The Indian handicrafts thrived through the ages helped by

vigorous folk traditions, a benign culture when civilization was already in the
making, and when individualism was cherished and precision valued. The
painstaking crafts men of India found completion in the unique objects of beauty
they made. The handicraft artisans of India were known for the perfection of their
craftsmanship, excellence of design and form, and an unsurpassed sense of color.
From time immemorial the village and cottage crafts seemed to have played a
fundamental role in the socio economic life of the Indian people. In India it is not
an industry as the word is commonly understood, for the produce is also a creation
symbolizing the inside desire and fulfillment of the community.

Indian handicrafts were the main trading commodities before the colonial era.
It was rapid urbanization and competition from factory made products during the
colonial period that made many crafts immaterial and a number of artisans lost
their means of livelihood. However in India, the handicraft sector is still the second
largest provider of employment after agriculture, and a number of agricultural
communities depend on crafts for their endurance in periods of deficiency, famine
or other natural disasters. In a country like India, which has a rich cultural heritage,
the arts and crafts can contribute significantly towards national economy and in
raising the standard of living. However, that can happen only if Indias artisans are
confined and self contingent, and are given the chance to innovate. The Indian
handicraft industry is highly labor intensive cottage based industry and
decentralized, being spread all over the country in rural and urban areas. Numerous
artisans are engaged in Handicraft making on a part time basis. The industry
provides employment to millions of artisans including a large number of women
and people belonging to the weaker segments of the culture.
 Majority of the craftsmen in the country are in fact illiterate albeit
adept in their own life of activity. Because of their inadequate earnings from the
crafts they are not financially sound enough to take on the business with their own
funds. Time and again, they have to depend invariably on local usurious money
lenders or master craftsmen both for business as well as for subsistence. The
performance of the existing institutional infrastructure both for financing and
marketing of handicraft items is far from satisfactory. Co-operative movement has
also not developed on sound lines. A majority of the co-operative societies which
are founded primarily for marketing the products are establish to be in bad shape
throughout the country.

Under these circumstances, the artisans have no alternative but to dispose

their entire output to the local middlemen who in turn sell at higher prices. They
are sometimes forced to effect distress sale of their output to keep the wolf from
the door. Further it is the ever-present money lenders who provide finance to the
artisans at usurious rate of interest, both for production and subsistence. As a
matter of fact, the local middleman is considered to be a helping hand, a job-
creator and a money purveyor. However, the artisans are not aware of the other
side of the coin. Owing to their ignorance and helplessness, the artisans cannot
assert themselves in price-fixation. The indebted craftsmen are fairly often placed
under an obligation to sell their products to the local money-lenders at prices
habitually favorable to the money lenders; this is due to the ignorance, illiteracy
and poor financial status of the artisans. The dealers or the middlemen enrich
themselves at the cost of the artisans. Though the various State Governments have
established a network of their own emporia to purchase different varieties of
handicrafts produced in the country, they are not purchasing directly from the
artisans. Since most of the cooperative societies in the country are almost in
obsolete state, the emporia face handicaps in procuring the items of handicrafts
regularly from the former. To know the present state of affairs in detail under the
prevailing conditions relating to the handicraft sector, there is an imperative need
to undertake a comprehensive study of craftsmen covering all aspects such as their
working conditions, sources of finance, source of raw materials, and their supply,
production process and market outlets.

The research comprises of an experimental study with descriptive,

analytical and explanatory notes which is used to generate information on various
aspects related to the objectives of the study. The study is based on primary and
secondary sources. Primary data was collected from the artisans. A pilot and survey
study was conducted in Madurai. The sample survey among the artisans was done
and data thus collected was analyzed to draw valid conclusions. The research tools
include survey, such as empirical, observation, in depth survey, questionnaires, and
focused interviews. The methods were designed keeping in mind the aspires and
objectives of the study.

LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Due to limitation of time and responses only Madurai of Tamil Nadu, has
been selected as sample district for the purpose of the study. The period of the
study has been confined to only fifteen years from 2000-2001 to 2014-2015. Total
525 samples have been selected at random. The limitation of small period of the
study, the limitation of the random sampling, technique is incorporated in this
study.