5 May,2010

Giving handicrafts a hand
On Monday evening, at a function that was attended by hardly anyone other than government officials, cheque-distribution beneficiaries and a handful of media-persons, the Goa government unveiled some publicity material meant to promote Goan handicrafts.
One of the items put out is a Delhi City Metro Guide Map. What’s the logic of Goa Handicrafts distributing metro maps of the capital city, one might ask? Officials argue that with the Commonwealth Games expected soon, a lot of visitors are expected in Delhi. Piggybacking on the need for information in Delhi, the Goa Handicrafts-Aparanta network is seeking to spread its own message, about the richness of Goa’s own handicraft talent.
Will this work? Even if visitors some 2000 kms away get the message, would it result in any real benefit—or sales—for artisans and their work here?
Your guess is as good as ours. But occasions like this are at least an opportunity to take a closer look at a long-neglected sector in Goa: local handicrafts.
Let’s not get down to simply blaming the government for this reality.  Every section of society is guilty of ignoring the true worth of Goa’s handicrafts. There are few quarters through which to market local handicrafts.  Unfortunately, even we in the media don’t consider this slow-unfolding story to be ‘newsy’ enough to warrant much attention.
Having said that, the documentary film on Goa handicrafts that the GHRSSIDC Ltd has recently commissioned appears to be a very interesting initiative. Not just is it well done, and neatly narrated, but this short 30-minute documentary manages to highlight the wealth and diversity of handicrafts in Goa. It includes both Indian and foreign influences. Put together, this makes it more than clear that ours is a State which has so much to be proud about on the handicrafts front.
But just putting together a documentary at Rs 14.5 lakh is not enough.  The challenge is now before the officials of the awkwardly-named Goa Handicrafts, Rural & Small Scale Industries Development Corporation Ltd to make sure this documentary has the maximum impact. It needs to virally spread through as many quarters as possible, so that the work of the humble artisan of Goa gets noticed in places it should.
The GHRSSIDC has also come out with a brochure on handicrafts in Goa.  But it needs to do a lot more in making these more visible. Where are the artisans who produce the same? Can they be directly contacted by those interested in doing business with them? After all, GHRSSIDC need not be the only channel through which their products are sold.
Another Goa government scheme which took a step forward earlier this week was subsidy to Ganesh statue makers, who use mud for their work.  Subsidies are often justified as the only available route for a government to promote its priorities. But, the many subsidies that successive Goa governments have been unveiling in recent years are contentious in nature, at best.  It may be welcome to the recipient, and the minister doling out the same might hope that this would turn into votes some day. But does it really help in achieving State goals?
Hill-cutters
Goa government has finally promised action—by way of flying squads, in north and south Goa—over illegal hill-cutting and filling low-lying land.
These issues have been of considerable concern to the citizen for some time now. The delay in taking action is unjustifiable.
But then, it’s an open secret that the persons involved are often politically-influential individuals, if not politicians themselves.  Those indulging in such activities have links from State-level politics to the village. As long as it doesn’t act, the government’s intentions are on test. Every citizen can see the impact of such activities, visible to the naked eye. More than visible, it’s an eyesore.