Abstract:
As India opens up her doors to the multinationals during the
era of economic reform and liberalized market, putting an end to the license
raj, it is not only the economies that often meet in the global market sphere,
but also the people and cultures, which bring a new dimension to the
multi-cultural setting. The magic of globalization is that during the modern
times, there is always a cross-cultural interaction of both the local and 'global'
and notwithstanding many contradictions, global village is now not just a
possibility, but a reality. Talking about Indian Handicrafts, which constitutes
a significant segment of the decentralized sector of our economy, its export
has reached at a commendable height. Indian folk art and crafts which are the integral
parts of the Indian culture and tradition are in high demand among the western
consumers. Again, foreign fashion industry borrows a great deal from Indian
appliqud motifs Saree designs. Needless to say, the borders between the world
cultures are now eroding out and becoming irrelevant.
But despite all these, the real concern for many of us is
that, can the 'local' really meet with the 'global' by truly sustaining its
localness? The biggest problem in the Indian Handicraft industry is that the village
craftsmen in our society remain concerned that with free trade and mass
production, hand made products from other parts of the world will out price the
products of their hard labour. So the basic question arises, does globalization
has answer for every human problems that the earth is facing now? The answer is
a clear 'No'. Apparently the world is now looking back to the Gandhian way of
economic development and social progress. Gandhi propounded that economic
development can be best achieved, when the individual is an integral part of
the community he is living in, when the production of goods is in a small scale
& at a local level and when the homemade handicrafts are given the
preference. Gandhi advocated the revival of crafts industry and greater autonomy
to village republics. He never objected to international trade, when
exploitation was avoided.
While briefly analyzing the theoretical understanding of
globalization, this paper will look at the globalization in India and its impact on its handicrafts and craft persons, by assessing both the
opportunities and threat from globalization process. Besides, the paper will
also analyze the Gandhian approach to the handicrafts industry and how it could
be helpful in tackling the problems that have aroused out of the globalization
process.
The article was published in Gandhi Marg, Vol. 30,
No. 1, April-June: 2008
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About the Author:
The author
is Doctoral student of Sociology at the Center of the Study of Social Systems
(CSSS), Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.
