Not Just Art

Old occupations in India,like – making copper vessels and clay toys – may have graduated to be known as antiques or terracotta products and established Indian art from in the global scenario,but the artisans (who preferred to be called as workers),feel a daily small income is better than rare and big income.

“This is our income out of which we run our families,if we start waiting for exhibitions we would be dead. Sad but true,many people,who call themselves patron of art buy our products in cheaper rate and earn double by exhibiting them and selling them at a higher price. We came to know about it,only after a few of our foreigner customers paid us more than the marked price because they found it very cheap. We know about the demand for out product in foreign market,but we are happy to cater to our city people,because at least we have regular customers. Being in direct market is helping us,” says a worker at Gora Kumbhar Matka Bhandar,who also sells decorative clay wind chimes,lanterns and torans.

Confirming the statement,his Italian customer,Lucia Frattian and Marco Ferretti say,“Indian artifacts are very beautiful – be it a small bowl or a clay figure,they can magically do up the décor of the house. On our quest to acquire such products we attended many exhibitions,which had some amazing stuff,but were too high priced. Even in India,in Emporiums in Delhi,things are tagged higher than the market. Thankfully our India visit brought us to this place,where we could get some very beautiful terracotta figures in amazing rates.”

Even the change in lifestyle and indifference of society towards something that is not directly needed,are responsible for the change,explains Nizampurkar. “Rs 30 to 40 per kg is the charge paid to an average worker of copper,” he adds.

A few retail shops of copper and in Ravivar Peth say that ultimately it is business both the worker and retailer and anything that facilitates that is welcomed by both. “May be the elites or the foreigners know it as a piece of art,to the worker it is one piece that he created and wants some profit out of it and same with the retailer. The worker gets Rs 60 to 80 to per kg,now it depends on the retailer where is he selling it and for how much. The art status did some good to the work initially,but eventually and practically most of them are back to square one,” says M U Mehta,who owns a copper and bronze product shop near Mahatma Phule Mandai.

In an appeal to the art-lovers,another worker from TambatAli,says that high pricing of their product displaying them in an art gallery is not the solution. Rather,taking the product to common people at affordable prices will help them selling more.

Milind Sathe,owner,India art,says,“As a future plan,I have plans to conduct as many exhibition as possible in public places and mark the product at affordable price,because these two are the important and crucial factors in promoting traditional arts.”

As rightly said,coming back to square one,it is the people,whose effort is needed to bring back these workers (artisans) back in the mainstream market. The situation will help both workers (with regular customers) and buyers (with affordable price).