Indian Artisans Research Articles

Social Platform: Key to Market Innovation for Indian Artisans—A Case Study of Chanderi Cluster

India is a vast country with diverse cultures and crafts. The artisan in this country forms the base of the Indian industry. From the clothes we wear to lifestyle products we use; the artisans play a vital role in our lives. This article talks about the influence of COVID-19 on the Chanderi artisans’ community and how the community survived through pandemic using various digital platforms. The artisans’ behaviour of adapting the new technology for not only selling their products but also to gain knowledge is the core concept of this article.

UNVEILING MUGHAL MINIATURES: TREASURES OF PUDUCHERRY'S ECOLE FRANCAISE D'EXTRÊME-ORIENT

Puducherry, one of India's storied historic cities, is the custodian of a vast collection of ancient paintings, miniatures, sculptures, historical artifacts and more. These treasures are meticulously preserved within government offices, museums, art galleries and hotels. This research project narrows its focus to a select group of Mughal period miniatures drawn from this rich and diverse cultural reservoir.The Ecole Francaise d'Extrême-Orient, a renowned French research institute, is located on Rue Dumas Street in Puducherry and is fully dedicated to the thorough investigation of Indian culture, history and society. The institution was established in Puducherry in 1950 and it houses paintings, miniatures, sculptures and antiques in its basement. It is believed to contain about 35 priceless paintings. This amazing collection includes a wide range of artistic genres and materials, from paper and ivory to wooden frames, metal plates and even terracotta surfaces. Among these artworks, the most notable are the ivory miniatures dating back to the Mughal period."The researcher's objective is to examine five specific portraits featuring three-quarter busts of women and love scenes within these ivory Mughal miniature paintings. These artworks offer a concise yet profound glimpse into the rich tapestry of Indian culture and heritage. The depiction of women's attire showcases the diversity and elegance inherent in Indian fashion, while the portrayal of love scenes celebrates the cultural significance of romance and emotional connections, thus emphasizing India's deep-rooted cultural traditions. The meticulous detailing within these works underscores the exceptional artistry of Indian artisans, while the expressions and postures of the depicted characters provide valuable insights into the societal norms and values of the era. In essence, these miniature paintings encapsulate the multifaceted essence of Indian heritage."Employing a rigorous combination of fieldwork and historical research methodologies, this research endeavor seeks to illuminate the origins, historical contexts, aesthetic attributes, stylistic intricacies and technical craftsmanship inherent in these Mughal era miniatures. Additionally, this study aspires to unveil the intricate tradition, dynamic evolution and profound cultural significance embodied by this cherished art form.

Indian Handicrafts: A Sustainable future of Utilitarian Consumer Goods

Utilitarian products are those which are designed to be useful rather than attractive. Handmade products are, thus, one among the wonders of Indian artisans, which are both useful and attractive at the same time. World-renowned Indian handicrafts are imported by several countries, which is highly supporting Indian art and culture. This is a source of livelihood for more than half of the unskilled labours and artisans of the Handicraft Industry. But with high-quality décor, luxurious items being exported to foreign lands, middleman income and trade fairs are sucking up most of the profits. Indian artisans and handicraft workers are therefore left with little income in hand except for the very famous art workers of big businessmen. This is one of the major problems which can be solved by encouraging the supply of handicrafts and domestic consumer demand. Since Indian consumers have been evolving through manufactured products, globalization, industrialization, etc. they are producing harmful effects on the environment and socio-economic conditions. Hence, it is very alarming for the handicraft sector to be able to protect its art and small business during an economic crisis. To address the small businesses and art of poor craftworkers this study intends to focus on the utilitarian aspect of handicrafts as being the sustainable alternative. The research broadly focusses on the socio-economic conditions of rural artisans and the environmental benefits of handicrafts by assessing the demand of domestic consumers and their perspectives. Based on primary data collected through the survey method, the study finds that domestic consumers are aware of the sustainable alternative handicrafts have to offer, while the utilitarian aspect has a vague response when it comes to purchasing handicrafts. However, demand for handicrafts is high because of their utilitarian aspect only. The study applied multiple regression analysis to analyse the results and conclude with suggestions based on qualitative research analysis to support rural handicraft artisans and small businesses. The study initiates a broad scope of research in consumer behaviour towards handicrafts in India as a sustainable alternative to mass production. This is one of the ways of supporting the cultural art forms as well as replenishing sustainability in the three major directions, which are economic, environmental & societal. Based on the empirical findings of this study, it concludes with the suggestions of co-existence with culture and sustainable development in India.

