The Coronavirus Cloud Has a Potential Silver Lining for the Indian Crafts Sector

With the crafts sector in dire straits since the start of the lockdown, many have realised that the way we market craft has to change and are ideating about how to move ahead. Many, including myself, have spoken and written of the crushing impact of COVID-19 on the Indian craft sector. For months, craftspeople have been without markets, sales, orders or prospects. They lack the wherewithal to buy food for their families, let alone make payments for wages and raw material. The future of traditional crafts markets and bazaars is bleak. The projected global recession will mean that fewer people will have cash in their pockets to buy handicrafts. Pessimist economists say it may take years for us to get back to our pre-pandemic rate of growth. All this has made those of us in the craft sector come together and introspect. NGOs, crafts cooperatives, designers, merchandisers, entrepreneurs and artisan families – normally working in their own narrow silos – are brainstorming together in new collaborations and discussions. Zoom, WhatsApp groups, and webinars are pulsing with the word ‘crafts’ and ‘craftspeople’ in ways that haven’t happened for decades. Even the prime minister mentioned artisans in his Letter to the Nation. What unites these many diverse partners is the seriousness of the situation and knowing how essential it is for us to all work with each other if craft and the makers of craft are to survive. For the first time, normally secretive retailers, designers, and entrepreneurs are sharing their artisan lists, naming their karigars and directing orders and do...