NCERT Textbook: Craft in The Age of Tourism (Introduction to Indian Art) | Old & New NCERTs for IAS Preparation (Must Read) - UPSC PDF Download

 Page 1


TOURISM, if it is managed sensitively, can be a miraculous
catalyst for economic and cultural revitalisation; it not
only enhances income but also establishes an identity
of the country. Two Asian countries—Thailand and
India—are among the top ten destinations in the world,
and tourists to India increase by almost 15 per cent
each year.
The nature of tourism itself has changed—with
tourists travelling for leisure and pleasure, rather than
culture and architecture. This new type of traveller is
often looking to buy ethnic crafts or souvenirs as a
memento of their travel experience. Which crafts do
visitors to India buy? Where do they buy them from?
These are some of the questions to explore.
India has over twenty million craftspeople, who create
a very wide range of varied crafts. Is it possible to
productively use the ever-growing tourism industry to
explore approaches to craft merchandising that will
benefit and sustain the crafts community throughout
the country? Let us analyse present trends in crafts
production and sale in the tourism sector.
CRAFT IN THE AGE OF TOURISM
8
Popular Souvenirs from India
? Carpets and durries
? Kundan, silver and semi-precious jewellery
? Block-printed fabric
? Embroideries
? Folk art—Madhubani paintings, Bastar metal work
? Silk—material, garments, scarves and stoles
? Embossed and embroidered leather
? Pashmina shawls from Kashmir which continue to be the
most popular
Page 2


TOURISM, if it is managed sensitively, can be a miraculous
catalyst for economic and cultural revitalisation; it not
only enhances income but also establishes an identity
of the country. Two Asian countries—Thailand and
India—are among the top ten destinations in the world,
and tourists to India increase by almost 15 per cent
each year.
The nature of tourism itself has changed—with
tourists travelling for leisure and pleasure, rather than
culture and architecture. This new type of traveller is
often looking to buy ethnic crafts or souvenirs as a
memento of their travel experience. Which crafts do
visitors to India buy? Where do they buy them from?
These are some of the questions to explore.
India has over twenty million craftspeople, who create
a very wide range of varied crafts. Is it possible to
productively use the ever-growing tourism industry to
explore approaches to craft merchandising that will
benefit and sustain the crafts community throughout
the country? Let us analyse present trends in crafts
production and sale in the tourism sector.
CRAFT IN THE AGE OF TOURISM
8
Popular Souvenirs from India
? Carpets and durries
? Kundan, silver and semi-precious jewellery
? Block-printed fabric
? Embroideries
? Folk art—Madhubani paintings, Bastar metal work
? Silk—material, garments, scarves and stoles
? Embossed and embroidered leather
? Pashmina shawls from Kashmir which continue to be the
most popular
CRAFT TRADITIONS OF INDIA: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE 104
The market for crafts in the tourism sector is based
on certain factors which it is important to understand
and analyse in order to develop the market potential for
crafts. A similar approach can be used to analyse other
marketing options for crafts.
TOURISTS’ PREFERENCES
? Air travel implies limited bulk and weight of luggage
for travellers. So they prefer to carry small, light
objects. Since weight is a major problem, the things
that tourists buy have to be either unusual, or
something that they don’t get in their own country
or so competitive in price that they find them
irresistible.
? Today popular destinations in India are Goa and
Kerala where visitors flock for the beaches and
ayurvedic spas. Tourists also come to see monuments
searching for a unique cultural experience like
visiting the magnificent forts and palaces of
Rajasthan. It is important to realise that trends,
fashions, tastes and lifestyles change. This, in turn,
affects the tourism and crafts industry.
Page 3


TOURISM, if it is managed sensitively, can be a miraculous
catalyst for economic and cultural revitalisation; it not
only enhances income but also establishes an identity
of the country. Two Asian countries—Thailand and
India—are among the top ten destinations in the world,
and tourists to India increase by almost 15 per cent
each year.
The nature of tourism itself has changed—with
tourists travelling for leisure and pleasure, rather than
culture and architecture. This new type of traveller is
often looking to buy ethnic crafts or souvenirs as a
memento of their travel experience. Which crafts do
visitors to India buy? Where do they buy them from?
These are some of the questions to explore.
India has over twenty million craftspeople, who create
a very wide range of varied crafts. Is it possible to
productively use the ever-growing tourism industry to
explore approaches to craft merchandising that will
benefit and sustain the crafts community throughout
the country? Let us analyse present trends in crafts
production and sale in the tourism sector.
