Destruction Of Indian Artisanal Professions In Colonial British Rule

By Author: Chaitanya Kumari
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Destruction Of Indian Artisanal Professions In Colonial British Rule

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.
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.
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.
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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