At a time when the Odisha Government is giving priority to heavy industries, craftspeople in the State are struggling to survive and also having a tough time arranging raw materials with no visible support from the Government.
According to president of Odisha Shilipi Mahasangha, a forum fighting for the cause of artisans, Priyaranjan Kar, Odisha, which is considered as the State of the finest arts and crafts in the country, is now witnessing many traditional handicrafts struggling to survive.
“Around 2 lakh handcrafters and 18 lakh weavers of the State are members of the Mahasangha. An unorganised production base, Government apathy and lack of any clear-cut policy have adversely affected a number of artisan communities in the State,” said Kar.
He alleged that due to Government apathy many artisans are forced to shift to alternative sources of employment and migrate to other States in search of better opportunities and even forced to work as bonded labourers. Stating that arranging raw materials like stones has now become a headache for artisans, Kar said, “Since time immemorial, artisans have been collecting stones from forests basically from Tapanga and Bhubaneswar in Khordha district, Nilagiri, Iswarpur, Soro, Baulagadia in Baleswar district and also from forests of Nayagarh, Kalahandi and Kendrapada and other districts. But the State Government has restricted collection of stones from reserve forests.”
Maintaining that sculptors cannot always procure marble from outside the State, Kar urged the Government to take up the issue seriously as the livelihoods of lakhs of craftspeople, engaged in art forms like pattachitra, stone, wooden and horn carving, brass metal, bamboo and cane, palm leaf and applique works are facing extinction.
“Despite our repeated demonstrations, appeals and protests, the Government is yet to take tangible steps for resolving the problems, Kar alleged.He wondered that while multinational companies are allowed to explore mineral resources from the reserve forests, how artisans are debarred from collecting stones and other raw materials.According to Kar, the primary problems confronting the unorganised handicrafts sector include scarcity of raw materials, absence of raw material depots, lack of training in new designs, craft clusters, lack of pricing methodology of products and lack of markets.