Kerala makes best use of central fund for handicrafts

Perhaps, Kerala is the only state in the country which has utilised to the maximum extent the government of India grants for development and promotion of handicrafts.

"Almost all the facilities made available by the government of India have been availed," Thrissur-based Evangelical Social Action Forum (ESAF) manager Jogi Verghese said here on Thursday.

As a result, traditional handicrafts are seeing a change in their designs and techniques and craftsmen have shifted from scarce raw materials to other available sources. NID artisans have held three workshops to train them, he told Business Standard, on the eve of the inauguration of a 10-day crafts display in Mysore.

With this, new designs have been introduced in bamboo bringing in items like lamp stands, flower vases and coasters. About 8,000 artisans have taken to new items like making screwpine chappals, mats, handbags and embroidery items.

New shapes and designs have been introduced in bell-metal lamps in which around 70 artisans are engaged, 12 of whom will be presenting a demonstration in Mysore. Around 50 new products will also be on display. A unique Dashavatharam bell-metal lamp costs as much as Rs 1.5 lakh. The Ashtalakshmi lamp is of very intricate work.

As a result exports are increasing. The ESAF, having 42,000 members, of whom 9,000 are artisans, has done an export business of Rs 2 crore. Of this, Rs 1.5 crore comes from brass and bell-metal products alone.

"An attitudinal change has taken place amongst the artisans. They are learning how to do business," Verghese said.

The office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), ministry of textiles, government of India, has established two marketing centres in Kerala, at Thrissur and Trivandrum.

The main objectives are to enroll handicrafts artisans, identify their problems in the area of design, training, technological improvisation, and marketing, added assistant director S C Devaramani.