ByAkshay Wadhwa

December 12, 2021 (IANSlife) India has a long and unique history of art, with several indigenous crafts and practices passed down across generations of artisan communities. It has nearly 3,000 unique arts & crafts, many of which are as old as the Indian civilization itself, and are an embodiment of India’s intellectual and aesthetic properties. They have the potential to be revived quite quickly, leveraging and adapting existing skills to suit both traditional and modern markets.

 

Why should we support our artisans?

Artisans are the backbone of India’s non-farm rural economy, engaged in craft production to earn a livelihood. However, propelled by loss of markets, declining skills and difficulty catering to new markets, the number of Indian artisans has been rapidly decreasing. Crafting Livelihood calls for re-investment in India’s artisans to safeguard history, culture and an important source of livelihood.

While historically crafts received royal and aristocratic patronage, they have slowly lost relevance as India industrialized. Over the past 30 years, the number of Indian artisans has decreased by 30% and the vast majority of artisans operate in informal work settings.

Official estimates suggest that India is home to seven million artisans most of whom are in rural and semi-urban areas, however, data from unofficial sources indicate that the number is as high as 200 million.

Investing in the crafts sector offers tremendous opportunities to improve the economic, environmental, and social conditions of rural communities, by tapping into the global market, the environmental benefit of low polluting industries, and the economic and social empowerment of many rural households

 

'Vocal for Local': Stand up for craftspeople

To keep the traditional craft alive, it is important for artisans to understand how trade fairs work and participate in the same with an all-around understanding of the profit and loss and pros and cons involved in the global market.

The Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan is an initiative that aims at empowering local Indian brands to manufacture locally rather than importing from other countries. It also encourages citizens to become 'vocal for local' & enables the resurgence of the Indian economy.

With its focus on vocals for local and products to be made in India and their promotion, the Ministry of Textiles has launched an initiative to set up an e-commerce platform for artisans. The Ministry has tied up with India Post to leverage 4,00,000 Common Service Centres (CSCs), which have been primarily set up to offer government e-services in areas with limited availability of internet and computers, to enable artisan to go online with their products and become competitive.

 

B2B online marketplace strengthens the ‘Vocal for Local’ initiative

In this initiative to be #VocalForLocal, B2B online marketplace is strengthening the ‘Vocal for Local’ agenda by providing a reliable platform to local buyers and sellers for identifying trustworthy business partners.

Many entrepreneurs see potential in this sector and are committed to working with skilled groups and artisans, of the clusters that we work in, especially in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Rajasthan – hinterlands of India’s wooden crafts.

 

Artisans’ atmanirbharta is in our hands

The reason why local artisans are unable to grow revenue-wise is their low or no online visibility. However, this only means that we should go the extra mile to locate them, buy from them, and eventually help them build better infrastructure – digitally and otherwise. As their profits increase, they will be in a better position to upskill digitally.

To empower these artisans with technical knowledge to market their products online with low operational cost and a complete ecosystem for global trade, Bluerickshaw, a B2B export platform, an online marketplace for artisans and organizations to sell authentic handmade products globally, ensuring customers a quality purchase at a fair price.

Businesses help rural artisans and craftsmen by providing employment opportunities, offering facilities to sell their products in newer markets, and enhancing their skills through skill development programs.

(Akshay Wadhwa is the CEO of Bluerickshaw)

 

 

 

 

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