Life and Working Conditions in Villages

Indian Handicraft and Handloom Workers

Indian handicrafts, traditionally made by rural artisans, radiate a certain

charm of their own that has been long admired the world over for the brilliant mix of colours and exquisite craftsmanship. Rural units, or cottage

industries, account for 78.2 per cent of all handicrafts produced in the country.

Embedded in India's traditions and social history, they are the artistic expression

of the makers, both women and men. About 77 per cent of the artisans are selfemployed

and the rest 23 per cent are wage earners.

There has been some decline in the domestic demand for the products with the

change in people's tastes caused by globalization, but exports have continued to

grow and in 2010-2011, they are expected to touch the Rs.1000 crore mark.

European countries were the major importers during 2009-10, buying up 40.33

per cent of India's total handicrafts exports. At present (2010-2011) the exports

have been growing at 15.45 per cent in rupee terms, which comes to around 23

per cent in dollar terms.

Despite the decline in the domestic consumption, many village communities

continue to use hand crafted utility items for daily use. Items like images of gods

and goddesses, specially made for ritualistic purposes during festivals, are in great

demand both in villages and towns.

The high degree of skill and knowledge needed in handicraft and handloom

production has been handed down from generation to generation. It remains a

caste-based occupation in the sense that potters' children naturally get trained by

their parents and the same goes for handloom weavers, though the skills can be

acquired by any one through training. But usually persons belonging to say the

potter caste stick to making clay pots rather than weave textiles. This system of

caste specific crafts continues, though the old belief of each caste following an

occupation 'ordained' for them is now fading.

Unfortunately, this traditional industry is today under threat of extinction or

steep decline because of the competition from the cheaper machine made local

substitutes and imports. These trends have impacted the lives of many skilled

artisans who are switching professions for survival.

The demand in the market has also fallen, as hand made products are becoming

costlier in comparison to machine or mill made products. Almost no attempts at

innovations and technological advancement have been made in the handicrafts

field, leading to stagnation and increase in manufacturing expenses. There are no

testing labs with instruments for quality check that would guarantee an even

quality of products and meet the buyer's specifications. Also, the artisans do not

have access to quality raw materials, besides the fact that there is a world ban on

the use of items like ivory and tortoiseshell. Quality wood, especially

sandalwood, is also in short supply because of environmental restrictions.

Considering that artisans numbering about a crore are involved in handicrafts

production, every effort should be made at making these skill-based industries

viable and lucrative. State governments must take steps to increase the wages and

improve their working conditions. Handicrafts generally require small amounts

of capital; their fabrication is low on energy use and the natural raw materials are

easily available. And as for man power, the unemployed rural youth, after a

short, simple training, can easily be absorbed into the sector.

Sadly, some of the traditional crafts are 'vanishing into the sunset', given the

inevitable fact of life that lifestyles and fashions change with the times and this

very natural desire for change is being satisfied by a plethora of new, machine

made goods. Once gone, it would be quite impossible to revive these crafts and

now is the time to make earnest attempts to preserve them. Since thousands of

people are dependent on them for their livelihood, there is a need to revamp and

modernise the entire sector, with emphasis being put on giving due reward to the

skilled worker through the payment of appropriate wages, which should not be

below the minimum wages of the country.

The age-old reliance of the poor artisans on middlemen and money lenders for

getting the raw materials and selling the finished products should be diminished,

if not eliminated. These are all essential steps if one is to lift the craft workers

from a state of chronic poverty.

These masters of the craft feel a deep sense of pride in their creations which gives

them a sense of self esteem and a standing in society: given a modicum of

economic well being, they would never think of deserting a livelihood that is in

their blood. But as things stand today, many of them are being forced by poverty

to become factory workers or farm hands—a disgruntled lot who have lost their

identity. Some of them, out of sheer frustration, gang up with anti-social

elements. For them to regain their pride is important and they need to be

encouraged with proper support from the state, NGOs, cooperative societies or

self–help groups. They could be taught to innovate and improvise, use better

tools and better raw materials. Innovative techniques can be taught to the

workers through government sponsored programmes and the world of cottage

industry can expand into a profit making entity—creating rural employment and

lead to revenue generation for the state.

Besides the large number of women working whole time in the weaving sector or

farming, many spend their spare time in crafts like embroidery, making it a

gender specific livelihood. This area of the handicrafts sector could become a

thriving cottage industry if these women are given market-oriented training like

teaching them accounting and giving them access to better raw materials and

credit.

