CRAFTS AND LIVELIHOOD -

DOCUMENTATION

AMEESHI GOENKA

PDP 202

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA (DESIRED) Getting accountability into the system is extremely necessary. At the grass root level there are police officers, civil officers and other local governing bodies that go through basic training and are given the power and authority to carry out their job professionally which is not happening. Firstly, they should be put through more rigorous training and secondly they are barely accountable to anyone on a regular basis and commit the most crimes for which they are never charged. The cops are most commonly known for accepting bribes and getting away. A much more serious issue is when cops end up raping innocent women and dodging the law. On the higher level of authorities where corruption is more visibly prevalent and equally well hidden or protected is in the legislative bodies. The MLAs, MPs, MLCs etc,. are elected to the respective parties to fulfil their duties to their people and for the well being of the country and not their personal well being. They are supposed to be the nation‟s learned servants and not a corrupt ruler. The members of the legislatures are immune to court cases. Why should that be the case? That restricts the power of the local individuals to act against them if they do something wrong, which they are famous for. They can‟t be charged for their criminal acts in the court of law unless the house files the case, which they don‟t to protect their members, in turn accept more bribes from the defaulter to stay mum. That immunity of the members should be reduced. The primary purpose of the Lokpal bill will be served if that takes place.

The police departments and CBIs should be made independent bodies and not governed by the central government. That way they will be able to exercise their power better on the public and the crime rate will reduce. No individual can say that he is the son or daughter of so and so minister and be left untouched by the police for their crime. Once they are independent they will not listen to all those reasons and implement the laws in a more efficient manner. They need not even take bribes since their salary will be increased as they won‟t be government servants anymore. They should have their own training centres, their own RnD unit and other such units. The independent body‟s source of income will be from all the fines collected, Government assistance if any, open to donations from the elite and different organisations, specialised services etc.

During terrorist attacks in India, the police men run behind the terrorist with “lathis” and not guns. They are not given that training at all. Some noble men who actually join the forces to protect the country prove futile in front of the armed terrorist. They are just shot by the terrorist and lose their life in the name of sacrifice for absolutely nothing.

In countries like Singapore, Isreal, Egypt etc. army/military service is rendered compulsory for a minimum of two years. India has the world‟s second largest population with an increasing literacy rate. All the abled individuals should serve the defence forces for at least two years after completing their 12th standard. The mass is ignorant of their laws and their duties towards their own country. That has to be taught to them for their own benefit and the light of patriotism must enkindle and burn in every individual‟s heart. Indian population needs to be disciplined. The service to the defence need not only be training to be a soldier, there are other bodies like ISRO and DRDO that also need the knowledge and perspective of the youth of India.

India follows the progressive taxation method for the collection of income tax from its every earning citizen. Although that is appreciated, the rich always remain rich and the poor are barely able to improve their standard of living. In Finland the super elite class of people are heavily taxed on their income, and the amount collected is directly used for the welfare of the poor in that region. In India, the collected taxes are first used to pay off the salaries of the members of the governing bodies at every stage, then to provide for the improvement of the defence forces, the railways, the infrastructure of every region, improve international relations, improve agriculture sectors and then think about the general mass, the poor and the SCs and STs. The individuals barely get any returns for the tax that they pay. Only when the conditions are beyond bearable and the voices of the mass public heard in the form of protests, is there a little grant or satisfaction provided by the government. In Finland, the fine that the people pay for their default action is based upon their income. The rich are charged heavily while the poor are charged minimally. In India, the rich get away by paying a small amount for their crime to the governing bodies while the poor have to face severe consequences. This imbalance leads to the vicious cycle of poverty, from which there is no escape.

As Gandhiji has said earlier, lazy people in order to indulge in luxuries take up such professions (like

lawyers and doctors) wherein they decide what fees they will charge and they put on so much side

that poor almost consider them to be heaven-born. Why do they want more fees than common

labourers? In what way are they more profitable to the country than the labourers? Are those who do

good entitled to greater payment? And, if they have done anything good for the country for the sake of

money, how shall it be counted as good?

