NCERT Textbook: Design And Development (Introduction to Indian Art) | Old & New NCERTs for IAS Preparation (Must Read) - UPSC PDF Download

 Page 1


THE twenty-first century has brought with it accelerated
change in every sphere of life, dependency on machines
and excessive consumption of natural resources in a
manner that is no longer sustainable. In the past the
crafts sector had been rejected by many as an unviable
economic activity for the twenty-first century.
Artisans still make up twenty million of India’s
working population. Therefore this sector has to be
developed in such a way so as to offer sustainable
employment to millions of skilled artisans. Crafts
producers cannot be economically viable unless their
product is marketable. The product can only be
marketable if it is attractive to the consumer, i.e., if
the traditional skill is adapted and designed to suit
contemporary consumer tastes and needs. Design does
not mean making pretty patterns—it lies in matching a
technique with a function.
In the field of traditional craft these two aspects of
design and development are not always synonymous;
design can lead to development, and development should
be designed. However in the field of design and
development a conflict may arise between function and
responsibility. Whose creativity will be expressed—the
developer’s, the designer’s or the craftsperson’s? Who is
the client—the consumer, who wants an unusual and
exciting product at the most competitive price; or the
crafts community who needs a market for its products
as similar to the traditional one as possible, so that it
does not need constant alien design interventions, or is
at conflict with the social, aesthetic and cultural roots
from which it has grown?
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT 9
Page 2


THE twenty-first century has brought with it accelerated
change in every sphere of life, dependency on machines
and excessive consumption of natural resources in a
manner that is no longer sustainable. In the past the
crafts sector had been rejected by many as an unviable
economic activity for the twenty-first century.
Artisans still make up twenty million of India’s
working population. Therefore this sector has to be
developed in such a way so as to offer sustainable
employment to millions of skilled artisans. Crafts
producers cannot be economically viable unless their
product is marketable. The product can only be
marketable if it is attractive to the consumer, i.e., if
the traditional skill is adapted and designed to suit
contemporary consumer tastes and needs. Design does
not mean making pretty patterns—it lies in matching a
technique with a function.
In the field of traditional craft these two aspects of
design and development are not always synonymous;
design can lead to development, and development should
be designed. However in the field of design and
development a conflict may arise between function and
responsibility. Whose creativity will be expressed—the
developer’s, the designer’s or the craftsperson’s? Who is
the client—the consumer, who wants an unusual and
exciting product at the most competitive price; or the
crafts community who needs a market for its products
as similar to the traditional one as possible, so that it
does not need constant alien design interventions, or is
at conflict with the social, aesthetic and cultural roots
from which it has grown?
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT 9
CRAFT TRADITIONS OF INDIA: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE 120
The crafts community has several priorities such as
food, clothing, shelter, education, health and economic
stability. The craft development sector needs to be
sensitive to these very real concerns of the crafts
community.
Therefore, craftspeople must be involved in every
aspect of design and production and understand the
usage of the product they are making. Voluntary
agencies or designers must also understand and study
the craft, the product and the market they are trying to
enter.
CHANGING PROFILE OF THE CRAFTSPERSON
In Ancient India, every individual had an implicitly
defined role in society, ordained by birth. Craftsmanship
was a heritage that evolved over centuries of arduous
apprenticeship in chhandomaya (the rules of rhythm,
balance, proportion, harmony and skill), controlled and
protected by the structure and laws of the guild. In the
guild the master craftsman, the raw apprentice and
the skilled but uninspired jobsman all had a place and
purpose. Today’s craftsperson has to be all things in
one, including his/her own entrepreneur.
The craftsperson had the status of an artist. As a
member of a society with strict rules and hierarchies,
both within the guild and the outside world, the
community and its products were protected, and the
quality was controlled. Patrons were well known to the
artists, customers were close at hand, their lifestyles
not too markedly different from the artists’. Whether
the craftsperson’s skills provided simple village wares
or jewelled artefacts for the temple or sultan, it was a
supportive inter-dependency based on a mutual need,
understanding and appreciation.
