Indian rural artisans go online under COVID

Aug 5, 2020

6 MIN READ

Indian artisans with their large and small business enterprises are uncertain about the future. Understandably, since there is no clear way forward in dealing with the COVID virus. However, the wheel needs to start moving again.

Artisans constitute one of the largest sources of employment in India second only to agriculture. Being an unorganised sector, the statistics are usually conservative rough estimates, while the actual numbers are certainly more than those cited.

Unprecedented in many ways, the world where it stands today was most unforeseen. Across the biosphere, every single humanoid is dealing with the circumstantially created challenges. India, given all its complexities, had to make the tough decision of extended lockdown that led to the origination of many more impediments.

Earlier scenario

Having their roots in Rajasthan, the first Tilonia Bazaar (present-day Hatheli) was organised in Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi in 1975, and became an annual feature. The fashion of producing and marketing rural handicrafts was adopted by many others including Dastkar and Delhi Haat. Several exhibitions became annual features and grew in size and magnitude.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought all of this to a grinding halt, twisting the fate and future of millions of artisans and their dependents thereby leaving them in the lurch.

Present times

Following the lockdown of all economic and social activity, consumers are buying only food or medicines which are essential for survival. Wearing designer clothes or decorating houses with artefacts seems like an act of ancient times. In the foreseeable future, none of these pre-COVID activities will revive in a rush.

Jamal Kidwai, the founder of social enterprise Baragaon Weaves has thrown light on the livelihood of handloom weavers in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, 90 percent of whom live in rural areas. Lockdown has resulted in the collapse of the demand-supply matrix impacting the livelihood of millions. Especially for craftspersons reliant on daily creation and sales, life has come to a standstill and the future does look bleak. Several weavers used to maintain their cash flow by participating in exhibitions all of which have now been cancelled. A Kashmiri weaver says he has given products worth lakhs to shopkeepers in Srinagar, Ladakh, and Chandigarh where shops are shut and hence no payment has come in. AyazKarigar of Chanderi, MP is desperately trying to sell sarees using the social media platform.

The global economy has been affected and the projected global recession will make matters worse. It may take years to reach the stage of pre-COVID growth. Big brands in other countries have diversified into making protective gear, gloves, hand sanitisers, and masks. India too will need to shift focus drastically and adapt to the changed scenario. New product development interwoven with our existing craft forms and new markets will have to be explored.

Immediate steps taken

Recently, a series of paintings were sold online by Craft Council of India (CCI) including pattachitras from Raghujpur (Odisha), mata-ni-pachedi painted textiles from Chitras in Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Madhubani from Bihar, Kalamkari from Kancheepuram (Tamil Nadu), and pats from Bengal.

Many organisations have set up online marketing programs on the social media platform where artisans are being assisted in selling their unsold goods.

Dastkar initiated other activities for craftspeople that included familiarising them with basic digital technology, photography skills, online workshops with customers for creating awareness, providing design and product development support, obtaining bulk and institutional orders, and keeping them motivated by constant communication.

Plans for the future

Project Gaatha is an interesting concept focussing on representing the history of an art form along with a detailed description surrounding it. The purpose is to archive the information and make it available to the global audience. The traditional handicrafts and culture behind them are presented directly from the home of the Indian artisan. Each craft item would no longer be just an object, instead it will be an ideology. The aim is to create a family of heirs and protectors of knowledge across the globe.

Laila Tyabji, the founder member & chairperson of Dastkar, an NGO working for the revival of traditional crafts in India is optimistic, “For centuries, people have come to India for its embroideries, its prints, weaves, and its myriad crafts. These have embellished and inspired Western fashion over the ages. India was a maker to the world. It still can be.”

“COVID has brought together professionals, designers, techies, and organisations to ensure that artisans and weavers don’t fall through the cracks”, says Ms. Gita Ram, Chairperson of CCI. Recommendations by CCI include offering working capital loans from banks with a moratorium on repayment; aggressive demand creation and marketing; immediate steps to help build the supply, production and distribution chains to match the demand; and reservation for handloom and handicrafts in government-run institutions like railways and offices thereby providing a steady source of income.

Sreya Mozumdar, Executive Director, All India Artisans and Craftworkers Welfare Association (AIACA) states, “What a full-fledged or partial recovery will entail goes beyond reliefs, sops, and bailouts to a committed resilience-building strategy that places the strategic needs of small artisans and enterprises up front and centre”.

Creative Dignity is a movement encompassing several renowned organisations including AIACA, CCI, Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, etc. along with 400 volunteers, set up in April 2020 with a nationwide reach. Meera Goradia, Ex-Director KHAMIR, and now a member of the governing Council unfolds big plans that are taking shape. The first task is to ease out the piled-up existing stock for which a grand exhibition has been planned on August 15, 2020, to help artisans sell their products directly on a B2B platform online. This will be followed by finding innovative ways for stability and sustainability in the future.

A logical suggestion is for the state government to purchase fabric from handloom weavers for hospitals, uniforms for government schools, police, and other personnel, and other similar institutions. This will ensure constant work for millions of weavers.

The government khadi bhandars must immediately purchase all the stock lying with the traders and small weavers. This will infuse cash in the system and revive the handloom weaving.

Since craft is not always an essential commodity, one will need to modify and conjugate it with things of daily need to be able to survive. The wealth of skilled hands and amazing techniques that are unique to our culture, need to be capitalised on. Different crafts and skills will need to be tweaked to accommodate the altered market needs, lest we lose them forever.

Sonia Kapoor began writing while at school and continued with her passion over the years, being associated with various publishing houses of repute and writing on a myriad of leitmotifs in a career spanning over 25 years.