Folk arts and crafts are the integral parts of life in Orissa. Famous for the beauty and craftsmanship of Konark, Jagannath and Lingaraj and incalculable other temples, Orissa offers a prominent collection of arts and crafts both decorative and utilitarian. Be it the brilliant appliqu works of Pipili, sparkling Patta Chitra of Puri, Silver Filigree jewellery and golden grass mats of Cuttack or dazzling Horn work of Parlakhemundi and Clay Toys of Mayurbhanj, each handicrafts emanate a charm and originality of its own. In the days of Mc Donalds, Pepsi Cola and Levi's jeans, where free flow of goods and services and also of people and culture have been rampant, the volatility of the choice of the variety-seeking consumers, the king in the age of globalization not only always demands the new and modern but also sometimes revamps the old and the traditional. It is here the case for traditional arts and crafts comes to the fore. Quite surprisingly many foreign fashion shows are run these days with Hollywood models wearing the appliqued motifs sarees designed by Indian fashion designers. This instance adds to growing demand for Indian folk creations like, applique umbrellas in western sea beaches. This shows how tradition meets with modernity these days. Globalization has put both east and west into one compartment and makes a single village a global village. In the age of jet travel and mobile communication, boundaries between cultures are liable to erode and deterritorialised.

Globalization and Indian Crafts Industry:

India opened up its economy and adapted to globalisation in the early nineties. Major changes initiated as a part of the liberalisation and globalisation strategy included scrapping of the industrial licensing regime, reduction in the number of areas reserved for the public sector, amendment of the monopolies and the restrictive trade practices act, start of the privatization programme, reduction in tariff rates etc. Since the advent of globalization in 1991, India has experienced a lot and accordingly the society has undergone many changes in different spheres. Though the forces of globalization have ample positive effects in the long-run in many sectors of our economy and society, some of its repulsive implications against the poor in many cases have worried our development strategists. If we suspend the later for a moment, one of the growing sector benefited out of it, is the Handicraft industry with 'Indian handicrafts export crossing Rs.1,220/- crores in 1990-91 from merely 10 crores in the mid fifties.' Again the Ministry of Textiles data show, it increased to Rs. 4517.52 crores in 1994-95 and Rs. 7206.79 crores in 2000-01. It had reached at the peak Rs. 8059.63 Crores in 1999-2000 (www.texmin.nic.in). Indian handicrafts are now available in global markets, so also foreign crafts in our shops. Handicrafts constitute a significant segment of the decentralized sector of our economy and its importance is being felt when it is assessed that it provides employment to lakhs of artisans scattered especially in the weaker sections of our society such as SCs, STs and the women, producing goods worth thousands of Crores of Rupees per year.

The skilled hand of the Indian craftsmen is our most important and yet most invisible resource. It is to be perceived with concern and with a precise understanding of its value. Because once lost nothing can replace it. India has been the exporter of crafts for ages. The workmanship of the Indian craftsmen is so exquisite that throughout the 18th and 19th centuries India was known to other countries on the trade route more by her crafts than by her art, religion and philosophy.

As the data shown above clarifies, remarkable progress has been made in exports of handicrafts since India's Independence. The Handicrafts and Handlooms Exports corporations of India ltd (HHEC) a govt. of India undertaking established in 1962 has been instrumental in promoting Indian handloom fabrics in the west. There is a vast scope for the Indian's handicrafts exports to grow further. In the age of globalization, where efficiency meets success, Indian handicraft's further prospects lies in diversification of products and markets. We have to be ahead of our competitors in keeping ourselves informed of market trend and changes in fashion and design.

Orissan Crafts and Crafts Persons:

Orissa, one of the backward state in the Indian union has also taken the advantages of new opportunities of globalization and designed policies in such a way to attract foreign investment and forge ahead with its policy of economic reforms. Now it has attracted FDI flows in different sectors of its economy. Globalisation has many impacts on its handicrafts sector. Orissa, which has distinguished crafts heritage, 'there are 69,395 handicraft artisans, which includes- 41,612 males and 27,744 females. Many of its crafts have long historical past and have been produced since antiquity. For instance the Applique crafts of Pipili in Puri district which is now an internationally well known craft, is thought to have been used to decorate the temples since 1054 A.D. Sources say, in ancient Orissa several crafts and industries also developed during the Nanda and Maurya rule as has been found from the excavated sites at Sisupalgarh (near Bhubaneswar), Jaugarh (in Ganjam) and Asurgarh.