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Karthik Vaidyanath owns Varnam, a brand using the craft of wood turning and lacquering to create contemporary products in Channapatna, Karnataka.

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Magia Nera by Sahil & Sarthak, exhibited at the Be Open exhibition

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'Make in... India' was an exhibition organized by Be Open, a private organization that brought together high-end designers of the country to collaborate with craft clusters and present products at the exhibit. These products were sold under the brand label Samskara. This led to the realization that in order to make sure they get the correct market, crafts need to be introduced to as luxury products, where people are ready to pay for intricate aesthetics and fine work. This also strengthens the craftsman's ties with high-end sellers, so that they find their own way.

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As more people become aware of the crafts and the story of the artisans, they will be more interested in ensuring that they get fair income and better conditions, and look out for their interests. This makes them feel more valued, as if they are part of something greater than the immediate payment, which is the appreciation the craftsman strives for.

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While crafts are struggling in local markets, the contemporay audience who dwell in urban communities are the ones who actually recognize these crafts and are willing to support and pay a fair price for them. By changing the nature of the products without losing the essnce of the crafts, designers can ensure that they reach the wider urban audience.

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This intervention should be controlled in order to not lose the essence of the craft and let the artisans adapt to the new market needs and be comfortable with it.
In some cases the craft clusters easily adapt to or are already making products that are practical and of modern taste. In this case, the designers only need to work on packaging, promotion and utility of the products, so that they attract the correct segment.

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Crafts are running out of buyers in local markets, and have the potential to create products that hold a global appeal. Designers can help craftsmen move beyond aesthetics and focus on utility and practicality.

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The condition of crafts today has created an opportunities for designers to intervene. This will be mutually beneficial- for the designer, this is a chance to tap into readily-available skills and style of the craftsmen to create new products, whereas for craftsmen this is a chance to create products that will actually sell.

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For the artisans,  their art has had little changes through the years, therefore they have been working on the same forms, products and motifs for years and are unable to understand today's market needs. Even if they do adapt to market sensibilities, there is a lack of work opportunities, or 'dhanda'.

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While such success stories keep cropping up within the many, many crafts clusters that this country houses, the overall situation remains the same, where skilled artisans are living without regular and fair income, in impoverished living conditions and poor health facilities. The factors bringing them down include dishonest middlemen, off-season, inability to keep up with technological advancements, and diminishing reach to the market. Lack of income also means they have to compromise on quality and standards - natural pigments are being replaced with artificial dyes - this is true for the materials used also.

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There have been several success stories where artisans have come out as entrepreneurs, with support from private organizations and NGOs and have organized the,selves into successful businesses. One example is Pabiben, Gujarat's first woman artisan-designer-entrepreneur, who recieved help from Kala Raksha, an NGO, and successfully created a business of embroidered bags, recruiting more than 50 women in her venture.

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The fruits of years of carefully honed skills, mastered instincts and sensibilities are struggling to reach the market today. The craft sector, despite being the second biggest in the country, is slow-moving, if not completely stagnant.
In the past, artisans and craftsmen were at their peak, recieving royal patronage and work from the kings themselves. Today, they can barely sustain on help from the government and private sectors.

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These questions have led to the demand for 'handmade', using sustainable practices and raw materials to create goods that ease the conscience and benefit the maker and the consumer, goods that are fair to man and nature.
In this respect, India has an edge over the rest of the globe, with its legacy of mastered crafts and highly skilled craftsmen, a brimming resource to be tapped into.

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The crafts also define the the country's heritage, with motifs and forms inspired from the rich culture, narrating ancient tales of bountiful nature and royal trysts. If these crafts were to be allowed to diminish today, these rich legacies of years of honed skills would be lost.
These crafts now symbolize not only the rich culture of the past, but also the opportunities of the future.

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As the years progress, the world is moving towards sustainability. A new trend has emerged, known as Conscious Consumption, where the consumer asks for the story behind everything they wear and use - What is it made of? Where has it come from? How long does it take? What processes does it go through? How is it made? Is it natural, or is it artificial? Is it harming anyone or anything in anyway? Who makes it? What are their living conditions? Do they take pride in their work? How much are they paid? What is in it for the next generation?