Destruction Of Indian Artisanal Professions In Colonial British Rule

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Destruction Of Indian Artisanal Professions In
Colonial British Rule
Chaitanya Kumari Writes informational articles on
ancient Indian artisan vocational education, 64
kala or chausat kala, along with others articles
on finance, health, sanathana dharma and wisdom.
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• Historically, artisanal professions in India were
  considered to be sacred, and artisans were highly
  respected. During the pre-colonial era, India was
  the leading exporter of these artworks made by
  expert craftspeople.
• But things started to change adversely in the
  British regime. These rulers intended to exercise
  complete control over the Indian economy by
  destroying the traditional art forms.
  Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened
  during that phase of Indian history. The
  Britishers were successful in carrying out the
  methodical destruction of various artisanal
  professions.
• Before the disruption caused by the British
  regime, the artisanal communities in India were
  closely-knit groups. They were self-sufficient in
  all respects and were able to contribute to the
  Indian economy, as well. It was then that the
  foreign rulers decided that, to establish their
  superiority, the arts and crafts of India needed
  to be undermined.

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• The British government began to implement its
  strategy in a crafty way. They introduced rules
  that abnormally increased the duties that the
  artisans had to pay for exports. Simultaneously,
  the authorities drastically lowered the duties
  specific to imports. The resultant scenario
  created a huge imbalance for the craftspeople
  they were unable to cope with the financial
  burden.
• Before the arrival of the Britishers, Indian
  rulers patronized the artisanal professions.
  These royal families ensured that the artworks of
  artisans fetched good returns. The artisans
  well-being was taken care of.
• But there was a complete turnaround in things
  with the establishment of the British Empire.
  Most of the rulers in India were left with no
  option other than to surrender to the British
  authority and function only as its
  representatives. Thus, they could not continue
  extending their support to artisanal workers.

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• Also, the British government cleverly formed many
  regulations that stopped people from making use
  of goods manufactured in India. An example can be
  taken. The authorities mandated that a specified
  pattern of leather shoes had to be compulsorily
  worn when in the proximity of British officials.
  This led to the downfall of the sector of shoes
  made by skilled artisans.
• The British rulers started to sell products
  manufactured by machines at attractively lower
  prices. Even the indigenous buyers preferred to
  buy these goods and completely ignored the
  artworks of Indian craftspeople.
• This is a continuation of the previous point. The
  English education system that the British
  introduced was appealing even to many Indians.
  They were brainwashed into believing that this
  system was superior to their ancient pattern of
  education. After that, it was just logical that
  these students got convinced about another key
  aspect. The products made by artisans were
  substandard in comparison to their counterparts
  made by machines.

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• The development of railways made things easier
  for British officials. Traveling by train, they
  were able to reach the innermost regions of the
  country. Here, their primary intention was to
  wipe out all forms of Indian arts and crafts.
• The artisanal groups and farmers, together, were
  responsible for the rural zones being
  self-reliant. The economic balance was
  maintained. But when the artisans lost their
  sources of livelihood, they were forced to take
  up agricultural activities. The available
  agricultural land was limited and not enough to
  meet the demand. This aggravated things for the
  craftspeople and the agriculturists.
• The subject discussed here is a vast one, and all
  its facets cannot be covered in a small write-up.
  Yet, a sincere attempt has been made to include
  the major points of the topic.

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