Laila Tyabji has the key to a goldmine and she is willing to share it with everyone. This goldmine is the country’s rich and varied crafts tradition. Says the 60-plus chairperson of crafts organisation Dastkar, “Our crafts are a goldmine, a unique asset that very few countries in the world have. Those who did have crafts, handlooms and other local arts have lost them in the process of industrialisation, and are deeply regretting that loss. We should invest our minds, spirit and energy on this asset and attract young, dynamic entrepreneurs to invest in the sector.”

Dastkar has been working towards improving the economic status of craftspeople and promoting the survival of traditional works. Few know the Indian crafts scene as well as Laila, who has spent the better part of her life learning and promoting these handmade wonders. As a youngster she studied art in Baroda and, later, Japan, before entering the world of design. In the 1970s, she learnt just about every kind of embroidery that existed in India and spent time with artisan communities. She later worked with them to transform their craft into products of contemporary appeal.

Dastkar, which she founded in 1981 along with five others, was only an extension of the work she was already doing. Today, even as she continues with her endeavour to link 21st century India with its centuries-old handicrafts tradition, her new mission is to make this sector financially attractive to entrepreneurs. “When I speak of investing in crafts, I am not suggesting the NGO-isation of this sector or that it should be treated as a charity or social service. I want people to invest in this sector, just as they would in any business venture,” she asserts.

Win-win investment

Her argument is compelling. Crafts are the second-largest generator of employment in India, next only to agriculture, and the sector promises great returns on modest investment. It does not demand the import of fancy machines, technology or experts. All that is required is a group of craftspersons — and there’s a vast pool of around 23 million of them in India today — with unique skills. Creating a niche market for crafts would require a bit of investment to create the basic infrastructure and obtain the best designs. There is also no dearth of crafts to choose from — whether it is different styles of handloom weaving or mirror-work embroidery, metal-ware, pottery, woodwork... The list is endless.

Wait, the best part is yet to come: Indian handicrafts will never face competition from the Japanese, Koreans or Chinese in the open market! It really seems a win-win suggestion, and yet there are so few people willing to put their money into this sector. In fact, according to Anubha Sood, who has been associated with the All India Artisans and Craft Workers Association and has conducted extensive training programmes with women artisans, there has been a swing away from small-scale village industries in favour of macro-industries and high-tech mechanised productions.

Pitching it perfectly

Traditional rural marketing infrastructure is being edged out by multinationals, which are promoted through sophisticated marketing and advertising interventions. The change in consumer trends and the entry of aggressively promoted new commodities have meant that craft producers need more support than ever before to remain viable and competitive. The bottomline, then, is that the crafts sector should become more appealing to the general population, particularly the younger generation, whether through improved advertising or by introducing children to handicrafts at the school level.

Laila feels it’s time for a makeover. “There is an urgent need to start an effective campaign to make every citizen conscious of our extensive crafts and textile heritage. The Government has been doing this, but the advertisements put out are incredibly dull,” she says.

What she would like are promotions on the lines of the Incredible India campaign launched by the Tourism Ministry. “Wonderfully punchy, colourful and beautifully put together ads that will change people’s perception of the world of crafts and textiles, that’s what we need. This can also be a good way to attract young talent to this sector,” she says.

An inheritance shunned

The unfortunate reality is that craft-making is not perceived as a viable income-generating option. Research has shown that village households headed by artisans have much lower net wealth and their average monthly income is a mere Rs 2,000. Not surprisingly, the emerging generation in these communities is reluctant to continue in the family occupation. In fact, around 15-20 per cent of craftspersons switch over every decade to manual labour for survival. They work in a cement factory, or take up small-time jobs such as fixing bicycle tyre punctures. Laila finds this a very disturbing trend.

“Even though they are great craftspeople, they are moving out of their traditional occupation to other jobs because there is no market for their products, no demand, poor returns, no pension, no provident fund, no social or financial security,” she laments.

Latent economic might

She finds it ironical that while a fresh graduate designer in any city today can get instant social recognition, craftspeople remain overlooked even if they are officially recognised as national master craftspersons. “Ultimately, everyone lives for two things — economic survival and social acceptance. But craftspeople are just not valued in India. The tragedy is that even if individuals get their due share in the form of national awards, their standard of living continues to remain low. If they got good financial returns along with social acceptance, why would they be leaving their original profession?” asks this vocal crafts crusader. All this has only reinforced her belief that the way forward for artisans is to upgrade their skills by incorporating newer technologies and accessing mainstream markets, with the Government playing the role of facilitator, catalyst and financier.

She believes it is time to take the crafts sector as seriously as those of tourism and information technology, “A flourishing IT sector has established India as an info-tech giant in the world and created wide avenues for employment. Crafts have a similar potential — and not just to create employment and increase export revenue, but prevent rural-urban migration.”

From sitting cross-legged on the floor working with tribal women in a village to sharing her knowledge of traditional Indian crafts with political leaders, Laila has left no stone unturned in her campaign to get a better deal for craftspersons. For her, it’s all about stepping into the future, “We need to make this sector come alive, make it exciting for today’s younger generation — not just get them to wear ethnic stuff but to invest in it as well. In India, we have a goldmine. Why are we not tapping it?” The country needs to come up with an answer to this question.

© Women’s Feature Service

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