PM INAUGURATES FIRST WORLD CONFERENCE
ON HANDMADE CARPETS
INAUGURAL
SPEECH BY THE PM
The Prime Minister
Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee inaugurated the First World Conference
on Handmade Carpets, here today. Union Minister for Textiles Shri
Syed Shahnawaz Hussain and the Minister of State for Textiles
Shri Gingee Ramachandran were also present on the occasion.
Following is the full text of
the speech of the Prime Minister :
"I am pleased
to be with you here on a platform of exceptional relevance --
the first ever World Conference on Handmade Carpets. I welcome
the distinguished guests from across the globe who have graced
the conference with their presence. I wish to appreciate the efforts
of the Ministry of Textiles and the Carpet Export Promotion Council
of India for organising this conference.
Diversity is the
hallmark of human society. Each constituent of mankind has its
own unique cultural and artistic heritage. This uniqueness manifests
in many ways, one of them being the tradition of handicrafts.
Every profession
is a craft, since it requires its own specific skill. Professions
change from time to time, and so do the skills. But it is in handicrafts
that we see a relative continuity, a repository of creative tradition
that runs for unbroken centuries and, in some cases, for millennia.
Thus, handicrafts serve as an expression of people’s cultural
and historical identity.
The hands engaged
in handicrafts are invariably gifted. They are capable of blending
beauty and ingenuity into every kind of raw material -- stones,
timber, natural fibres, wool, silk or metal. They are capable
of producing an infinite variety of creative products.
This tradition of
creative continuity is most strikingly seen in hand woven carpets.
A simple mass of fibres is turned into a dazzling display of beauty
when the workmanship of carpet weavers weaves magic into them
with intricate designs, marvellous motifs, plethora of colours
and subtle shades. The carpet weaver is not merely a worker, but
a worker-artist -- one who writes poetry with every knot that
he ties, one who paints a painting with every yarn of wool and
silk.
The true value of
such carpets far transcends the price they command at the global
marketplace. Rather, it resides in the awe and admiration they
evoke. And whenever such carpets are admired, the admiration naturally
goes to the nameless weavers who have painstakingly produced them.
This is the essential
difference between mass-produced goods and handicrafts. The human
labour, even in a fine mass-produced item, is rarely noticed.
If it evokes admiration, it is for the technology used, and not
for the hands that used the technology. In contrast, the creative
labour in a nice handicraft is invariably acknowledged and admired.
Therefore, at this
First World Conference of Handmade Carpets, let us jointly pay
tribute to the creativity of all the craftspeople and carpet-weavers
around the globe. Let us applaud the crafts traditions of all
the countries. They are a part of the priceless artistic and cultural
heritage of mankind. May this conference become an important landmark
in preserving and promoting this heritage.
Friends, I
am told that the handmade carpet weaving industry is facing many
challenges the world over. This conference is a good platform
to deliberate on these challenges and to chart a course for the
industry’s development in the future.
In this context,
I have a few thoughts to share with you. Throughout history, the
cultural and artistic traditions of nations have influenced each
other. This is true in carpet weaving as well. For example, the
carpets made in Kashmir, which are famous all over the world,
display a strong influence of the Persian tradition. Therefore,
in contemporary times too, all stakeholders should work in a spirit
of international cooperation. The more sustained is the cooperation,
the greater is the benefit for all.
In this context,
India would be happy to offer space and other facilities to house
the Secretariat of the World Forum for Handmade Carpets proposed
by the world industry leaders.
India is committed
to provide training, design, technology inputs and such other
infrastructure support as are required for the handmade carpet
industry to contribute to growth in world trade. We are prepared
to work out methods for establishment of raw materials bank to
enable easy access to quality raw material and eco-friendly colours.
This would help in ensuring product quality and boosting global
demand for the handmade carpet.
Global cooperation
would be particularly beneficial in human resource development.
Traditionally, weaving and handicrafts in most countries have
been specific to certain castes, tribes and communities. The skills
are handed down from generation to generation. However, these
skills can be made far more productive with investment in human
capital. General education, training in appropriate modern technologies
and use of new materials, and knowledge of modern business practices
can significantly contribute to the growth of the industry and
earnings of craftspeople.
There is another
reason why greater attention to education and training has become
necessary. We see a trend whereby, for a variety of reasons, the
younger generation in families of craftspeople are drifting away
from their traditional occupations. This trend needs to be checked
and reversed as much as possible. We can achieve this if policy
makers, industry, administrators and craftspeople’s own guilds
can make handicrafts and handmade carpet weaving financially attractive,
professionally satisfying, intellectually stimulating, and socially
prestigious.
Towards this end,
in India we have made a small beginning by setting up the Indian
Institute of Textiles and Carpet Technology recently in Bhadohi,
in Uttar Pradesh, which is famous for its carpet industry. New
Zealand has come forward to join us in this endeavour by introducing
a distance-learning programme for skill upgradation. We shall
be happy to offer this platform to any country and to the industry
on a mutually agreed upon framework of cooperation. I appeal to
the industry and business houses to consider sharing the cost
of education, research and training by forming a corpus fund.
There is another
area that needs our urgent attention. Often, while admiring the
beauty of handmade carpets, we tend to push under the carpet the
problems of carpet weavers. I would like to quote here a line
from the book Visvakarma’s Children – Stories of India’s Craftspeople
by Jaya Jaitly, an activist who has done commendable work to promote
handicrafts and the cause of craftspeople. She writes, "While
crafts best reflect a nation’s cultural heritage, the condition
of its craftspeople reflects the concern of the people for that
heritage."
Viewed from this
angle, it is obvious that we have a lot to do to improve the living
and working conditions of our craftspeople.
Recently, the Government
has unveiled a new credit card facility, on the lines of the highly
successful Kisan Credit Card scheme, for weavers and artisans.
Under this scheme, weavers will have easy access to bank credit.
This should enable carpet weavers to tide over their working capital
problems.
We have also launched
an insurance scheme to provide social security to all artisans
and weavers in the age group of 18-60 years. I am informed that
the carpet industry has come forward to be a partner in this endeavour.
The Government has
taken some important steps to boost carpet weaving in Jammu &
Kashmir through a package for integrated development and export
promotion.
My last point is
about the employment potential of handmade carpet industry, both
in India as well as in other parts of the world. Handicrafts provide
large-scale employment, especially to women and to those belonging
to disadvantaged sections of society. India alone employs around
2.5 million weavers, 60% of whom are concentrated in Uttar Pradesh
in the famous Bhadohi-Mirzapur-Varanasi Carpet Belt.
How do we boost employment
in this industry, while simultaneously expanding its size and
export profile? Today this is mainly a rural-based cottage industry.
It is highly unorganised, fragmented and therefore, deprived of
basic infrastructural facilities. I would like the Ministry of
Textiles, along with other stakeholders, to prepare a time bound
action plan to achieve a quantum growth in India’s handmade carpet
industry, with a specific focus on increasing employment opportunities
in the industry. For its success, we will have to attract new
private sector investment. Sustained R&D efforts will have
to be made. Use of IT will have to be intensified. In addition,
you should learn from the best practices and successful strategies
adopted in other countries.
Friends, I
conclude by saying that, let us learn a little bit from the way
a weaver weaves the carpet. Before he begins his work, he has
a complete design and plan in mind. He draws from an inner source
of inspiration. And when he begins to execute his work, he does
so with amazing dexterity and devotion. Similarly, let us also
design a good strategy and weave it, knot by knot, through global
co-operation.
With these words,
I am pleased to inaugurate your conference and wish it success."