I completely agree with these views of Gandhi, as this is the major reason of inequality in India.

Everywhere in the world, manual labour is paid for much more or equally as compared to the mind

intense jobs of the people. Just because the literacy rate of India is low and the poor people are forced

to work as servants or factory workers that don‟t mean that they should be exploited. They barely earn

enough to eat once a day and wear some clothes and live in slums happily. They are misused of by

the upper class people and taken advantage of by their boss‟. Some of the maids and servants are

really good at their work and actually work harder so that they can earn more to provide for their own

kids and families. The way they are looked down upon in the Indian community is not right and the

farmers and factory workers should be provided with decent sanitation facilities, training, working

equipments and protection and decent monthly wages plus the festive bonus‟ without fail. These are

the basic requirements for any working person and must be adhered to else strict action must be taken

to bring about this reform.

DIRECTORY OF DEVELOPMENT

ORGANISATIONS Volume II

Asia and the Middle East

BAHRAIN

Arabian Gulf University, Bahrain

• Vision: The Arabian Gulf University looks forward to undertaking its role as a regional Gulf

university in addressing the developmental issues of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries through

its innovative and effective educational and research programs with relevance to Arabian Gulf

regional issues and aspires to gain an eminent international reputation.

• Mission: The Arabian Gulf University aims to be an exemplary regional Gulf university striving to

focus its efforts on fundamental regional issues of the Gulf Cooperation Council in health, human

development, environment, science and technology and aims to contribute effectively to spreading

the culture of knowledge and education in Arabian Gulf society.

• Services:

• About the University: The idea to build the Arabian Gulf University was based on the belief in the

importance of university and higher level education in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) society.

This would be the start of satisfying the needs of GCC countries in terms of specialists and experts

in various occupational fields connected to society.

After studying the cultural, social, and economic situation in the GCC region, the challenges it faces,

the shared historical background was also examined. It was found that united aspirations towards a

brighter future, one of which was to create a melded co-existence, of mentality and of advancement in

knowledge for members of the society at large to promote the area and growth in its various sectors.

With this in mind, the General Convention of Arab Education for the GCC at its fourth meeting was

held in Bahrain on the 4th of Jumada al-Oola, 1399 A.H, corresponding to the 3rd and 4th of April,

1979, the convention and it was decided to establish the Arabian Gulf University to be located in the

Kingdom of Bahrain.

AWAL Women Association

Bahrain is a small country at the heart of the Gulf. Its strategic location makes it unique in the

region. It is pioneer in matters related to socio-economic development: Bahrain is the first country in

the Gulf to start education for males (1919) and for females (1928); to discover oil (1932), and to

establish women organizations (1955). Among those organizations Awal Women Society which was

first found in 1967 plays a leading role in women‟s rights, participation of women in development, as

well as opposing to all forms of discrimination against women.

Bahrain Society of Engineers • The Bahrain Society of Engineers was established and officially incorporated by the Ministry of

Labour and Social Affairs on 1st July 1972.

Roles and Responsibilities

To contribute towards the industrial development and modernization of Bahrain.

• To enhance the standards of the engineering professional practice in cooperation with relevant

authorities.

• To express the interests and professional rights of its members.

• To establish and promote good relationship and interaction among its members.

• To establish and promote scientific and technical cooperation with engineers outside Bahrain.

• To conduct and encourage scientific and engineering researches through publications, conferences,

seminars, technical visits, technical competitions and exchange of information with other

engineering societies and organizations.

• To provide arbitrators and expert witnesses in matters related to engineering.

• To promote training and professional development.

• To maintain and promote the ethics of professional practice.

Society’s Main Activities

• Develop the engineering knowledge of newly graduated Arab Engineers.

• Providing places in various Conferences/Workshops/Seminars, free of cost and at reduced rates.

• Organizing International and Regional Conferences and Exhibitions.