The craftsperson was his/her own designer and
the embellishments came only after the shape was
perfected to the function. The aesthetic and the
practical blended in a natural rather than artificially
imposed harmony.
Page 3


THE twenty-first century has brought with it accelerated
change in every sphere of life, dependency on machines
and excessive consumption of natural resources in a
manner that is no longer sustainable. In the past the
crafts sector had been rejected by many as an unviable
economic activity for the twenty-first century.
Artisans still make up twenty million of India’s
working population. Therefore this sector has to be
developed in such a way so as to offer sustainable
employment to millions of skilled artisans. Crafts
producers cannot be economically viable unless their
product is marketable. The product can only be
marketable if it is attractive to the consumer, i.e., if
the traditional skill is adapted and designed to suit
contemporary consumer tastes and needs. Design does
not mean making pretty patterns—it lies in matching a
technique with a function.
In the field of traditional craft these two aspects of
design and development are not always synonymous;
design can lead to development, and development should
be designed. However in the field of design and
development a conflict may arise between function and
responsibility. Whose creativity will be expressed—the
developer’s, the designer’s or the craftsperson’s? Who is
the client—the consumer, who wants an unusual and
exciting product at the most competitive price; or the
crafts community who needs a market for its products
as similar to the traditional one as possible, so that it
does not need constant alien design interventions, or is
at conflict with the social, aesthetic and cultural roots
from which it has grown?
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT 9
CRAFT TRADITIONS OF INDIA: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE 120
The crafts community has several priorities such as
food, clothing, shelter, education, health and economic
stability. The craft development sector needs to be
sensitive to these very real concerns of the crafts
community.
Therefore, craftspeople must be involved in every
aspect of design and production and understand the
usage of the product they are making. Voluntary
agencies or designers must also understand and study
the craft, the product and the market they are trying to
enter.
CHANGING PROFILE OF THE CRAFTSPERSON
In Ancient India, every individual had an implicitly
defined role in society, ordained by birth. Craftsmanship
was a heritage that evolved over centuries of arduous
apprenticeship in chhandomaya (the rules of rhythm,
balance, proportion, harmony and skill), controlled and
protected by the structure and laws of the guild. In the
guild the master craftsman, the raw apprentice and
the skilled but uninspired jobsman all had a place and
purpose. Today’s craftsperson has to be all things in
one, including his/her own entrepreneur.
The craftsperson had the status of an artist. As a
member of a society with strict rules and hierarchies,
both within the guild and the outside world, the
community and its products were protected, and the
quality was controlled. Patrons were well known to the
artists, customers were close at hand, their lifestyles
not too markedly different from the artists’. Whether
the craftsperson’s skills provided simple village wares
or jewelled artefacts for the temple or sultan, it was a
supportive inter-dependency based on a mutual need,
understanding and appreciation.
The craftsperson was his/her own designer and
the embellishments came only after the shape was
perfected to the function. The aesthetic and the
practical blended in a natural rather than artificially
imposed harmony.
 121
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
WHY DESIGN INPUTS ARE NEEDED
Today most craftspeople practising traditional skills are
vying with machines, competitive markets, mass-
produced objects or consumers’ craze for foreign
fashions, and are no longer protected by guilds or the
enlightened, hands-on patronage of courts or religious
institutions. Crafts communities are increasingly faced
with the problems of diminishing orders and the
debasement of their craft.
Crafts communities are making products for lifestyles
remote from their own, and selling them in alien and
highly competitive markets. Their own lives and tastes
have suffered major transformations  alienating them
further from their skills and products. A traditional jooti-
maker may still embroider golden peacocks on a pair of
shoes, but he himself will probably be wearing pink
plastic sandals! Consequently, craft has degenerated
today. For instance, the metal diya, a traditional ritual
object of worship has been turned into an ash tray that
sells on the pavement for just ten rupees.
