Handloom And Handicrafts Revival

After independence, the development in industrialisation would only aggravate the damages to the crafts. However, many of Gandhi’s followers initiated and brought up many government schemes to protect the well-being of the crafts community in India as per Art and Culture Class 12: Handloom And Handicrafts Revival.

Handicraft Development Programs

The central and state governments acknowledge handicrafts as a decisive economic activity. So they decided to support it as it would bring affluence to the country. Major goals set by the government for Handicraft development are 

• Encouragement of handicrafts
• Furtherance in technical development
• Advertising
• Experimentation on the development of handicrafts design

Promotion of Handicrafts

In every state, several institutes are set up by the government to protect and promote handicrafts are 

• Khadi and village industries commission (KVIC)
• Central cottage industries emporium
• Handlooms and Handicrafts Export Corporation
• Regional state handicraft and Handloom Development Corporations
• All India Handicrafts Board
• The Waver’s Service Centres and Design Centres
• The Weavers Cooperative Apex Societies

All India Handicraft Board- To help the government with handicrafts’ problems and recommend measures for handicraft development, Handicrafts Board was established in 1952. All India Handicraft Boards communicate several craft designs and developments to improve the tools and techniques used by the craftsman.

Central Corporation – The subordinate of the State Trading Corporation of India is the Handicrafts and Handlooms Exports Corporation of India(HHEC). They established many policies for indirect exports, and it was designed to develop new markets, promote handicrafts and enlarge the traditional ones.

Voluntary Social Organisation – This organisation’s main motto is to provide work to poor artisans. Many people run training centres, but only a few took the step to market their crafts.

Craft council – In India, several voluntary craft councils have been associated with the World crafts council. It has many branches in different states. It was developed for the promotion of handicrafts.

Research Design and Development

For any design development, one needs to identify natural resources and materials. It is much similar to the maintenance of a museum, which needs research and study about history.

• Promotion of design- According to the Handicrafts board, recognising the problem of design development would be the key importance in reintegrating the handicrafts industry
• Regional development Centres and technical Wing – To address the Handloom and handicrafts revival and development, various regional design and development centres were developed along with the technical wing to research tools and development

Technical Development 

For Handicraft development and Handloom and handicrafts revival, a great deal of understanding and delicacy is required.

• The new equipment should not cause labour replacement, and at the same time, it should be available at an affordable price for small units
• By opening the design and technical centres, the government has pawed the joint work of artisans and designers towards new design
• Packaging- Packaging is one of the areas that remained undeveloped in Handloom and handicrafts revival. It often convinces someone to make an initial purchase 
• The India Institute of packaging – This institution offers certificate training programs for packing crafts. They also offer distance learning programs accredited by the Asian Packing Foundation (APF)
• Eco-friendly Packing – Many environmental-friendly packing alternatives are explored today, and it also furnishes new avenues for business ventures
• Marketing – Crafts are particularly threatened by the community’s present economic state, the changing pattern of society, etc. Therefore, many measures like the financial layout and imaginative skills have to be taken for Handloom and handicrafts revival
• Challenge for handicrafts – Separate marketing of handicrafts for domestic market and export trade as it has heavy competition with the machine’s mass-made products
• Government initiative- In 1949, the government initiated the Central Cottage Industries emporium in Delhi. Moreover, in many states, Khadi Bhandar and emporia have been established
• These emporia conduct direct purchases from the artisans or their organisation
• They keep artists abreast of modern techniques of marketing, counting publicity and promotion

Prize, Awards, and Schemes for Crafts

• A scheme is initiated to provide a pension for impecunious artisans
• The Handicrafts Board bestowed special awards on selected artisans in 1972 for their exceptional craftsmanship and imagination. From 1965, the All-India handicrafts Board presented an annual National Awards to master artisans of exceptional skill
• DESIGN STUDIES – Based on the advice of Charles Eames, The National Institute of Design(NID) was established in Ahmedabad to solve the problem of the craftsman
• Various types of research were conducted to overcome the challenge for handicrafts, for the promotion of handicrafts, Handicraft development, marketing, and the understanding of the craft community

Interesting Point

In India, there are more than 15,431 Handloom sales outlets, out of which 7050 are owned by KVIC.

Kamal Devi Chattopadhyay(1903 – 1988)

• Kamal Devi devoted her life to the upliftment of Indian craftspeople. She worked at the conservation and evolution of handicrafts
• She resuscitates Indian Handicraft and helps them to face challenges for handicrafts
• She took care of most of the country’s national institutions charged with promoting dance, art, drama, theatre, music, and puppetry
• She also played a leader in the international socialist feminist movement
• She was considered the mother of Independent India’s craftspeople and won the Magsaysay and Watumull Award

PUPUL JAYAKAR

• In 1980, she organised a series of Indian arts festivals in France, the US, and Japan to popularise Indian arts
• She played a vital role in the revival of Madhubani Painting
• She wrote many books and articles and is known for her work on the revival of traditional and village arts, Handloom, and handicrafts in post-independence India
• She was the backbone for the All-India Handloom Board and Handicrafts and Handlooms Export corporation
• Several exhibitions like Vishwakarma, Aditi, Goldeneye, Pudu Pava, and costumes of India encourage many young crafters and become the catalyst for Handloom and Handicrafts revival

Conclusion:- 

When you see the wonderful displays in India’s craft museums, you will not be surprised to learn that crafts have always been a significant part of our exports. Indeed, India’s craft communities produced such beautiful and artistic objects that merchants travelled long distances to acquire them. Courtly patronage, trade, the jajmani system, and rural demand for everyday utility crafts resulted in a steady home market (until the second half of the seventeenth century). and a worldwide reputation for Indian crafts in the seventeenth century.