• Organizing Seminars and Workshops on Engineering subjects.

• Organizing Lectures and Technical Visits for members.

• Organizing and issuing leaflets, booklets, journals, research studies, newsletters and conference

proceedings during conferences.

• Providing employment services for members through received offers and approved programmes.

• Offering financial aid to members for training and development purposes within the Society‟s financial

constraints.

• Organizing public relations and information –related activities by publishing the Al-Mohandis Journal

and issuing press releases to the local press.

• Providing Forums and opportunities for the exchange of engineering and scientific information

BSE Training Centre

The objectives of the training centre are to provide:

• Offer courses which addresses the needs and training requirements as outlined in consultation with

government and other major business concerns

• Course instructors and lecturers from the region and other part of the world who are experts in their

subject bring their expertise to the professionals keeping in mind the regional demands and

perspectives.

• Courses and training programs are provided at a nominal charge to enable cost –effectiveness

thereby reducing training expenses in all organizations and individuals who require focused training at

reasonable rates.

BSE Affiliations

• World Federation of Engineering Organizations

• Federation of Arab Engineers

• Institution of Electrical Engineers –U.K

• American Society of Mechanical Engineers

• The Concrete Society-U.K

• The American Concrete Institute

• Institution of Engineers(India)-Bahrain Chapter

• Institution of Engineers ( Pakistan)-Bahrain Chapter

• Jordanian Society of Engineers

• Saudi Arabian Quality Council

• Saudi Arabian Section of the Air & Waste Management Association

• National Association of Corrosion Engineers-Saudi Arabian Chapter

Bahrain Centre for Human Rights

• The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights is a Bahraini non-profit non-governmental organisation

which works to promote human rights in Bahrain, which was founded by a number of Bahraini

activists in June 2002. The centre was given a dissolution order after its former president Abdulhadi

Al Khawaja was arrested in September 2004 a day after criticizing the country's Prime Minister,

Khalifah ibn Sulman Al Khalifah at a seminar in which he blamed the Prime Minister for the failure of

widespread economic development for all citizens. The BCHR is still banned by the government, but

has remained very active. In 2013 the organisation was awarded the Rafto Prize for its work.

• Mission: To encourage and support individuals and groups to be proactive in the protection of their

own and others' rights; and to struggle to promote democracy and human rights in accordance with

international norms. To document and report on human rights violations in Bahrain. To use this

documentation for advocacy to influence international policies according to the Universal

Declaration of Human Rights.

• Activities: For more than eleven years, the BCHR has carried out many projects, including

advocacy, training, workshops, seminars, media campaigns and reporting to UN mechanisms and

international NGOs. The BCHR has also participated in many regional an international conferences

and workshops in addition to testifying in national parliaments across Europe, the EU parliament,

and the United States Congress.

• Objectives:

- Promoting freedoms and basic rights (Civil, Political and Economic)

- Combating racial and religious discrimination

- Human rights education

- Providing support and protection to victims of human rights abuses and the vulnerable

- Local and international advocacy in support of human rights

• Structure and Funding: The 26-founding members include prominent doctors, lawyers, journalists,

and NGO leaders, men and women. There are currently twenty-one members of staff at the BCHR;

the vast majority of our operations are carried out in Bahrain, while a small 'office in exile' is

maintained in Copenhagen, Denmark, to coordinate our international advocacy program. The BCHR

currently receives a small amount of funding from the Sigrid Rausing Trust - a non-political charity

based in the UK, dedicated to defending and promoting human rights. Our staff is employed almost

entirely on a voluntary basis. The current President is Nabeel Rajab, who is serving a two year

prison sentence for charges related to freedom of expression; he is scheduled for release on June

2nd, 2014. The Acting-President is Maryam Al-Khawaja.

Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Bahrain

• Bahrain IHR website is a network that brings together public health officials responsible for IHR

implementation and key partners to coordinate public health activities at ports, airports and ground

crossings including preparedness for and response to health emergencies affecting international

travel and transport. It is competent authorities, intergovernmental and nongovernmental

organizations, and industry representatives from ports, airports and ground crossings and individual

experts who have expressed an interest in working together to share IHR information and to

promote implementation of public health practices under the International Health Regulations. IHR

Bahnet is an internet-based network that brings together the National Focal Point, public health

officials and other partners to coordinate public health activities in the community and at ports,

airport and ground crossings including those related to public health emergency preparedness and

response affecting international travel and transport.

• Mission:

-To protect the health of population in Bahrain

-To prevent, detect and control the international spread of diseases through international travel and

transport.

• Objectives:

-To strike technical expertise of partners and achieve synergy regarding public health -activities at

ports, airports, ground crossings and other areas related to international travel and transport.

-To promote harmonized technical guidance and instruments for public health capacity building.

-To improve specific capacities to meet the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) requirements

and facilitate IHR implementation.

-To coordinate, plan for and facilitate sharing of experience related to response to public health

emergencies of international concern.

-To facilitate inter-sectorial collaboration to advance scientific knowledge in the field of public health

and international travel and transport.

• Purpose: To promote and provide a mechanism for technical collaboration among partners and the

exchange and dissemination of knowledge and information concerning the International Health

Regulation in Bahrain, public health as well as international travel and transport.

MINISTRY OF ART AND CULTURE

Objectives

A review of Government efforts in the fields of creative arts revealed that while academicians,

scientists had scope for independent work both in an institutional frame-work through fellowships

instituted by the University Grants Commission, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, there

was no scheme which provides similar facilities and opportunities in the fields of creative arts or for

revival of some of our traditional forms of art. A milieu of freedom supported by financial security

could perhaps provide the much needed congeniality of atmosphere for further works in this field. It is

also observed that although there are schemes to cover the age group of 10-14 years (Cultural Talent

Search Scholarships Scheme) and the age group of 18-25 years (Scheme of Scholarships for Young

Artistes in Different Cultural Fields), there were no schemes which would provide the basic financial

support either for very advanced training or individual creative effort for revival of some of our

traditional forms of arts. The scheme of awarding fellowships to outstanding persons in various

creative fields of culture is intended to fill this gap. The scheme would also cover artistes in

rural/tribal areas.

The fellowships are awarded for undertaking research oriented projects. The applicant should

provide evidence of his/her capabilities in undertaking the project.

Government Schemes

Building Grants, Including Studio Theatre (Revised since 23.04.2013)

ELIGIBLE PROJECTS-

3.1.1 Conventional Cultural Spaces for Performing Arts: a) Performance venues, like Auditoria, Open-air Theatres, Concert Halls. b) Rehearsal halls for Theatre/ Music/ Dance. c) Training Centres/ Schools for Theatre/ Music/ Dance. 3.1.2 Flexible Spaces, i.e., Studio Theatres, etc.: Non-proscenium rehearsal-cum-performance spaces, referred to as Studio Theatre or Experimental Theatre, that are characterized by the following special features: a) A small theatre, with all the essential equipment for the performance of live music, dance or theatre or combination of these arts; b) An unconventional space that cannot qualify as an auditorium in the traditional sense; therefore, the stage or performance area is not normally placed within a proscenium arch nor raised too high or separated from the audience by a clearly demarcated division. c) A seating arrangement for spectators that is totally flexible and can be moved fluidly from one part of the space to another depending on the artistic aim of a particular performance; therefore, the seats/chairs must not be fixed in position. d) A capacity that usually does not go over 100 to 200; therefore, such a space is often called a “little theatre” or “intimate theatre”, because it allows for close-up and intimate viewing by spectators.

e) One or two adjoining greenroom(s) / dressing room(s) /makeup room(s) with toilet(s) for the performers, and a storage area; therefore, the entire unit, though minimal, functions as a theatre in every sense.

