Arts and crafts are expressions of the senses and emotions of the artists, their life experiences, and their region. “Gar Firdaus bar Roo-e zameen ast, Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast,” This Persian couplet celebrates the spirit and beauty of Kashmir that translates to ‘If there is heaven on the earth, it’s here – it’s here – it’s here.’ Be it the splendid mountains, mesmerizing rivers, and skillful arts and crafts. The handicrafts of Kashmir hold a sui generis place in the global arts community. From the luxury of Pashminas to the delicacy of Papier-Mache, it gloriously shines in the Universal Encyclopedia. To boost the serene crafts of the region, the Office of Development Commissioner-Handicrafts, Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India with Govt. of Jammu & Kashmir and the Directorate of Handicrafts & Handloom, got together to give rise to an autonomous institute called the Craft Development Institute (CDI) in Srinagar– the Capital city of Kashmir.
Due to the problematic socio-political conditions of the state, it is imperative to promote and support the Kashmiri handicraft sector. This means educating the artists about the current governmental assistance and giving them the digital skills, they need to successfully negotiate the rapidly changing market environment. Failure to do so would simply hasten the industry’s downfall and result in the loss of a priceless cultural legacy. The mesmerizing vistas of Kashmir embody both the splendor of nature and the genius of the artist. However, its thriving handcraft sector is being threatened by the overwhelming reliance on the immediate market. The area has consistently won over markets and hearts with its exciting products while pledging to keep faithful to its origins.
Established in February 2004, CDI has a pertinent hand in the development of Indian artisanship. It provides dedicated training to create adequate entrepreneurship vocations for blossoming craftsmen and craftsmanship. As stated by NID Desis Lab India, in the 400-million-dollar world crafts market, 2% is shared by Indian crafts, which sum up to 8 million dollars. Kashmir being the beauty capital, already shoots a good amount of tourism in the region where major tourists are from all parts of the world. CDI, in conjunction with the government, is built on a multidisciplinary notion of integrating the practical components of design, administration, and technology into the bigger picture of handicrafts. It focuses on education, training with organizations, and tie-ups with local traders and skilled workers to broaden the horizons of heritage art and culture of the country, as it also helps in policy-making for the community.
The four-acre campus hosts the Crafts Development Institute with the Indian Institute of Carpet Technology near Baghe-Ali-Mardan Khan Industrial Estate which is the industrial and handicraft production center that houses 60% handicraft produce of the city with 40000 artisans of the city. The campus provides machinery for carpets, pulp-making, and seasoning of wood for artifacts produced. As the institute is reviving and supporting local arts, the institute has opened up an amplifying resource centre. Along with this, an IT cell with ingress to all designs, vogue, materials, and exercises available to all with certain membership. Crafts Development Institute also accommodates studios for advancement in design theories with equipment to flourish handicrafts fabrication of leather, wood, metal, fabrics & textiles. The Center houses computer center for printing, designing & CAD for digitization. The major curriculum revolves around MBA in Craft Management & Entrepreneurship to handle and upscale the craft industry. The final semesters help the students to have internships with the tied organisations thus providing them with hands-on experience focusing on design, engineering, and business for all the artworks and handicrafts.
It is always stated that arts & crafts are the faces of the country. Moreover, it’s the most prominent source of income generation for ages. In India, the domiciliary flair of handicrafts at smaller and home scale is the second largest sector of employment. However, there have been discrepancies due to global & local competitions, making it difficult on a broader picture. Thus, CDI is helping to establish partnerships with organizations so that Indian craftsmanship expands on the world map. According to the Crafts Equation in India, the organized arts sector introduced Artisan’s ID cards and Tribal cards to verify and document the art form hence will help them acquire financial help. Thus, CDI started to promote and spread GI tagging by providing services for certification for Pashmina, Sozni, Kani, Papier Mache, Khatamband & Wood Carving to maintain and preserve the authenticity of the handicrafts. They even hold meetings for collaborators and fabricators for cognisance in this matter. Major plans for the institute are to set up a business & design centre that documents and publishes internationally, a bank of designs for Pashmina & Walnut wood, and an international campaign & branding for a global market.
Collaborating with various prominent designers in the industry, the institute progressed for GI registrations of crafts by introducing Quick Response Management systems and Optical Fiber Diameter Analyzer for Pashmina Testing and Quality Certifications. Microscopes and IT involvement led to quicker service delivery. Even revoking of art forms like Namda craft has been a major accomplishment as the CDI with IICT (Indian Institute of Carpet Technology) with raw materials collaborated with IIT Roorkee to with adoption of QR code labelling for better governance & preservation of the Namda craft.
Well, all the hard work has paid off, and this campus is now been declared as Jammu & Kashmir’s first “Centre of Excellence (CoE)” for the handicrafts and carpet sector in March 2023. In response to this and to increase the employability of artisans and job seekers in the Handicrafts & Carpet sector for various job roles, the CoE came forward to provide training programs for skills development under the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF), certifying up to 500 candidates and educating up to 100 master trainers for the next three years. Two skill-development programs in carpeting and paper maché have already begun at CDI and IICT, respectively, in acknowledgement of this. As GI certification and labelling for all crafts come into the picture, Jammu & Kashmir has emerged as a national leader.
But has it affected the current artisan scenario in the state? Well, this is still a challenge for the people there as the crafts industry is facing issues due to various conflicts, materials sourcing, and sometimes even so that the artists are not able to get out of their habitat for safety measures. There is also an issue of lower wages for which the CDI and Textiles ministry has set up policies to glorify artists under Handicrafts & Handloom Policy 2020. Hence, this article is a serious attempt to bring about the CoE under the radar of public knowledge and promote & appreciate the heavens of heritage and the cultural beauty of India.
References:
- CDI (n.d.). Welcome to Craft Development Institute (CDI). [online] cdisgr.org. Available at: http://cdisgr.org/campus.html.
- Design Magazine – Pool 41 (2014). Pool 41 – Opinion – Spearheading the Craft Revolution. [online] Isu.pub. Available at: https://image.isu.pub/131101032200-fff7ad7a22e4a033e78b48f63cd8a8f7/jpg/page_16.jpg.
- Fernández Bellver, D., Prados-Peña, M.B., García-López, A.M. and Molina-Moreno, V. (2023). Crafts as a key factor in local development: Bibliometric analysis. Heliyon, 9(1), p.e13039. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13039.
- https://kashmirobserver.net and Press Trust of India (2023). Centuries-Old ‘Namda’ Craft Of J&K Weaving Its Way Back To Lost Glory. [online] Kashmir Observer. Available at: https://kashmirobserver.net/2023/07/21/centuries-old-namda-craft-of-jk-weaving-its-way-back-to-lost-glory/.
- Irfan, S. ed., (2011). Role of Craft Development Institute. [online] Kashmir Life. Available at: https://kashmirlife.net/role-of-craft-development-institute-1458/.
- Kashmir Life (2021). Crafts In Crisis. [online] Kashmir Life. Available at: https://kashmirlife.net/crafts-in-crisis-vol-13-issue-24-275787/.
- Nayak, S. (2023). The Trials and Tribulations of Kashmir’s Handicraft Artisans. [online] MeMeraki.com. Available at: https://www.memeraki.com/blogs/news/the-trials-and-tribulations-of-kashmirs-handicraft-artisans.
- RK online Desk (2023). J&K gets maiden twin Centre of Excellence in Handicrafts, Carpet Sector. [online] risingkashmir.com. Available at: http://risingkashmir.com/jk-gets-maiden-twin-centre-of-excellence-in-handicrafts-carpet-sector [Accessed 23 Jul. 2023]