A study of marketing strategies used by Indian artisans during the Covid-19 crisis

70% of the population lives in villages in India. Time and again, we have underestimated this part of our population while thinking about our country’s economic growth. However, the true spirit and skills of Indian crafts live in rural areas that are self-sufficient and self-reliant. Indian crafts have evolved from the Vedic Era to Indus Valley civilization to Mauryan Era to the Mughal Era, and currently the Modern Indian Era. However, with industrialization and the informal nature of the sector, Indian crafts had started losing relevance. Though 90% population is uneducated, Indian crafts are highly skill-based. Today with the advent of technology, awareness among the new generation of artisans, emerging sectors of the economy, Indian crafts are being revived with the help of craft activists and platforms created for uplifting the community. Slowly as this sector started reviving itself and generated awareness and business, a novel coronavirus pandemic has affected their livelihood. Most artisans have an informal setup. The uncertainty of the situation, ruptured supply chain, canceled orders, and customers’ non-engagement in buying the products; have blurred their future. With no raw materials, no business, no demand, and a huge inventory of canceled orders, various platforms are being created to market their products and generate funds. A study of the marketing strategy is important to know the way forward.

Android Application For Handcrafts Goods

The goal of this project is just to create a model that will assist craftsmen in selling their services. Our app gives a platform to the sellers that they can give their information about product details and their delivery service. The main goal of our app is to help sellers as Handicraft’s people face many issues to sell their products. Indian artisans, typically manufactured by rural craftsmen, exude a certain charm of their own handiwork that has always been praised around the world for its vibrant colour schemes and fine craftsmanship. Rural units, often known as cottage industries, create 78.2percent of all crafts grown in the country. They represent the artistic representation of the producers, both women and men, and are grounded in India's traditions and social history. Around 77percent of artisans are self-employed, with the rest 23% working as daily workers. They must rely on exhibitions, tourism seasons, and the weather to make a living. But based on present pandemic situations one should follow the safety precautions as well as government guidelines so, it is impossible to run the exhibitions in large crowds. so that handicrafts men face several issues to sell their products. so by using our app they can sell their goods in a friendly way. It is a platform where a seller can sell his products on his own and there is no third-party involvement directly; the profit will be taken by the seller.

Can Social Enterprises Create Holistic Women Empowerment?

World leaders across the globe are focusing on issues of women empowerment through the creation of equal opportunities in education, work, and society. The Indian artisans are being exposed to several interventions that aim at creating empowerment for these women from the rural underprivileged social strata. Social entrepreneurship has been considered as a driver of women's empowerment; hence it also becomes important to assess its potential to empower women in Indian rural artisan communities. The study was conducted in rural villages of one of the most underdeveloped states of India. Woman empowerment was measured on indices proposes by OXFAM. 130 women engaged with a social enterprise, and 127 women who were part of an NGO were compared with a base group of 130 women untouched by any intervention. We found that both social entrepreneurship and non-governmental organizations had the potential to influence women's empowerment, but social enterprises performed better on most of the indexes. The women working with the social enterprise have stronger financial independence that may be attributing to better self-confidence, autonomy, individual capability, opinion towards women’s economic role, greater control over household decisions and assets. While the environmental level indicators are slightly improved for NGO-based women, most probably due to their unity and psychological effect of being in a group. Social enterprises provided these women with hassle-free earnings and were accepted by the patriarchal social structure.

Evolution of Handloom Weaving Activity in India

This paper seeks to place the evolution of handloom weaving activity and its current scenario in Indian economy. Though the handloom weaving of India had a glorious past, the colonial regime shattered the hand spinning culture of traditional handloom sector of India and forced the country as the supplier of raw materials to Britain. Factory-made cheap cloths had replaced the Indian hand-woven fabrics within the country, and weavers lost their employment due to the shutdown of handloom units. Despite such adversity of handloom sector, Indian artisans had stood the test of time and had kept this great craft alive. The phasing out of the MFA has placed India in an advantageous position in international market for handloom.

