Richly embroidered garments, woven shawls
and household items are in vogue these days.
Mainly craftsmen from Kashmir, Punjab, Gujarat,
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, North Eastern
states etc create these products. There
is a flourishing market for pherans and
tablecloths from Kashmir. Woolen shawls
from Himachal and North Eastern states too
are popular.
Products like bed sheets, table mats, napkins,
household furnishings etc made out using
the various styles of textile printing ranging
from tie and dye, block printing, hand printing
etc are in great demand now a days.
India has an obsession with gems and jewelry
since ancient times when India was referred
to as the 'golden bird'. This obsession
is strong till date and India has become
the largest importer of gold in the world.
A variety of local jewelry traditions (of
different states) are present in India with
the modern day gem and diamond cutting and
polishing industry. The present day jewelry
tradition of India is a fine example of
assimilation between traditional and modern
designs and techniques. The increasing demand for Indian jewelry
and gems has made this craft tradition into
a full-fledged large scale organized industry,
which is growing by the day. Gems and semi
precious stones are not only used in making
jewelry, but for medicinal purposes. People
wear them under the prescription of astrologers,
as it is strongly believed in India that
Gems and semi precious stones, affect ones
future and destiny.
Carpet weaving industry is the largest
export oriented craft industry from India.
Not only there is a great demand for costly
silk carpets from Kashmir, which has become
the status symbol in traditional Indian
homes, but there is also demand for woolen
and non-woolen carpets. A variety of floorings
and traditional durries are flooding the
markets these days and decorating the floors
of Indian homes.
There is a huge domestic market for a hoard
of utilitarian craft items such as bedcovers,
sheets, cushions, curtains, tablemats, bags,
metal furniture, mats, boxes, cabinets,
wood furniture, toys, utensils, garden pots,
terracotta items, brass and silverware,
leather products, papier-mâché
products, cane, jute and coir items, carpets,
rugs, durries etc. Most of the units producing
utilitarian craft items have attained the
status of small-scale industry.
The demand for decorative items such as
traditional wall hangings, silver cutlery,
brass pots, embellished wooden sculptures,
marble and wood inlay work, silk carpets,
wrought iron furniture and decorative pieces,
traditional paintings, enameled furniture,
stone and wood carvings, metal, wood and
stone sculptures etc is also on the rise
in India and abroad.
The popularity of these handicraft products
is increasing in the domestic markets due
to the increasing demand for traditional
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