The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Hard time for artisans

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Friday, Dec 28, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Hard time for artisans

Swathi.V

Mind-boggling range of crafts from Uttar Pradesh on display at Shilparamam has few takers in the city

— PHOTO: P.V. SIVAKUMAR

Artistic touch: An array of household utilities on display at the All India Crafts Mela in Shilparamam.

HYDERABAD: It is a ‘fragile’ world in a corner of the ongoing crafts mela at Shilparamam. What the visitors are not quite aware of is the difference their purchase decisions could make to hundreds of lives. And the decisions are not very encouraging.

“The demand is quite low this time. Last year it was better,” says Gulzar, a seller at the mela. Gulzar is among the ten or twelve sellers from Khurja of Uttar Pradesh who travelled all the way to Hyderabad hoping to dispose of some of their products. Khurja has been famous for its glazed pottery since 13th century when a few families of Afghan potters settled there. The small town in Bulandshahr had, till recently, about 500 factories manufacturing ceramic ware. The present scenario, however, is bleak.

Drop in coal supply

“The supply of coal from Bihar has come down drastically resulting in the closure of about 250 units. Having to buy coal from black market has resulted in huge production losses,” says Wahabuddin from Maya Industries. The huge rise in imports from China at much cheaper rates and increased use of non-breakable items by the middle classes are two more reasons for the downslide.

The range of products on display, however, is mind-boggling. Beginning with utility items such as toys, tea sets, dinner sets, pen holders, soup bowls, noodle bowls, cups of different sizes, candle-holders and ornamental items such as flower vases and corner pieces, the collection runs into hundreds of varieties. A keen eye can find lovely designer pieces too in the huge assortment.

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