Page 4


THE twenty-first century has brought with it accelerated
change in every sphere of life, dependency on machines
and excessive consumption of natural resources in a
manner that is no longer sustainable. In the past the
crafts sector had been rejected by many as an unviable
economic activity for the twenty-first century.
Artisans still make up twenty million of India’s
working population. Therefore this sector has to be
developed in such a way so as to offer sustainable
employment to millions of skilled artisans. Crafts
producers cannot be economically viable unless their
product is marketable. The product can only be
marketable if it is attractive to the consumer, i.e., if
the traditional skill is adapted and designed to suit
contemporary consumer tastes and needs. Design does
not mean making pretty patterns—it lies in matching a
technique with a function.
In the field of traditional craft these two aspects of
design and development are not always synonymous;
design can lead to development, and development should
be designed. However in the field of design and
development a conflict may arise between function and
responsibility. Whose creativity will be expressed—the
developer’s, the designer’s or the craftsperson’s? Who is
the client—the consumer, who wants an unusual and
exciting product at the most competitive price; or the
crafts community who needs a market for its products
as similar to the traditional one as possible, so that it
does not need constant alien design interventions, or is
at conflict with the social, aesthetic and cultural roots
from which it has grown?
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT 9
CRAFT TRADITIONS OF INDIA: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE 120
The crafts community has several priorities such as
food, clothing, shelter, education, health and economic
stability. The craft development sector needs to be
sensitive to these very real concerns of the crafts
community.
Therefore, craftspeople must be involved in every
aspect of design and production and understand the
usage of the product they are making. Voluntary
agencies or designers must also understand and study
the craft, the product and the market they are trying to
enter.
CHANGING PROFILE OF THE CRAFTSPERSON
In Ancient India, every individual had an implicitly
defined role in society, ordained by birth. Craftsmanship
was a heritage that evolved over centuries of arduous
apprenticeship in chhandomaya (the rules of rhythm,
balance, proportion, harmony and skill), controlled and
protected by the structure and laws of the guild. In the
guild the master craftsman, the raw apprentice and
the skilled but uninspired jobsman all had a place and
purpose. Today’s craftsperson has to be all things in
one, including his/her own entrepreneur.
The craftsperson had the status of an artist. As a
member of a society with strict rules and hierarchies,
both within the guild and the outside world, the
community and its products were protected, and the
quality was controlled. Patrons were well known to the
artists, customers were close at hand, their lifestyles
not too markedly different from the artists’. Whether
the craftsperson’s skills provided simple village wares
or jewelled artefacts for the temple or sultan, it was a
supportive inter-dependency based on a mutual need,
understanding and appreciation.
The craftsperson was his/her own designer and
the embellishments came only after the shape was
perfected to the function. The aesthetic and the
practical blended in a natural rather than artificially
imposed harmony.
 121
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
WHY DESIGN INPUTS ARE NEEDED
Today most craftspeople practising traditional skills are
vying with machines, competitive markets, mass-
produced objects or consumers’ craze for foreign
fashions, and are no longer protected by guilds or the
enlightened, hands-on patronage of courts or religious
institutions. Crafts communities are increasingly faced
with the problems of diminishing orders and the
debasement of their craft.
Crafts communities are making products for lifestyles
remote from their own, and selling them in alien and
highly competitive markets. Their own lives and tastes
have suffered major transformations  alienating them
further from their skills and products. A traditional jooti-
maker may still embroider golden peacocks on a pair of
shoes, but he himself will probably be wearing pink
plastic sandals! Consequently, craft has degenerated
today. For instance, the metal diya, a traditional ritual
object of worship has been turned into an ash tray that
sells on the pavement for just ten rupees.
CRAFT TRADITIONS OF INDIA: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE 122
DESIGN INPUTS: FROM INSIDE OR OUTSIDE?
Do craftspeople with centuries of a skilled tradition need
outside interventions? In the past no deterioration of
crafts has been caused by interventions, however well
intentioned, from the outside, from agencies outside the
crafts community.