3.2 A project proposal to create an auditorium, a studio theatre or other cultural space(s) may include an appropriate combination of any of the following components: a) New construction or purchase of a built-up space. b) Renovation/ upgradation/ modernization/ extension/ alteration of an existing building/ space/ facility. c) Remodeling of the interiors of an existing built-up space/cultural centre. d) Provision of facilities like electricals, air conditioning, acoustics, light and sound systems and other items of equipment, such as musical instruments, costumes, audio/ video equipment, furniture and stage material that may be required for a studio theatre, auditorium, rehearsal hall, classroom etc.

ELIGIBLE ORGANISATIONS- 4.1 The scheme covers: (i) All not-for-profit organizations that fulfill the following criteria:- a) The organization has a predominantly cultural profile, working primarily for the promotion of arts and culture in fields such as dance, drama, theatre, music, fine arts, indology and literature at least for a period of three years. b) The organization is registered as a society under the Registration of Societies Act (XXI of 1860) or similar Acts, or as a Trust or as a Not-for-Profit Company, at least for a period of three years. c) The organization is well established and known to be doing meaningful work in the field of its activity and has gained a local, regional or national identity.

d) Its charter is devoted to the preservation, propagation and promotion of Indian arts and culture.

(ii) Government-sponsored bodies for promoting the performing arts.

(iii) University Departments or Centres dedicated to the performing arts.

(iv) Colleges set up to promote the performing arts.

4.2 An organization that has been receiving salary grant for the last 3 years under the Ministry‟s

Scheme of “Financial Assistance to Professional Groups and Individuals Engaged for Specified

Performing Arts Projects” will be deemed to have fulfilled all the above conditions.

4.3 A Government-sponsored body, University Department/Centre or College dedicated to the

performing arts may also be automatically eligible, provided its record over the preceding three years

is satisfactory.

4.4 Religious institutions, public libraries, museums, schools, colleges or University

Departments/Centres that are not specifically dedicated for the performing arts and allied cultural

activities, departments or offices of the Central Government/ State Governments/ U.T. Administrations/

Local Bodies will not be eligible.

4.5 An organization that has availed of a grant for its building project grant under the erstwhile Scheme

of Building Grants to Cultural Organizations or under this scheme will not be eligible for a second grant

under the Scheme before the completion of the project sanctioned earlier, except where such second

grant is sought for a Studio Theatre (or Experimental Theatre) and the applicant organization has not

defaulted on the on going sanctioned project.

CITIES TYPE OF PROJECT LIMIT OF ASSISTANCE

· Bangalore

· Chennai

· Delhi

· Hyderabad

· Kolkata

· Mumbai

Projects involving new

construction or

purchase of built up

space

All other projects

Rs. 50 lakhs

Rs. 25 lakhs

All non-Metro

cities, towns or

places

All projects Rs. 25 lakhs

NATURE AND EXTENT OF ASSISTANCE-

5.1 All grants under the Scheme will be of a non-recurring nature. Recurring expenditure,

if any, will be the responsibility of the grantee organization. 5.2 Maximum assistance under

the scheme will be as under:

5.3Assistance under the scheme to an organization will be restricted to a maximum of 60%

of the approved estimated project cost, subject to the ceilings given above. The balance of

the approved estimated project cost is to be incurred by the organization as its „matching

share‟.

National Mission on Libraries

• National Mission on Libraries i.e High Level Committee, has been set up by Ministry of Culture,

Government of India, dated 4th May, 2012 in pursuance of National Knowledge Commission

recommendations for sustained attention for development of Libraries and Information Science

Sector.

• National Mission on Libraries set up four working groups and after deliberating on the

recommendations of the working groups formulated the scheme "National Mission on Libraries

(NML) - upgradation of libraries providing service to the public". The scheme consists of four

components.

Creation of National Virtual Library of India (NVLI)

Setting up of NML Model Libraries,

Quantitative & Qualitative Survey of Libraries

Capacity Building

• The purpose of National Virtual Library of India is to facilitate a comprehensive database on digital

resources on information about India and on information generated in India, in an open access

environment.