CHANGING DYNAMICS OF THE INDIAN HANDICRAFT SECTOR

The handicraft sector continues to be an anchor of the age-old traditions that represent the cultural and religious beliefs of the Indian Economy. It represents the uniqueness that the Indian artisans possess which cannot be replicated perfectly by any International business enterprise. With the aim of protecting and expanding this sector, the Indian artisans have been working continuously to revive the sector and create a brand for the same with adequate consumer base. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the handicraft sector to survive in the competitive world with close substitutes being produced. Moreover, there are economical and technical inefficiencies that prevent the artisans from exploiting their skillset. The researcher aims at finding such challenges and problems and intends to suggest ways in which the loopholes can be overcome. It further highlights the importance of accurately using the government initiatives setup for the upliftment of the handicraft industry.

Versatility in Designs of Punjabi Jutti

The use of footwear is as old as civilization. Numerous experimentations through the hands of Indian artisans of various regions, the form of desi jutti or traditional footwear emerged and circulated in numerous designs during ages. Today’s transforming approach of arts has been entered in every field of life to revive and modify our traditional handicrafts to justify our present needs and fashions. This paper is an effort to review the origin and glorious past of the handicraft of desi jutti as well new interventions in the handicraft industry, which affected, altered and fluctuated its original form using contemporary designs, materials and modern techniques. This paper is based on review of literature, interview and observation methods. Data is collected through thirty artisans in Ludhiana. Interviews and discussions also have been done with embroiders, boutique workers, sellers as well as experts. Keywords: Historical, change, contemporary, design, materials, machines, ornamentation.

Punjabi jutti and contemporary adaptations

The use of footwear is as old as civilization. Numerous experimentations through the hands of Indian artisans of various regions, the form of desi jutti or traditional footwear emerged and circulated in numerous designs during ages. Today's transforming approach of arts has been entered in every field of life to revive and modify our traditional handicrafts to justify our present needs and fashions. This paper is an effort to review the origin and glorious past of the handicraft of desi jutti as well new interventions in the handicraft industry, which affected, altered and fluctuated its original form using contemporary designs, materials and modern techniques. This paper is based on review of literature, interview and observation methods. Data is collected through thirty artisans in Ludhiana. Interviews and discussions also have been done with embroiders, boutique workers, sellers as well as experts. Denim is an artificial material and knitted by warp and weft (Zhai, 2011, 1646). Frequent material or adornments can be harmonized to the denim shoe upper (Zhai, 2011, 1645). Brocade, velvet, mashru, cotton and canvas are the fabrics which can be easily dye, decorate, paint and composite material. The work of embellish the upper part of jutti is distinct process and is done by the embroiders and later, craftsmen attach the decorative upper part with the main body of leather jutti with a glue pasted on it and finally, a beautiful product comes in front of us in various designs. Traditional and modern embroiders as well as boutiques are also involved in the designing of juttisto fulfill the needs of customers. Costumers’ demands also influence the designs and manipulate them. Juttis are also made to match the ceremonial dresses of the consumers.

Designing Heat Treatment Sequence of Wrought Iron in Ancient Vidarbha Region of Maharashtra, India: A Review

The production and use of iron for making various objects began in the Indian subcontinent around the second millennium BCE. Ultimately, it led to the emergence of second urbanization, the first being the Indus Valley civilization. This became possible only due to continuous efforts of Indian artisans. Among these artisans, megalithic contribution was significant. Megalithic smiths acquired technical skills through the course of failure and successful experiments. This paper reviewed technical investigations of ferrous objects excavated from the early iron age megalithic sites in Vidarbha, Maharashtra, India in order to construct integrated picture of metallurgical achievements.

