Beauty, not Utility

I just got back from the Kala Madhyam arts and craft mela today. It was a treat for the eyes -- gorgeous handicrafts from all parts of the country.

While there was immense beauty all around, there was *very* little utility to most of the items on display. To illustrate, the Warli stall from Maharashtra had lots of paintings, and (almost as an afterthought), a few wooden keychains. A stall from Bihar -- full of Madhubani paintings of all sizes and little else. Curios of all shapes, sizes, colours and textures. Tempted as I was to buy *lots* of stuff, I steered clear of most shopping. I wasn't looking to add more curios or paintings to my home. If, on the other hand, there had been items of utility, I would have probably picked up more stuff.

Which brings me to my point. Although India has a rich heritage of art and craft, art for its sake alone enjoys the patronage of a select few, which is not a sustainable model for artisans in this day and age. There needs to be some serious innovation to bring utility into beauty. IMO, this is the *only* way that the traditional arts and craft of India will not just survive, but also thrive.

Innovation is also required to bring some newness and change. I *always* try and pick up some traditional toy for my son. However, I see the *same* toys year after year. In 6.5 years, he has collected *all* the possible variants and now there is nothing more to buy! I promise him a buy and he usually ends up getting yet another "lattu".

Some might argue that there are items of "utility" -- bedspreads, cushion covers and the like. Pretty as those are -- they are *very* difficult to maintain (they usually run colour) and spoil quickly (3 washes is the upper limit for a bedcover to sustain its looks). Which means that the utility quotient runs low.

Innovation to bring utility, newness, and change will go a long way to making Indian handicrafts a thriving industry instead of a subsidized afterthought.