Design Can...... - Sanghamitra Bhushan

Design would surely play a very important role in the future of craft. Nowadays there are many crafts which have lost and are losing their identity due to different factors.

CRAFT is more than 5,000 years old. The craft traditions are whirled around religious values

Earlier these handicrafts were made for day to day usage, nowadays we see a development of designs and different motifs being flooded into the crafts.

Crafts are losing their value because of many reasons, some of them are:

1. lack of availability of raw materials,
2. lack of design,
3. lack of demand,
4. crafts have no value for their new owners and
5. also because the younger generations are opting for a secure job.
   

A DESIGN by a designer can be such that some other material is used to make the product so that the non availability of the raw material used earlier does not become a hindrance.

The design, which is adding of new, stylized motifs and even making different products, can make the demand go higher. Like for example in our craft documentation in Banaras people started the craft of lacquer with objects like Sindoora (a container to keep sindoor in, usually given to the newly wed brides), the kitchen set for small girls to play with. Nowadays a lot many products are being decorated by this craft, such as bangles, dolls, games for small kids, pen holders etc. Increasing the demands of these products which indirectly boost the sales of the craft.

Design can make the craft more aesthetically appealing, can make it more user friendly and can play a very important role in reviving the crafts who are on the edge of loosing their identity.