Blending fashion and development

Sanning the globe in countries ranging from Ethiopia and Mongolia to Papua New Guinea to Peru, beneficiaries of the ITC Women and Trade textiles and garments project attended a capacity building workshop at Parsons The New School for Design in New York City on 18-27 June. Joined by Indian artisans from ITC’s Global Platform network, as well as representatives from partner institutions, talented women from the textile industry worked closely with faculty technicians, students and industry specialists to develop joint items, as well as individual collections. The collections will feature in the London-New York Festival (LDNY Festival) opening ceremony on 22 September, at parallel fashion shows in both cities.

Sustaining crafts and livelihoods: handmade in India

This paper examines the current state of the craft sector in India, exploring how a growing interest from consumers in ethical and sustainable materials, processes and objects, is impacting Indian artisans and craft workers. To illustrate how those in the Indian craft sector are dealing with issues related to sustainability and craft, the paper discusses the work of AVANI in the Himalayas, and Khamir Craft Resource Centre in Bhuj, Gujurat.

Dream Kitsch — Folk Art, Indigenous Media and `9/11'

This article explores the process of transmission of the image(s) of 9/11 through an ethnographic/art-historical examination of Bengali (Indian) pat (traditional scroll painting) made by a community of rural Indian artisans with little or no exposure to mass-media. It transpires that while the impact of mass-media — often held responsible for the extinction of `authentic' folk art — has been somewhat exaggerated, the argument put forward here is that the putative anteriority of a time before representation, is largely an illusion.

The goddess for development. Indigenous economic concepts among South Indian artisans*

Cet article discute differents aspects des systemes de connaissance mobilises par les Visvakarmas, artisans du Karnataka. L'analyse detaillee de leurs discours sur la vie materielle met au jour la presence d'une notion de completude melant etroitement les dimensions economiques, rituelles et sociales a partir desquelles s'elaborent leurs perceptions de la monnaie, du profit et de l'emprunt. On plaide ici en faveur d'une nouvelle methode comparative qui puisse precisement s'appuyer sur ces systemes indigenes de connaissance. Par une analyse des transactions, l'article remet en cause les perspectives conventionnelles qu'adopte l'anthropologie dans sa comprehension du developpement et dans sa poursuite de strategies alternatives. On y defend avec vigueur qu'aucune alternative ne peut se faire sans integrer les savoirs indigenes, la participation directe des interesses, les conditions a la fois locales et formelles des strategies adoptees

The evolution of harmonic Indian musical drums: A mathematical perspective

We explain using mathematics how harmonic musical drums were discovered by Indian artisans and musicians more than 2000 years ago. To this end, we introduce a harmonic error function which measures the quality of the harmonic relationship and degeneracy of the first modes of vibration of a centrally symmetric loaded membrane. We explain that although the tabla configuration found by the ancient Indians is the most natural one, other configurations exist and some are harmonically superior to the classical one.

Theaters of Conversion: Religious Architecture and Indian Artisans in Colonial Mexico, by Samuel Y. Edgerton

<i>Theaters of Conversion: Religious Architecture and Indian Artisans in Colonial Mexico</i>, by Samuel Y. Edgerton

Theaters of Conversion: Religious Architecture and Indian Artisans in Colonial Mexico. Samuel Y. Edgerton. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 2001. xviii + 350 pp., color photos by Jorge Pérez de Lara, drawings, bibliography, index. $60.00 (cloth).

Theaters of Conversion: Religious Architecture and Indian Artisans in Colonial Mexico. Samuel Y. Edgerton. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 2001. xviii + 350 pp., color photos by Jorge Pérez de Lara, drawings, bibliography, index. $60.00 (cloth). - Volume 14 Issue 2

Theaters of Conversion: Religious Architecture and Indian Artisans in Colonial Mexico

Theaters of Conversion: Religious Architecture and Indian Artisans in Colonial Mexico

Theaters of Conversion: Religious Architecture and Indian Artisans in Colonial Mexico. By Samuel Y. Edgerton. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2001. Pp. xviii, 350. Illustrations. Photos. Notes. Bibliography. Index. $60.00 cloth.

Theaters of Conversion: Religious Architecture and Indian Artisans in Colonial Mexico. By Samuel Y. Edgerton. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2001. Pp. xviii, 350. Illustrations. Photos. Notes. Bibliography. Index. $60.00 cloth. - Volume 59 Issue 3