CRAFT IN THE AGE OF TOURISM
8
Popular Souvenirs from India
? Carpets and durries
? Kundan, silver and semi-precious jewellery
? Block-printed fabric
? Embroideries
? Folk art—Madhubani paintings, Bastar metal work
? Silk—material, garments, scarves and stoles
? Embossed and embroidered leather
? Pashmina shawls from Kashmir which continue to be the
most popular
CRAFT TRADITIONS OF INDIA: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE 104
The market for crafts in the tourism sector is based
on certain factors which it is important to understand
and analyse in order to develop the market potential for
crafts. A similar approach can be used to analyse other
marketing options for crafts.
TOURISTS’ PREFERENCES
? Air travel implies limited bulk and weight of luggage
for travellers. So they prefer to carry small, light
objects. Since weight is a major problem, the things
that tourists buy have to be either unusual, or
something that they don’t get in their own country
or so competitive in price that they find them
irresistible.
? Today popular destinations in India are Goa and
Kerala where visitors flock for the beaches and
ayurvedic spas. Tourists also come to see monuments
searching for a unique cultural experience like
visiting the magnificent forts and palaces of
Rajasthan. It is important to realise that trends,
fashions, tastes and lifestyles change. This, in turn,
affects the tourism and crafts industry.
 105
CRAFT IN THE AGE OF TOURISM
? With cameras being so sophisticated, easy-to-use and
inexpensive, tourists no longer need souvenirs just
to put into showcases at home as reminders of their
travels.
? International travel today is quite commonplace
rather than a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Tourists
today are exposed to the best the world can offer,
and are therefore more selective. The Indian
experience shows that the traveller today—even back-
packers—do have money to spend, but since they
travel the globe, they are quite selective about what
they spend their money on.
? Tourists these days are younger; they are usually
professionals on holiday, rather than just the retired
and the elderly. Their homes are smaller; usually
colour-coordinated and designed to a theme. Just
because something is ethnic it is not always desired
by them. However, sometimes, simply changing a
colour or size can make a traditional item into a
best-seller.
Some years ago, weavers from Varanasi converted the traditional dupatta into a stole, a
length of cloth worn like a small shawl by women in Western countries. This new product
became very popular and sold well at tourist centres as it was light, the right size and
comfortable to wear with western clothes.
? Today’s travellers do not want things that are difficult
to maintain, which require frequent washing and
polishing. Hence, there was a sharp decline in recent
years in the demand for Indian metal crafts like bidri,
silver and brassware.
An English lady wanted to buy a white chikan tablecloth—but the thought of hand
laundering, starching and ironing its fragile, heavily embroidered muslin folds worried
her. Finally, she had a brainwave. “I’ll buy it for my mother-in-law,” she said. “She will like
the tablecloth and my good taste, but she will have the headache of looking after it for the
rest of her life!”
? On the other hand tourists and travellers do buy
clothes and accessories for holidays—casuals, sandals,
cloth bags, jewellery. These items are usually cheaper
in India than in Europe and America. Tourists today
are much less conservative and enjoy experimenting
Page 4


TOURISM, if it is managed sensitively, can be a miraculous
catalyst for economic and cultural revitalisation; it not
only enhances income but also establishes an identity
of the country. Two Asian countries—Thailand and
India—are among the top ten destinations in the world,
and tourists to India increase by almost 15 per cent
each year.
The nature of tourism itself has changed—with
tourists travelling for leisure and pleasure, rather than
culture and architecture. This new type of traveller is
often looking to buy ethnic crafts or souvenirs as a
memento of their travel experience. Which crafts do
visitors to India buy? Where do they buy them from?
These are some of the questions to explore.
India has over twenty million craftspeople, who create
a very wide range of varied crafts. Is it possible to
productively use the ever-growing tourism industry to
explore approaches to craft merchandising that will
benefit and sustain the crafts community throughout
the country? Let us analyse present trends in crafts
production and sale in the tourism sector.
CRAFT IN THE AGE OF TOURISM
8
Popular Souvenirs from India
? Carpets and durries
? Kundan, silver and semi-precious jewellery
? Block-printed fabric
? Embroideries
? Folk art—Madhubani paintings, Bastar metal work
? Silk—material, garments, scarves and stoles
? Embossed and embroidered leather
? Pashmina shawls from Kashmir which continue to be the
most popular
CRAFT TRADITIONS OF INDIA: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE 104
The market for crafts in the tourism sector is based
on certain factors which it is important to understand
and analyse in order to develop the market potential for
crafts. A similar approach can be used to analyse other
marketing options for crafts.
TOURISTS’ PREFERENCES
? Air travel implies limited bulk and weight of luggage
for travellers. So they prefer to carry small, light
objects. Since weight is a major problem, the things
that tourists buy have to be either unusual, or
something that they don’t get in their own country
or so competitive in price that they find them
irresistible.
