The Covid-19 pandemic led to the imposition of nationwide lockdown, something that has impacted lives in far more ways than we can think of. With the entire world coming to a halt, the difference between the privileged and underprivileged became too evident to go unnoticed. The huge changes in the definition of normal led to the adoption of new rules across various public and private sectors. In some cases, these rules have changed their trajectory for good, but there are some industries that are still struggling. One of these is the art and crafts industry in India. Local artisans of India were already suffering because of demonetization and implementation of GST, and imposition of nationwide lockdown by shutting all doors of hope, further adding to their misery. India is a diverse country, being home to people from various cultures. Each culture has its own traditions and values, making India a hub of different forms of art and crafts. No thanks to globalisation and digitalization, art and crafts have taken a backseat in people's lives nowadays. This lack of interest has a huge role to play in local artisans' hard struggles to keep their art alive and feed their families. Ignored by everyone, from government to media to even their customers, local artisans are in dire need of support.
The situation does appear to be quite grave, but there are definitely many ways by which the lives of local artisans won't only return back to normalcy, but they can also become major contributors to India's GDP. Some of the ways to help local artisans are as follows:- Collaborating with NGOs: By collaborating with various NGOs, many local artisans are and will be able to live a better life as these NGOs collect their goods and sell them in the market at reasonable prices. These NGOs also aid in the development of art and crafts by teaching the artists relevant skills to increase their reach in the market.
Taking their art online: By learning the basics of the internet, local artisans can make enough money to sustain themselves and provide better living conditions to themselves and their family members. Learning how to use social media for business too can help them a lot. To make sure that artisans are aware of internet marketing and its use, the government should have various schemes and programmes.
Raising funds: Raising funds will not only help local artists in paying back their loans and debts, but will also aid in production of more versatile goods, which in return will ensure more profits.
Organizing events: Organising events will help in people getting drawn towards the creations of local artisans, along with spreading awareness about their work and its necessity to keep a culture alive. Attending such events too, is equally important because of the encouragement it gives to local artisans.
Shopping local: Shopping local contributes to not just local artists but also our culture. We are not aware how glad a chance to create something for us can make local artisans. And it is better to put your money where it helps the underprivileged, not fill the pockets of already rich.
Offering emotional support: Just making these artists aware of the fact that you are there to support them via a phone call or a text message alone can stop them from giving up their hopes and can help them perform better.
Encouraging friends and family to support local artisans: Romerro Britto said “Art is too important not to share.” We can abide by the same by encouraging our close ones to support local artisans, by telling them the importance of sustaining local arts and gifting products from local artists. This too, will help in spreading awareness about the need to preserve local art and support artists.
Al Jourgensen once said that supporting local artisans is important because without them there will be no art. Their huge contribution in keeping a culture alive can't be denied. Supporting them has a very important economical benefit too, which is bridging the gap between the rich and the poor, and there's absolutely nothing one can lose by supporting local artisans. So, it's high time we all do our bit to support local art and artisans.
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