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Saturday, April 09, 2005
Heritage, not economics
Sheetal Vyas writes in:
If an economic interest is served by it, then handicrafts will survive on their own. But here's a question: if they cannot survive in the free market, should they be subsidised, in the name of culture and heritage? If so, why? (No generic bromides like "culture must be preserved" or "our heritage should not be allowed to die away" etc. Ask "why?" to each of these till you can ask no more, with all terms defined.)
About your post, "China hits the sari market", I just wanted to say that the worrying factor isn't only the lost livelihoods, it's loss of heritage.
Kaarigars or artisans are usually 'traditional' and learn their craft from their parents - even a skipped generation could translate into loss of techniques, aesthetic[s etc]. Most of them do not, in fact, assume that the world owes them a living. If embroidery or brass work doesn't sell, they move with alarming rapidity to bricklaying, farming or even blogging. The loss however is more truly ours.
My sister is a designer, and has worked for many years now in the handicraft sector, trying to keep these traditions alive, economically viable and aesthetically renewed. [The] handicrafts [sector] has immense potential in India, and even if our interest is purely economic, it makes sense to protect it.
If an economic interest is served by it, then handicrafts will survive on their own. But here's a question: if they cannot survive in the free market, should they be subsidised, in the name of culture and heritage? If so, why? (No generic bromides like "culture must be preserved" or "our heritage should not be allowed to die away" etc. Ask "why?" to each of these till you can ask no more, with all terms defined.)
