INDIAN HANDICRAFTS: WEAVING THEIR WAY AWAY?
By Azera Rahman, New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS)

Forty-year-old Inder Pal's lost expression does not quite fit in with the smiling faces of terracotta sculptures he has created. "Life is just not what it used to be. Earlier people used to buy terracotta sculptures in bulk. But now they just don't want to," he says at the Dilli Haat crafts village in the capital. Pal, who is from Haryana, echoes the story of many Indian craftsmen today. They churn out intricate hand work, delicate designs, exquisite pieces but their earnings are not parallel to the labour they put in and certainly not enough to sustain them.

"They come to the shop looking impressed but once they hear the price they say, 'What's the point in spending so much on something that is breakable?'" Pal told IANS. According to Pal - who had put up a stall at the fortnight-long Shilpotsav handicrafts-folk-art fair in Dilli Haat - the price of his raw material, terracotta, has increased from Rs.80 per kilo to Rs.200 in a matter of just two years.

"The price of the raw material has increased, then there is paint...and, to top it all, it is a laborious task. Isn't it fair then that the price of a sculpture also changes over a period of time? This is our bread and butter, how will we earn our living otherwise?" he asks.

So frustrated is he that he has decided his children should not take up this line of work - an art that has been passed down for generations. "I don't want my children to suffer like I do. My elder son, who is 21, is not at all interested in learning this craft. "Although he roamed around without a job for weeks, he didn't come forward to take this up. He now works in a hotel where he earns Rs.3,000 a month. It's a steady income and he is happy," Pal said.

Similarly, 30-something Siddiq Gutti of Ujjain is sure that his children will not take up his line of work - herbal painting and batik. "I have seen my father suffer and have experienced it myself. We work hard and have tried many ways to market our skills in the metros, but with little gain. "Although my child, who is 12, has shown an inclination towards art, I will ensure he does not take this up and suffer like us," Gutti said.

Gutti's father, Rahim Gutti, has been into herbal painting for nearly half a century. "We tried to bring about changes in the art, like using herbal paints to draw landscapes or paint on clothes which makes it both eco-friendly as well as harmless to the skin. But we still haven't been able to market our products well. "Also, people refuse to understand that this is our livelihood. The amount that we spend on bringing out a piece of garment, the sale should give us a margin of profit. But people insist that the price is too high," said Rahim Gutti.

According to C. Laxmanna of Andhra Pradesh, there is no point in trying to hold on to a craft passed on from generation to generation if it doesn't yield a decent life. "My children want to study but I am incapable of sending them to school ...because I don't have the money," Laxmanna said softly. Laxmanna deals in hand-woven cotton saris with oil prints. The making cost of each sari is approximately Rs.400, which he sells for Rs.450, earning a profit of only Rs.50.

"Since we have no choice, the children also help me in my business. But given a choice and god willing, if I see a better tomorrow, I will ask my children to go for some other work," he said.

All these craftsmen were taking part in Shilpotsav, organised by the ministry of social justice and empowerment.

"I am in this business because my family has been into it for generations," said Chander of Himachal Pradesh, standing near his stall of woollen shawls. "But I really don't know for how long because in our shop back in Dharamshala, we hardly get a good response," he added. "This art and craftsmanship is passed on from one generation to the next.

Exhibitions such as these do help us...but it's more of a one-time thing. What happens after that?

"The children are not eager to take these up professionally now, for their own good. And if nothing is done soon, these crafts will die away slowly," said Pal.