Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) has benefited from a body of research spanning decades, despite an ongoing lack of understanding and statistical data for the sector. The existing literature, both academic and grey, has brought some consensus on key issues surrounding the sector, in many cases repeating similar findings and …
Often grouped along with agricultural labourers and non-farm workers, the problems faced by rural artisans are often neglected. What are these problems? What steps can be taken to improve their situation? : a report.
The loom in Aruna Kumari's badly lit, mud-walled house in Epurupalem village runs from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., with either Aruna or her husband working at it constantly. Her ageing grandmother contributes by winding spools of yarn and joining threads of the weft for 10 hours daily. Together, the …
At Khoj, an artists' workshop in Delhi, four artists explored shared spaces between art and science, realms that are often seen as sealed to each other Joanna Hoffman's interest lies in situating life in the workings of the universe. Life was once regarded as the defining feature of the universe. …
the Jammu and Kashmir (j&k;) High Court (hc) has asked the state government to regulate the trade of shahtoosh shawl-making and shearing of Tibetan antelopes in such a way that the art and livelihood of artisans is protected. Earlier, the hc had passed an order directing the j&k; government to …
the 600-year-old Shahtoosh shawl industry in Kashmir is on its last legs. Although not banned by the Jammu and Kashmir (j&k;) government, trade in Shahtoosh was banned by the Indian government in 1991. Instances of Shahtoosh shawls being seized by police outside the state are common. All this has led …
BHOLA Ram Kumawat still makes the best wooden toys inUdaipur; but he may well be the craft"s last sentinel.Kumawatbelongs to a family of renowned toymakersbut his son drawshandcarts for a living and his wife is a domestic help. Says the70old manThere are no forests left now - no khirni (Wrightia …
The Khadi and Village Industry Commission (KVIC) was setup in 1957 to cover 10 village industries, besides khadi (cottage or handloom weaving). In 1987, its scope was expanded to 96 industries, as varied as jaggery-making and electronics. To help develop a village industry, the KVICoffers artisans an aid package including …
The Vaijnath Leather Complex (VlC) established in 1962 in Bardoli, Gujarat, was hailed as a model of governmeritj intervention to revive the village leather industry. "Its founding fathers had a vision of producing gold from garbage by integrated development of the rural leather industry," say Usufbhai Patel, executive manager of …
Two Delhi-based NGOs, Development Alternatives (DA) and the Centre for Technology Development (CTD), provide examples of fairly successful, contrasting modes of disseminating technology to artisans. DA believes that technology interventions succeed only if they are commercialised. "If a technology does not profit everyone, it is useless," says Ashok Khosla, president. …
Why should we be ashamed of what we are doing?" demands Sudama Devi. We are earning a living." In a state where women are boUght and sold like cattle, the case of this wizened woman from ChoUhka village in Bihar's Rohtas district stands out. Sudama and her companion Sushela, who …
Tracing their origins to Lord Vishwakarma, the mythological source of all creative intellect, India's artisans evolved into a distinct social group with the emergence of settled agriculture and habitation. Excavations reveal that they were among the most productive mem- bers of the prolific Indus Valley culture. After the collapse of …
Artistic tents, recreated by Clarissa Mitchell -a designer -capture the exotic and practical aspects of a nomadic tradition and provide a new expression to Rajasthani skill. Rajasthan, says Clarissa, has offered much in terms of designs, textiles, crafts and miniatures, among numerous other forms of arts. "Everybody seemed to be …
MANY GOVERNMENT agencies commission films with alacrity, but as few of these get disseminated systematically, their message rarely gets through. One such agency is the Council for the Promotion of Advancement in Technology (CAPART), which, in the past couple of years, has been making films of two kinds: records of …
THOUGH Haryana is an agriculturally developed state, its Rewari district is poor and handicapped by lack of drinking water, sharp gander inequality and educational backwardness. Rewari averages 65 cm of rain annually, not enough for efficient fuming and its salinity is such that cultivating the undulating stretches of the Arivall! …
A CONTROVERSY is raging over the chir (Pinus roxburghill trees that are being planted oin Himalayan slopes because it grows quickly in virtually ravaged soils, though local residents complain the chirs absorb groundwater and discourage undergrowth. Chir trees are found in abundance from Pakistan to Arunachal Pradesh and its logs …
SHOULD a weed that provides income to villagers be eradicated? This is the dilemma forest officials in Jhansi district of Uttar Pradesh face. The lantana bush spreads like a weed and threatens the growth of trees by competing for soil nutrients. But a poor villager can earn up to Rs …
HEADLINES about Ranthambhore sanctuary in Rajasthan are usually about its vanishing tiger population, but it was recently featured in the news for a very different reason. Artists from villages neighbouring the tiger park came to New Delhi's Taj Mahal Hotel to display their creations of the majestic big cats. The …
IN THE small workshops of Purani Mandi in Saharanpur, woodcarvers fret, fit and polish their carvings for a revitalised urban market in India and abroad. Their own future, however, is precarious. Spiralling prices of fast-depleting raw materials and a market controlled by middlemen threaten to choke this once thriving trade. …
A visit to Kabir Basti, 60 km from Jaisalmer, reveals an affluent village of about 70 households. Every house is a pucca structure, made of the local yellow granite and arranged in neat, well-planned rows, with plenty of space in between. The children are healthy, the village has its own …