? Today popular destinations in India are Goa and
Kerala where visitors flock for the beaches and
ayurvedic spas. Tourists also come to see monuments
searching for a unique cultural experience like
visiting the magnificent forts and palaces of
Rajasthan. It is important to realise that trends,
fashions, tastes and lifestyles change. This, in turn,
affects the tourism and crafts industry.
 105
CRAFT IN THE AGE OF TOURISM
? With cameras being so sophisticated, easy-to-use and
inexpensive, tourists no longer need souvenirs just
to put into showcases at home as reminders of their
travels.
? International travel today is quite commonplace
rather than a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Tourists
today are exposed to the best the world can offer,
and are therefore more selective. The Indian
experience shows that the traveller today—even back-
packers—do have money to spend, but since they
travel the globe, they are quite selective about what
they spend their money on.
? Tourists these days are younger; they are usually
professionals on holiday, rather than just the retired
and the elderly. Their homes are smaller; usually
colour-coordinated and designed to a theme. Just
because something is ethnic it is not always desired
by them. However, sometimes, simply changing a
colour or size can make a traditional item into a
best-seller.
Some years ago, weavers from Varanasi converted the traditional dupatta into a stole, a
length of cloth worn like a small shawl by women in Western countries. This new product
became very popular and sold well at tourist centres as it was light, the right size and
comfortable to wear with western clothes.
? Today’s travellers do not want things that are difficult
to maintain, which require frequent washing and
polishing. Hence, there was a sharp decline in recent
years in the demand for Indian metal crafts like bidri,
silver and brassware.
An English lady wanted to buy a white chikan tablecloth—but the thought of hand
laundering, starching and ironing its fragile, heavily embroidered muslin folds worried
her. Finally, she had a brainwave. “I’ll buy it for my mother-in-law,” she said. “She will like
the tablecloth and my good taste, but she will have the headache of looking after it for the
rest of her life!”
? On the other hand tourists and travellers do buy
clothes and accessories for holidays—casuals, sandals,
cloth bags, jewellery. These items are usually cheaper
in India than in Europe and America. Tourists today
are much less conservative and enjoy experimenting
CRAFT TRADITIONS OF INDIA: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE 106
with local styles. Holiday clothes and accessories are,
therefore, areas that could be developed.
? Visitors would prefer to invest in and to take home
truly beautiful artistic objects. This area of artistic,
high-quality products needs to be developed rather
than trying to sell poorly designed, cheap, outdated
souvenirs of the past.
POPULAR SALES OUTLETS FOR CRAFTS
Most tourists visit the Taj Mahal, one of the most
beautiful monuments in the world. However, this world
famous heritage site is surrounded by hundreds of little
shops and stalls full of cheap alabaster and ugly plastic
replicas of the Taj, rows and rows of small soap-stone
pill boxes with poor quality marble inlay and lids that
don’t fit. The shops are run by aggressive and persistent
shopkeepers and there is not a craftsperson or genuine
craft object in sight. The same is true of all our great
tourist sites, museums and pilgrimage centres—the Red
Fort, Khajuraho, Ajanta, Varanasi, Hampi, Mathura,
Mahabalipuram and the beaches of Goa and Orissa.
Page 5


TOURISM, if it is managed sensitively, can be a miraculous
catalyst for economic and cultural revitalisation; it not
only enhances income but also establishes an identity
of the country. Two Asian countries—Thailand and
India—are among the top ten destinations in the world,
and tourists to India increase by almost 15 per cent
each year.
The nature of tourism itself has changed—with
tourists travelling for leisure and pleasure, rather than
culture and architecture. This new type of traveller is
often looking to buy ethnic crafts or souvenirs as a
memento of their travel experience. Which crafts do
visitors to India buy? Where do they buy them from?
These are some of the questions to explore.
India has over twenty million craftspeople, who create
a very wide range of varied crafts. Is it possible to
productively use the ever-growing tourism industry to
explore approaches to craft merchandising that will
benefit and sustain the crafts community throughout
the country? Let us analyse present trends in crafts
production and sale in the tourism sector.
CRAFT IN THE AGE OF TOURISM
8
Popular Souvenirs from India
? Carpets and durries
? Kundan, silver and semi-precious jewellery
? Block-printed fabric
? Embroideries
? Folk art—Madhubani paintings, Bastar metal work
? Silk—material, garments, scarves and stoles
? Embossed and embroidered leather
? Pashmina shawls from Kashmir which continue to be the
most popular
CRAFT TRADITIONS OF INDIA: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE 104
The market for crafts in the tourism sector is based
on certain factors which it is important to understand
and analyse in order to develop the market potential for
crafts. A similar approach can be used to analyse other
marketing options for crafts.