Festivals

BRAJ-

• Celebrated in Rajasthan

• 1 week before holi

• To celebrate the love between krishna and radha

• Use a lot of colours

• Everybody wears colourful clothes

• They have fairs and dance and sing

MARWAR-

• Celebrated in Jodhpur

• For the heroes of Rajasthan

• To salute the heroes through sing and dance

• In the months of september - october

BUDH-POORNIMA-

• Full moon night in the month of karthik

• In North India, mainly Sarnath, UP

• Public holiday in Nepal

• Celebrated all over the buddhist countries in SE Asia

MAHA-SHIVRATRI-

• Celebrated in the month of sawan

• In the months of March-April

• To celebrate the marriage of Shiva and Parvathi

• In North India especially in Bihar, UP, Delhi and Rajasthan

PUSHKAR-

• India‟s largest camel festival

• In Pushkar, Rajasthan

• They sell and buy camels and other animals

• Many competitions like long moustache

• It was celebrated on 15th and 16th Jan, 2014

News • On Feb 6th, 2014, India culture ministry signs agreement with Tate to support the reciprocal exchange

of ideas and knowledge in the field of modern and contemporary art in India and Britain, allowing

deeper engagement with art for audiences in both nations.

http://www.canindia.com/2014/02/india-culture-ministry-sign

s-agreement-with-tate/#

• The Dandi March Memorial, a Culture Ministry project, was

announced by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in 2005

on the 75th anniversary of the march. However the project‟s

design was approved only this year. A high-level committee

was appointed, comprising 18 members, headed by former

West Bengal governor and Gandhi‟s grandson Gopalkrishna

Gandhi. http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/

mapping-the-unknown-marcher/

Views • On the paper the promotion of the arts is fine, but the grant money is being sucked up politicians

instead of going to the artists.

• There are art-expos every year to promote the arts and crafts of every state but it is only getting a

fixed crowd and not being able to expand and attract the attention of many others.

• The renowned spiritual vocalist Sonam Kalra and her Sufi Gospel Project from India performed in

Colombo as part of the 64thAnniversary of the Republic Day of India. The program was organized in

Sri Lanka with the support of the India-Sri Lanka Foundation, the Ministry of Culture and Art,

Government of Sri Lanka and Hotel Taj Samudra, Colombo.

See more at: http://www.nation.lk/edition/fine/item/25636-one-world-one-voice-spiritual-

symphony.html#sthash.Ee3pXTyQ.dpuf

• New Delhi, Feb 4 (IANS) Aiming to foster strong cultural ties between India and China, the culture

ministry is organising a two-month long festival in eight Chinese cities in April where the country's

soft power will be represented through folk performances, literature and classical dance. As 2014

has been declared as the "Year of Friendship and Exchange for India and China", this will help the

two countries to boost cooperation in art, cultural exchanges, youth communication and education,

and cement the bond further, said an official.

http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2014/02/04/348--Indian-culture-ministry-gears-up-for-

first-festival-in-China-.html

QUESTIONNAIRE What‟s your name?

what‟s your name?

where are you from?

why did you chose this trade?

do you have a company or do you sell it through a dealer/middleman?

what work do you do?

how many years have you been doing it?

how many hours a day do you work?

how many people work with you?

do you use protective gears?

do you work on orders or do you work to sell?

what's the competition in the market like?

which is the best season in the year for you? Why?

from where do you acquire the raw materials?

did the machines cost you a lot?

does the bank play any role in this trade? How?

is the government providing any subsidies?

do u follow any government schemes?

what‟s your monthly income like?! - ask maybe

do you have wife and kids?

do you stay with them?

is the wife working? How old are the kids?

do you face any problems at home on a day to day basis?

is there someone helping you through all that?

