Tourism and community development-A Study on Handicraft Artisans of Odisha

Abstract

Artisans all ways create a new rethym and driven the world into a sphere of imagination of colours, pattern and beauty. Handicrafts are an important productive sector and export commodity for many developing countries and in some countries constitutes a significant part of the export economy. The growth of international markets for home accessory products and an increased interest in global goods have opened up new-market opportunities for artisans. In India, handicraft industry is a major source of income for rural communities employing over six million artisans including a large number of women and people belonging to the weaker sections of the society. It has been observed that in a poor state like Osisha, Hadicraft industry is one of the everlasting, age old and professional attitude of the rural unemployed women and children for their livelihood. Observation says, Artisans either neglected or they never got proper recognisation from the society. Sometimes even they fail to feed their family and which driven they to go for other categories of labour than promoting the age old traditions of our country. However, observers of the handicrafts sector predict that the escalating number of small businesses turning to handicraft production is unlikely to decline significantly in the future. The present study entails the various problems of the handicraft industry which can be worked upon by the mutual association ship of the Indian government, State government and the handicraft exporters in order to boost and promote the traditional sector.