TOURISTS’ PREFERENCES
? Air travel implies limited bulk and weight of luggage
for travellers. So they prefer to carry small, light
objects. Since weight is a major problem, the things
that tourists buy have to be either unusual, or
something that they don’t get in their own country
or so competitive in price that they find them
irresistible.
? Today popular destinations in India are Goa and
Kerala where visitors flock for the beaches and
ayurvedic spas. Tourists also come to see monuments
searching for a unique cultural experience like
visiting the magnificent forts and palaces of
Rajasthan. It is important to realise that trends,
fashions, tastes and lifestyles change. This, in turn,
affects the tourism and crafts industry.
 105
CRAFT IN THE AGE OF TOURISM
? With cameras being so sophisticated, easy-to-use and
inexpensive, tourists no longer need souvenirs just
to put into showcases at home as reminders of their
travels.
? International travel today is quite commonplace
rather than a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Tourists
today are exposed to the best the world can offer,
and are therefore more selective. The Indian
experience shows that the traveller today—even back-
packers—do have money to spend, but since they
travel the globe, they are quite selective about what
they spend their money on.
? Tourists these days are younger; they are usually
professionals on holiday, rather than just the retired
and the elderly. Their homes are smaller; usually
colour-coordinated and designed to a theme. Just
because something is ethnic it is not always desired
by them. However, sometimes, simply changing a
colour or size can make a traditional item into a
best-seller.
Some years ago, weavers from Varanasi converted the traditional dupatta into a stole, a
length of cloth worn like a small shawl by women in Western countries. This new product
became very popular and sold well at tourist centres as it was light, the right size and
comfortable to wear with western clothes.
? Today’s travellers do not want things that are difficult
to maintain, which require frequent washing and
polishing. Hence, there was a sharp decline in recent
years in the demand for Indian metal crafts like bidri,
silver and brassware.
An English lady wanted to buy a white chikan tablecloth—but the thought of hand
laundering, starching and ironing its fragile, heavily embroidered muslin folds worried
her. Finally, she had a brainwave. “I’ll buy it for my mother-in-law,” she said. “She will like
the tablecloth and my good taste, but she will have the headache of looking after it for the
rest of her life!”
? On the other hand tourists and travellers do buy
clothes and accessories for holidays—casuals, sandals,
cloth bags, jewellery. These items are usually cheaper
in India than in Europe and America. Tourists today
are much less conservative and enjoy experimenting
CRAFT TRADITIONS OF INDIA: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE 106
with local styles. Holiday clothes and accessories are,
therefore, areas that could be developed.
? Visitors would prefer to invest in and to take home
truly beautiful artistic objects. This area of artistic,
high-quality products needs to be developed rather
than trying to sell poorly designed, cheap, outdated
souvenirs of the past.
POPULAR SALES OUTLETS FOR CRAFTS
Most tourists visit the Taj Mahal, one of the most
beautiful monuments in the world. However, this world
famous heritage site is surrounded by hundreds of little
shops and stalls full of cheap alabaster and ugly plastic
replicas of the Taj, rows and rows of small soap-stone
pill boxes with poor quality marble inlay and lids that
don’t fit. The shops are run by aggressive and persistent
shopkeepers and there is not a craftsperson or genuine
craft object in sight. The same is true of all our great
tourist sites, museums and pilgrimage centres—the Red
Fort, Khajuraho, Ajanta, Varanasi, Hampi, Mathura,
Mahabalipuram and the beaches of Goa and Orissa.
 107
CRAFT IN THE AGE OF TOURISM
There are government-run Cottage Industries and
State Handicraft Emporia in all the cities. Baba Kharak
Singh Marg in Delhi has a row of crafts emporia run by
the State Handicrafts Corporations’ shops. These
emporia were an innovation as India was probably the
first country with a policy and a Ministry for Handlooms
and Handicrafts.
A comparatively new trend is privately run shops in
cities, hotels and airports. Commercial tourist complexes
market a mix of ethnic food, rural lifestyle, craft, music
and dance such as Vishaala in Gujarat, Swabhumi in
Kolkata, Chowki Dhani in Jaipur. The craftsperson is
featured as both exhibit and entertainer.
In order to enter the field of handicraft marketing one
has to know where and how the products are made,
appreciate the craftsmen’s lifestyle and method of working.
Thereafter, reliable supply contacts or procurement
arrangements should be established, as well as efficient
distribution outlets, and the whole enterprise managed