INDIA'S GI JOURNEY: FEW HITS, MORE MISSES

Close to 500 products have been included in India's geographical indications registry. But most are yet to make a mark

- Sayantan Bera

To stay true to an art form often extracts a price on the artist. That is how 48-year-old V. Gopi Raju feels. A fifth-generation artist skilled in Thanjavur paintings, Raju still follows the traditional methods and ingredients that his ancestors used, at a time when cheaper counterfeits have flooded the market.

Thanjavur, or Tanjore, a district on the east coast of Tamil Nadu, situated on the fertile plains of Cauvery river, is known as the rice bowl of the state. It is also famous for its vivid gold-plated paintings which were once patronized by the Chola, Nayaka and Maratha rulers, dating back to 1600 AD.

"I am teaching my son the art form but I do not want him to take this up as a profession," Raju says over the phone. Raju’s father T. Venkatesa Raja is a renowned artist who won a Shilp Guru award—the highest honour in the Indian handicrafts sector—from the President in 2015.

Back in 2006, the art form found a place in India’s geographical indication (GI) registry. GI is used to identify and protect agricultural, natural and manufactured products originating from a particular geographical area. The purpose is to prevent unauthorized use, boost international sales and promote economic prosperity of producers. A GI-tagged product is also supposed to be an identifier of its quality and reputation.

However, according to Raju, the GI certification of Thanjavur paintings have meant little beyond a cultural recognition for the art. The paintings cost at least ₹6,000 and goes up to ₹25 lakh a piece, depending on the size and craftsmanship. "But many artists now use cheaper raw materials to cut costs. There is no monitoring or quality check to tell a fake from an original. Even government emporiums sell these counterfeit paintings," Raju says.