Commerce Of Crafts

Conserve, curate, collaborate and create

- Chandrashekhar Bheda

Socio-cultural aspects of any society are always best represented by its traditional crafts. We as Indians have been, are and will be proud of an extremely large variety of beautiful craft forms being practised by the fine skills of crafts people in India. Awareness of these crafts has largely increased in the past many years as its visibility has grown due to its presence on the internet, social media, e-commerce, museums, art and design schools, and growing number of outlets all over the country and through a variety of retail exhibitions happening with or without the support of the government of India. Varied new and modified applications and usages of these crafts at home, business, institutional and cultural environments have ensured earnings although irregular livelihoods for artisans. At the same time, many crafts have vanished or are in the process of becoming extinct due to reduced patronage.

There are some points to be considered in assessing the very status in terms existence of crafts and its survival through the changing times.

Traditional crafts are here to stay on as long as all of us ensure their relevance