/report/india-green-fashion-market-analysis/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