However, tradition must be a springboard not a cage.
Craft, if it is to be utility-based and economically viable,
cannot be static. Crafts have always responded to
market changes, consumer needs, fashion and usage.
Today with the distance growing between the producer
and the consumer, craft cannot respond to change with
the same vitality that existed in the past. It then
becomes the role of the designer and product developer
to sensitively interpret these changes to craftspeople
who are physically removed from their new marketplaces
and new clients.
There are professionals with
formal art, design and marketing
education who have the technical
expertise and tools to assist crafts
communities in the process of
design, innovation, understanding
foreign or urban markets and
contemporary marketing practices
that can protect the interest
of the artisans. Working with
craftspeople, the design consultant
has to dampen his/her own creative
flame in order to light the
craftsperson’s fire. He/she can
provide a sample design range to
inspire craftspeople to do their own
further innovation, not just force the
artisan into passive replication. The
crafts community must be at the
centre of the crafts development
process and at every step
craftspersons must be taught to use
their minds and imagination as well
as their hands.
Page 5


THE twenty-first century has brought with it accelerated
change in every sphere of life, dependency on machines
and excessive consumption of natural resources in a
manner that is no longer sustainable. In the past the
crafts sector had been rejected by many as an unviable
economic activity for the twenty-first century.
Artisans still make up twenty million of India’s
working population. Therefore this sector has to be
developed in such a way so as to offer sustainable
employment to millions of skilled artisans. Crafts
producers cannot be economically viable unless their
product is marketable. The product can only be
marketable if it is attractive to the consumer, i.e., if
the traditional skill is adapted and designed to suit
contemporary consumer tastes and needs. Design does
not mean making pretty patterns—it lies in matching a
technique with a function.
In the field of traditional craft these two aspects of
design and development are not always synonymous;
design can lead to development, and development should
be designed. However in the field of design and
development a conflict may arise between function and
responsibility. Whose creativity will be expressed—the
developer’s, the designer’s or the craftsperson’s? Who is
the client—the consumer, who wants an unusual and
exciting product at the most competitive price; or the
crafts community who needs a market for its products
as similar to the traditional one as possible, so that it
does not need constant alien design interventions, or is
at conflict with the social, aesthetic and cultural roots
from which it has grown?
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT 9
CRAFT TRADITIONS OF INDIA: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE 120
The crafts community has several priorities such as
food, clothing, shelter, education, health and economic
stability. The craft development sector needs to be
sensitive to these very real concerns of the crafts
community.
Therefore, craftspeople must be involved in every
aspect of design and production and understand the
usage of the product they are making. Voluntary
agencies or designers must also understand and study
the craft, the product and the market they are trying to
enter.
CHANGING PROFILE OF THE CRAFTSPERSON
In Ancient India, every individual had an implicitly
defined role in society, ordained by birth. Craftsmanship
was a heritage that evolved over centuries of arduous
apprenticeship in chhandomaya (the rules of rhythm,
balance, proportion, harmony and skill), controlled and
protected by the structure and laws of the guild. In the
guild the master craftsman, the raw apprentice and
the skilled but uninspired jobsman all had a place and
purpose. Today’s craftsperson has to be all things in
one, including his/her own entrepreneur.
The craftsperson had the status of an artist. As a
member of a society with strict rules and hierarchies,
both within the guild and the outside world, the
community and its products were protected, and the
quality was controlled. Patrons were well known to the
artists, customers were close at hand, their lifestyles
not too markedly different from the artists’. Whether
the craftsperson’s skills provided simple village wares
or jewelled artefacts for the temple or sultan, it was a
supportive inter-dependency based on a mutual need,
understanding and appreciation.
The craftsperson was his/her own designer and
the embellishments came only after the shape was
perfected to the function. The aesthetic and the
practical blended in a natural rather than artificially
imposed harmony.
