Abstract:
As India opens up her doors to the multinationals during theera of economic reform and liberalized market, putting an end to the licenseraj, 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 themulti-cultural setting. The magic of globalization is that during the moderntimes, there is always a cross-cultural interaction of both the local and 'global'and notwithstanding many contradictions, global village is now not just apossibility, but a reality. Talking about Indian Handicrafts, which constitutesa significant segment of the decentralized sector of our economy, its exporthas reached at a commendable height. Indian folk art and crafts which are the integralparts of the Indian culture and tradition are in high demand among the westernconsumers. Again, foreign fashion industry borrows a great deal from Indianappliqud motifs Saree designs. Needless to say, the borders between the worldcultures are now eroding out and becoming irrelevant.
But despite all these, the real concern for many of us isthat, can the 'local' really meet with the 'global' by truly sustaining itslocalness? The biggest problem in the Indian Handicraft industry is that the villagecraftsmen in our society remain concerned that with free trade and massproduction, hand made products from other parts of the world will out price theproducts of their hard labour. So the basic question arises, does globalizationhas answer for every human problems that the earth is facing now? The answer isa clear 'No'. Apparently the world is now looking back to the Gandhian way ofeconomic development and social progress. Gandhi propounded that economicdevelopment can be best achieved, when the individual is an integral part ofthe 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 thepreference. Gandhi advocated the revival of crafts industry and greater autonomyto village republics. He never objected to international trade, whenexploitation was avoided.
While briefly analyzing the theoretical understanding ofglobalization, this paper will look at the globalization in India and its impact on its handicrafts and craft persons, by assessing both theopportunities and threat from globalization process. Besides, the paper willalso analyze the Gandhian approach to the handicrafts industry and how it couldbe helpful in tackling the problems that have aroused out of the globalizationprocess.
The article was published in Gandhi Marg, Vol. 30,No. 1, April-June: 2008
About the Author:
The authoris Doctoral student of Sociology at the Center of the Study of Social Systems(CSSS), Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.
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