Wooden furniture Research participant 1- Anish Khan

Place of work- Bangalore

FIELD WORK

Anish Khan Wife and kids- Yes

Position- Sales person at Smart furniture

Years worked- 8

Store location- Infantary road

Workshop location- Tannery road

No. of employees- Many

Workshop employees- from Saharanpur

Government concessions to employees- Nil

Customized furniture- Yes

Materials- Locally acquired

Profit- enough to support their livelihood and they work even when they have losses

Peak days of sale- Saturday and Sunday

Peak months of sale- Dussehra, Diwali and Ugadi

Bargain- happens a lot

Government support to the firm- Nil (private company)

Government exhibitions and fairs- Do not attend

• Miscellaneous Information-

They buy the furniture from the workshop and sell it to the customers. They have more than

one supplier. They have minimal profit margin. Customers bargain heavily. They have

wooden furniture, upholstery and sofa making. The shop exists for the last fifteen years.

Woodcraft and furniture

Research participant 2- Mohammed Abit

Place of work- Bangalore

Mohammed Abit Wife and kids- Yes

Position- Sales person

Years worked- 10 to 12 years

Stall location- Safina Plaza

Workshop location- Laksandra

No. of employees- 15 people and others (division of labour)

Workshop employees- from Uttar Pradesh

Government concessions to employees- Nil

Customized furniture or products- Yes

Materials- Purchased in bulk from the jungles while it‟s being cut by another company

Profit- enough to support their livelihood and they work even when they have losses

Peak days of sale- Saturday and Sunday and other national holidays

Peak months of sale- Dussehra and Diwali

Bargain- Inevitable

Government support- take care of travelling and stall expenses at fairs

Government exhibitions and fairs- Attend all of them

• Miscellaneous Information-

They have a permanent stall in Chennai as they have in Bangalore. No severe competition in

this industry. He started this work with his boss at Muradabad initially. No major troubles. They

strictly follow division of labour at their workshop in Laksandra. They have photographers

clicking pictures of objects and bringing back designs.

Woodcraft

Research participant 3- Siddharth Sharma

Place of work- Bangalore

Siddharth Sharma Wife and kids- No

Position- Sales person

Years worked- 15

Stall location- Safina Plaza

Workshop location- No workshop

Government concessions to employees- No

Customized products- No

Materials- N/A

Profit- enough to support their livelihood and they work even when they have losses

Peak days of sale- Saturday and Sunday

Peak months of sale- Ganesh Chaturti, Sankranthi, Diwali and Rakhi

Bargain- Inevitable

Government support to the firm- take care of travelling and stall expenses at fairs

Government exhibitions and fairs- All of them

• Miscellaneous Information-

He had a DCH card provided by the government used to hold free stalls at the government

fairs and exhibitions. His full family is in this business. They buy the products from many

manufacturers in Udaipur.

Major Difficulties Faced • They worked on a regular basis even if they incurred loses.

• No customer is ever expected by the shop owner to buy the pieces again as even they understand

that its utility is fulfilled by just buying it once. They do hope for new customers everyday though.

• Since there are no set standards that a manufactured product must live up to, the customers

bargain almost to less than half price and doubt the skills of the artisans , materials used by them,

durability of the final product and the labour work employed to get that final product. The salesmen

in this industry, then seem helpless and make zero to minimal profits to earn a livelihood.

• The production in this industry hasn‟t progressed much over the years. The same amount of

production that was done ten years ago is continued even today with very little progress and the

demand has reduced incredibly.

Design Solution (thought process) • Since the craftsmen already understand that the same people would not come to them over and

over again they should market their products with more creativity to a different audience. They can

have restaurant owners, hotel owners, interior designers, boutiques, etc as their clients other than

just individual buyers. They should make an effort to expand their market if they want to take the

industry to another level and not be overly satisfied with their prevailing conditions.

• There should be a standard set that tests the quality of raw materials used by the craftsmen for their

products. If the customer sees the product and a label by the government or a company doing the

tests and setting standards which identifies the raw material used as, for example- sal wood, then

the customer would have a more faith in the product and buy it without much discussion and

bargain.

THANK YOU