Last but not least, handicrafts are a part of our artistic heritage unique to the

Indian subcontinent. Many of the items (considered exotic and prized in the

West) are truly beautiful, vibrant and environment friendly, factors that give

them high value. Merely expanding their exports would not automatically bring

higher income to the handicraft and handloom workers. They have to be trained

in the new ways of their craft so that a new thrust is given to their capability and

potential.

The task ahead is not easy. The government, NGOs and civil society have to be

involved in saving and nurturing many of the crafts that are on the decline or are

on the verge of extinction.

The purpose of this paper is to look at the working conditions of the handicraft

workers in some of the states and try to address the basic problems. The aim is not

JULY 2011

to gather data, but to present a first hand overview of their problems. During the

course of my extensive conversations and interviews with crafts people in many

places, I found that many of the problems were common to all.There is bound to be a resurgence in the demand for handcrafted goods as the

world moves away more and more from machine made goods that are

ecologically harmful and energy consuming. Even in high fashion, designers

across India are shifting their focus to handcrafted zari and embroidered

embellishments for their garments, but the benefits of this have not 'trickled

down' to the workers.

The increase in demand for handcrafted products in the future may also come

from the development of real estate and retail business, as discerning buyers are

likely to go for genuine 'ethnic' products that evoke the unmistakable aura of

'Indianness'. The demand will also rise with the growth of domestic and

international tourism. E-commerce and the internet could also be exploited to

give a boost to sales. In fact, it is being used extensively in some parts of India.

During my tours around some villages in West Bengal, Orissa, Rajasthan,

Gujarat, Kerala, and Meghalaya, I found that even the highly skilled artisans were

earning less than the minimum wages. The reasons are not only the slack demand

and the economic domination of the money lenders and middlemen but, more

importantly, the artisans have no access to innovative ideas and techniques,

capital, infrastructure, the latest market trends, styles and fashion.

The only ones doing well are those who are already better off and educated, as

they have access to capital and markets and are internet savvy. They are able to

face the competition from machine made goods and cheap imports from abroad.

They have found a niche for themselves in the export market, where the clients

are more environmentally aware and artistically inclined. Their income from the

regular flow of work is big enough for them to invest it back into business. They

participate in trade fairs across the country and occasionally travel abroad,

absorbing new ideas and contacting new customers.

This sample survey is not a comprehensive one, but hopefully, it reveals some of

the basic problems facing the ordinary artisans and handloom workers. I have

tried to cover most of the handicrafts. They include terracotta, handloom, bell

metal craft, embroidery and zari work, clay dolls, wood craft, shola pith carving

and sandalwood sculpture, Shantiniketan stained leather, scroll painting,

patchwork embroidery on textiles, silver filigree, blacksmithy, bamboo craft,

block printed textiles, wood carving and box making, and paper crafts.

Conclusions:

The two contrasting impressions that stays etched in one's mind after travelling

through the villages all over India is the country's rich, artistic heritage kept alive

by rural artisans on the one hand and, on the other, the pervasive poverty and the

miserable living and working conditions of those very artisans and their families.

What needs to be done urgently stares you in the face: efforts have to be made to

lift the handicraft and handloom workers out of poverty by improving both the

living and working conditions, the first step being to increase their wages to an

acceptable amount, close to the minimum wages.

The local skill and talent can be nurtured and goods in demand can be made in the

villages, opening up employment opportunities for the rural youth. It should be

the national endeavor to preserve India's unique cultural heritage by organizing

and boosting the dynamic growth of these traditional crafts, so that their exports

touch a new high. Also, adding utility value to the items would substantially

increase its domestic demand.

Handicrafts sector is essentially skill and labour intensive, requiring minimal

investment and mechanical infrastructure. The bulk of the work is done by the

less privileged rural people of the society–i.e., women, SC, ST and OBC or

people from the minority community, as also children. That they need to be

lifted up from the underprivileged status is self evident. With a little training,

most women can be made adept at making handicraft items. The local availability

of the relatively inexpensive natural raw materials is a big plus point in their

favour, besides the fact that it is eco friendly. These factors will add up to a vital

selling point both at home and abroad.

But first and foremost, the conditions of work and the standard of living of the

rural workers have to be improved with state supported policies that bring them

under a social safety net. I am not going into a critique of the present government

policies. Many are helpful and many are not so helpful. Much more thinking is

needed to find ways to ensure a decent livelihood for handicraft and handloom

workers, keeping in mind the special needs of various crafts.

There are fundamental issues that need to be worked out, such as: hours of work;

minimum wages; safety measures and minimum standards of hygiene and health

safeguards. The production base of most self employed workers has to be

broadened and this can happen only when they become financially savvy and are

able to access credit for their working capital. Skill upgradation is urgently

needed to enable the workers to cater to changes in demand and the latest market

trends. We found that all educated workers who had access to capital were doing

very well and catering to a rising demand for their products.