 121
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
WHY DESIGN INPUTS ARE NEEDED
Today most craftspeople practising traditional skills are
vying with machines, competitive markets, mass-
produced objects or consumers’ craze for foreign
fashions, and are no longer protected by guilds or the
enlightened, hands-on patronage of courts or religious
institutions. Crafts communities are increasingly faced
with the problems of diminishing orders and the
debasement of their craft.
Crafts communities are making products for lifestyles
remote from their own, and selling them in alien and
highly competitive markets. Their own lives and tastes
have suffered major transformations  alienating them
further from their skills and products. A traditional jooti-
maker may still embroider golden peacocks on a pair of
shoes, but he himself will probably be wearing pink
plastic sandals! Consequently, craft has degenerated
today. For instance, the metal diya, a traditional ritual
object of worship has been turned into an ash tray that
sells on the pavement for just ten rupees.
CRAFT TRADITIONS OF INDIA: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE 122
DESIGN INPUTS: FROM INSIDE OR OUTSIDE?
Do craftspeople with centuries of a skilled tradition need
outside interventions? In the past no deterioration of
crafts has been caused by interventions, however well
intentioned, from the outside, from agencies outside the
crafts community.
However, tradition must be a springboard not a cage.
Craft, if it is to be utility-based and economically viable,
cannot be static. Crafts have always responded to
market changes, consumer needs, fashion and usage.
Today with the distance growing between the producer
and the consumer, craft cannot respond to change with
the same vitality that existed in the past. It then
becomes the role of the designer and product developer
to sensitively interpret these changes to craftspeople
who are physically removed from their new marketplaces
and new clients.
There are professionals with
formal art, design and marketing
education who have the technical
expertise and tools to assist crafts
communities in the process of
design, innovation, understanding
foreign or urban markets and
contemporary marketing practices
that can protect the interest
of the artisans. Working with
craftspeople, the design consultant
has to dampen his/her own creative
flame in order to light the
craftsperson’s fire. He/she can
provide a sample design range to
inspire craftspeople to do their own
further innovation, not just force the
artisan into passive replication. The
crafts community must be at the
centre of the crafts development
process and at every step
craftspersons must be taught to use
their minds and imagination as well
as their hands.
 123
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
There is a need to see product design and marketing
as the catalyst and entry point for integrated
development in the crafts sector. There is a growing
demand for these services from craftspeople all over
the country, who wish to learn more about their new
clients and customers, of new trends so that they can
play a significant role in contemporary life.
Many well-meaning, income-generating projects by
by the government and NGOs suffer because they have
not taken into account the need for design and
development of crafts products and the well being of
the community in a holistic and integrated manner.
CRAFTS AND INCOME GENERATION SCHEMES
Many government and non-governmental agencies
have discovered that traditional crafts can be a vehicle
for income generation. Such schemes have not always
been accompanied by sensitivity to the needs of the
craftsman, consumer, or an analysis of the market.
As the tourist and export demand for Indian crafts
have grown, middlemen and traders, many of them
exploitative, have begun craft production and sale.
This has resulted in the loss and disappearance of
many of the more intricate and unusual art forms and
skills. Traders and middlemen demand quick production
A Fridge That Uses No Electricity
Mansukbhai Prajapati, a potter living in Wankaner,  Gujarat,
has invented a refrigerator called ‘Mitticool’. Here is how he
made it: Mansukhbhai mixed several kinds of mud  in a churner.
Once the mud was mixed, the slush was filtered and then made
to dry. Then the raw material i.e. chunks of dried clay were
simply modelled in a vertical shape and baked in the furnace.
The upper part of the ‘Mitticool’ can store about 20 litres of
water, while the bottom cabinet has a separate space for storing
fruits, vegetables and milk. This brown fridge has an inlet for
water, which is circulated through internal piping that keeps
the temperature cool. This keeps vegetable and fruit fresh for
around five days, while milk can be preserved for three days. His invention is unique,
inexpensive and emits no Cholro Fluro Carbon (CFC)!
– Young INTACH,  Vol. 6., No. 3,
July–September 2009