The picture below shows the most skilled artisan named Javed Ali Manhari. He is from Balrampur town on the outskirts of Jharkhand. He is a proficient craftsman who produces different products from Lac. Lac is prevalent in the numerous host trees of Jharkhand. Its importance is seen in most religions. He uses traditional means and systems to produce bangles and puts in great effort and time. All to meet the demand that comes to his door from the several districts of Purulia, Khuti, Ranchi, and Lohardaga. He regularly travels to several places to promote the good. This has helped him expand his market to the metropolitan city of Kolkata in West Bengal. Despite engaging in tough practices to save this ancient method and produce quality products, he makes only about INR 10,000. It's not enough to support his family and tend to the household needs. All this is due to the occurrence of unawareness about these goods in the country itself.
The widespread consumption of Lac has been there for ages. It holds a special status in religious practices and includes a great deal of usage in the electric and cosmetic Industries. Jharkhand is known for most of Lacs production in India, because of its climatic conditions and greater host tree nutrients. Yet, much of this cultivation has stopped due to technological growth and its implementation in the agricultural area. This is because of greater cultivation of paddy and other crops which dues major profit. Though supported, it still serves as an important economic activity for thousands of villagers. Especially for those in the Khunti, Purulia, and Balampum districts.
Several factors result in subduing of this production. Restricted marketing channels lead to the exploitation of cultivators, generally by middlemen. Lack of information about the market and circulation system plays a chief role too. Unhealthy and competitive trade practices continue to exist due to a lack of professional management and control in the marketing system. Inadequate labor welfare measures further corrupt the earnings and the motivation.
The unstable and risky market prices make it difficult for the traders to measure the value of the goods. This forces them to dispose of their goods at the prevailing price. The primary reason is that these cultivators don't know enough about demand-supply-chain. They don't have access to average-level education. Lack of technical expertise and usage of outdated methods fail to keep up with the demand.
Recent years have seen initiatives from the government to promote and protect the village artistry. A large amount of money from the grant in aid is devoted to the Lac industry to save the market and encourage growth. NABARD schemes include several opportunities to project the development of infrastructure. These projects are necessary for the cleaning and the following process. These schemes also cover rural entrepreneurship development programs. They have the vision to secure and promote the SHGs through NGOs.
Despite these efforts, seasonal production of raw materials, and inadequate processing knowledge pose a serious threat to the future growth prospect. The non-uniformity of the quality of the products by the indigenous factories and lack of awareness of brood lac makes it worse.
A lot of effort is required to protect this industry which serves as the backbone of the economy. It employs hundreds of villagers, but market forces and a lack of technical development corrupt that line. In the end, illiteracy and poverty serve as the central limitation the country still needs to fight.
A native of Ranchi, Radhika S Tibrewal is presently studying in Class 12 (Science) at Mayo College Girls’ School, Ajmer. Her interests lie widely in finance and management. She is an avid and a passionate public speaker who is part of the Model United Nations Club and the debating society of her school. The views expressed are personal.