Author: Namrata Kohli
We celebrate handcrafted Swiss watches and Italian leather handbags as symbols of luxury, but bargain with an Indian artisan who has spent months weaving an intricate double-ikat textile or hand-knotted carpet. Why is it luxury abroad, but merely handicraft at home? And that explains why the humble Kolhapuri chappal had to walk all the way to Prada's Milan runway before we began looking at it through the lens of luxury!
How did a country so rich in craftsmanship become so poor at valuing it? India has one of the world's richest craft traditions, yet we often fail to recognise its true worth. Somewhere along the way, we began equating progress with machines and modernity with mass production.
Not everything needs to be churned out at lightning speed or replicated a million times. There must still be room for things made slowly, thoughtfully and by hand.
Jaya Jaitly, Founder and President of Dastkari Haat Samiti, puts it beautifully: "Handloom and handicrafts should be valued far above machine-made work because the human element is the most important thing in our world. The work carries a heritage, a certain value system and the identity of people. In any other country, work done by hand is always valued higher than machine-made work."
And if we put a hand on our hearts, we will realise that we don't value handmade because we don't know enough about it. After Independence, as India pursued industrialisation, traditional crafts gradually took a back seat in our idea of progress. Then came liberalisation, opening our markets to global brands. Somewhere along the way, foreign labels became aspirational, while our own handcrafted treasures were taken for granted.
But how should one do a valuation or appreciate the pricing of crafts? After all, not every handmade product is a masterpiece. There is average, above-average and extraordinary work. Craftsmanship spans the spectrum from everyday utility to affordable products and exceptional luxury.
The solution lies partly in educating consumers about the materials, techniques and skills that go into handmade products. Every handcrafted piece should come with its own story: who made it, where it came from, how long it took and what makes the technique special. Some brands, including Aadyam Handwoven, Jaypore and Okhai, have already begun telling these stories, explaining the craftsmanship and traditions behind their collections. It is a welcome beginning.
Then there are some myths that need to be busted. Small quantities alone do not establish luxury. Materials, design, skill and execution matter equally. Suparna Handa, Managing Director of Sarita Handa, observes, "The hours spent making a piece matter, but so do the years it takes an artisan to acquire that skill."