There are, however, many factors working against the unorganized and semi–

literate workers who have been poor for generations. The salient factors are:

(i) Competition from mill and factory made products that are cheaper and

often more attractive;

(ii) Rise in competition from China (among other countries), especially in

textiles, clay and wooden items, in which the Chinese have a cost

advantage because most of their goods are machine made, though they

are made to look like handicrafts. Lax quality control—foreign buyers

persistently complain that Indian goods lack a basic standard of

uniform quality.

(iii) Lack of easy access to bank credit. The bureaucratic apathy of the bank

staff is a big discouragement to crafts persons seeking loans.

(iv) Procedural delays in the passing down of Central and state assistance to

the implementing agencies. The RBI gives funds for handicrafts and

handloom sector to the state's exchequer, which hands over the money

to the Directorate of Handicrafts and they in turn give it to the agency

concerned. The funds are released in installments, given as advances and

the balance is given in the form of reimbursements, which further

compounds the difficulties in the final payment.

(v) NGOs, cooperative societies and other implementing agencies

themselves being financially weak, find it difficult to meet even the

residual payments and have to approach banks for loans. The

cumbersome procedures of the banks act as a deterrent.

(vi) The semi literate artisans are generally ignorant about their states'

various schemes and programmes, as also about the weak institutional

entities such as the state handicraft corporations and state apex societies

that are usually short of funds or inactive, or both.

(vii) Poverty, malnutrition and ill health are the common denominators for

the rural workers—men and women and children. For them, problems

of chronic poverty outweigh any other considerations and expecting

them to put their minds to innovative ideas would show a very shallow

understanding of their plight. Terms like 'market trends' and 'markets

abroad' have been and will remain beyond their comprehension as long

as their minds stay bogged down with problems related to poverty.

(viii) Only those artisans who are somewhat educated (and probably a little

better off) have seen success and developed the will to chase the banks

for loans and expand their business to the extent that they can employ

workers including a person for quality control.

(ix) There is need for technical support at every stage to reduce the

production costs.

(x) Improve the infrastructure of the handicraft clusters by building proper

workshops, showrooms and roads and by providing facilities like

power transportation, marketing places. This would make the clusters

into active hubs for sales and for taking orders, and lengthen their

outreach especially for clients from cities and abroad.

(xi) Availability of raw materials is a major problem forcing the artisans to

succumb to the pressures of the money lender who not only gives them

personal loans but also supplies them with raw materials, giving him the

clout to buy up the products at incredibly low prices.

(xii) The workers have little bargaining power because they are not able to

market the goods themselves. The middlemen offer services that are

convenient but exploitative. Wherever marketing of products has been

easy, the artisans have prospered.

(xiii) There has to be extensive promotional campaigns through media to

create a taste for handicrafts and handlooms within India and abroad.

There is bound to be a rise in demand for many of the handicraft items

from hotels and offices, besides homes. But there will be tough

competition from the sleek, machine made designer goods.

(xiv) Designers, if they are environmentally conscious, can integrate hand

made pieces into their products. It is a world industry worth $100

billion, but India's share is less than 2 per cent.

(xv) Bringing the workers together into groups will lead to their

empowerment and self reliance. Such self help formations can be

motivated and assisted to address issues relating to input materials,

marketing, access to credit and draw benefits from various government

schemes.

(xvi) To promote the products, reference manuals, directories, handbooks

with pictures of the products by a few selected master craftsmen can be

helpful, as has been done by Rajasthan's Kagzi Brothers. Of course,

starting a dedicated website would mean opening an instant window for

the entire world, giving detailed and comprehensive data on what the

country's world of craft has on offer.

(xvii) Patents and hall marking are a must for protecting the designs from

being plagiarized and copied.

As in all the other sectors, the handicraft and handloom sector is also plagued by

corruption, further worsening the working conditions of the poor and

unlettered artisans. Transparency is required in all government sponsored

schemes and the craftsmen have to be made to understand the benefits that accrue

to them. All the people we met were eager to do better and earn more, but

somehow did not know how to go about it.

Child labour was more a rule than exception in the poorest of villages, as would

be expected—school dropouts helping their parents earn more. Only when the

parents earn enough can they think of sending their children to school. No doubt

the government agencies have to keep a strict control on child labour, but more

importantly, it must be understood that the malaise would be eradicated by the

parents themselves when their monetary situation improves, for it is not only the

rich that want their children to be educated.