Given that today is National Handloom day, I thought it would be the right time for me to mirror what @prasannavika wrote over on her instagram page about the recent closure of the All India Handicrafts Board: 
"This glorious organization that many of us know very very little about has been abolished a few days ago by our Government - In consonance with the Government of India mission “Minimum government and maximum governance”. It is truly heartbreaking.
It was founded by Ms Pupul Jayakar, who was an Indian cultural activist and a writer. The board was established in the year 1952 and the aim of it was to give advice to the government on issues of handicrafts and to implement measures for improvement and development.
It helped a great deal in the livelihood of many rural artisans and artists of our country.
Pupul Jayakar along with the stalwart Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay - these two women need separate posts for me to even talk about 10 percent of what they contributed towards the revival
Pupul Jayakar along with the stalwart Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay - these two women need separate posts for me to even talk about 10 percent of what they contributed towards the revival
of handloom and handicrafts industry in post Independence India, played the role of reviving many traditional handicrafts, handlooms and other folk art forms of our country that needed a helping hand for its survival in the post Independence era.
In fact Ms Pupul Jayakar played a very prominent role in revival of one of the most famous folk art forms of our country - Madhubani.
We would all hardly know about the hardships and silent sacrifices of many people that went behind the revival of native art forms.
We would all hardly know about the hardships and silent sacrifices of many people that went behind the revival of native art forms.
If not for the efforts of people like them, many women artists from the rural regions of our country would have gone completely unnoticed. Their efforts gave many rural women artists the voice that they rightly deserved.
The All India Handicrafts board was a majestic organisation that helped many artists from villages earn a livelihood. It literally was the backbone of the handicrafts and the handloom sector.
It was also a place where the artists artisans could freely express their concerns and hardships.
For a person who spends many of my afternoons reading about the folk art forms of our country, my heart did bleed when I knew that this organisation is no longer in existence."
For a person who spends many of my afternoons reading about the folk art forms of our country, my heart did bleed when I knew that this organisation is no longer in existence."
Tomorrow, I'll mirror her post about Pupul Jayakar. But if you want to read it today, go over to instagram.com/sundarakala and read it.
Also, while you're there, tap that follow button :)
Also, while you're there, tap that follow button :)
