By Sudha Dhingra & Rupinder Kaur
At The Mango House, our conversations are rooted in documenting voices that shape culture, community, and creative economies in meaningful ways. Through this ongoing series, we engage with women founders, educators, and pioneers whose work continues to influence the future of craft, design, and social impact in India.
This month, we are in conversation with Prof. Dr. Sudha Dhingra, a leading academic and practitioner from the Textile Design Department at National Institute of Fashion Technology under the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. With decades of experience working closely with artisans, design education, and craft-based interventions, Dr. Dhingra offers a grounded perspective on why Indian crafts begin to languish, how their decline impacts local economies, and what meaningful preservation truly requires.
In a time when conversations around sustainability and heritage are becoming increasingly mainstream, it is important to recognise that preserving crafts is not simply about nostalgia or aesthetics. It is deeply tied to economic justice, intergenerational livelihoods, and the survival of knowledge systems that have sustained communities for centuries.
Why Do Certain Indian Crafts Begin to Languish?
According to Dr. Dhingra, the decline of crafts is rarely caused by a single factor. Instead, it emerges from a combination of economic, environmental, and social shifts.
She explains that many artisans traditionally create products for utility, decoration, or rituals within their own villages or nearby towns. However, they often struggle to understand the evolving design and product requirements of metropolitan or global markets. This disconnect between traditional production and contemporary consumer demand creates a significant challenge.
Climate change and environmental instability also play a role. In several craft clusters, artisans are unable to access the raw materials essential to their practice because of changing climatic conditions.
Another concern is the issue of transmission. In many communities, crafts are not taught outside hereditary systems, while younger generations increasingly choose not to continue the practice. As livelihoods become unstable, the appeal of pursuing craft diminishes.
Dr. Dhingra points to terracotta figurines and dolls as a classic example. These products are often fragile and difficult to transport, while their original rural consumers gradually shift towards industrial alternatives. Over time, both demand and continuity weaken.
The Economic Impact of Craft Decline
The decline of crafts extends far beyond the artisan alone. As Dr. Dhingra notes, every craft ecosystem depends on a network of interconnected livelihoods within a geographical region.
This includes raw material retailers, dye suppliers, block carvers, clay preparers, and several others whose labour supports the production process. When a craft begins to disappear, the entire ecosystem experiences economic strain.
Children witnessing their parents struggle financially often choose not to continue the practice. In search of employment, many migrate to cities and take up work as drivers, guards, construction workers, or MNREGA labourers. However, these transitions are rarely stable.
Dr. Dhingra reflects on how situations like the COVID-19 pandemic and even recent LPG shortages exposed the vulnerability of migrant workers, many of whom no longer felt connected to either their villages or cities. Such instability can lead to desperation, poverty, and in some cases, force young people into antisocial activities or crime.
Her observations reveal an important reality, the loss of craft is not only cultural erosion, but also a disruption of local economies, identity, and social stability.
The Role of Educational Institutions in Sustaining Crafts
Educational institutions continue to play an important role in preserving and evolving Indian crafts. Dr. Dhingra highlights the contributions of institutions such as National Institute of Fashion Technology, National Institute of Design, and Indian Institute of Crafts and Design, alongside several newer organisations working within craft education and development.
These institutions help educate future designers about crafts while simultaneously training and upskilling young artisans. Through product development initiatives, they introduce artisans to market intelligence, consumer expectations, and evolving design trends.
Importantly, they also teach skills that are increasingly necessary for survival within contemporary markets, including negotiation, photography, packaging, and e-commerce practices.
At the same time, institutions contribute to consumer awareness by showcasing the unique strengths and cultural value of crafts through exhibitions, films, and public engagement initiatives.
The Gap Between Craft Knowledge and Market Systems
One of the most significant gaps, according to Dr. Dhingra, lies in the transition from experimentation to actual market implementation.
She explains that many student-artisan collaborations result in thoughtfully researched and well-designed products. However, once academic evaluation is complete, these products are often packed away and forgotten rather than being developed further.
There is a lack of sustained support for second-stage iteration, refinement, and market testing. As a result, innovative craft-based products rarely reach consumers despite their potential.
This points to a larger structural issue within craft and design ecosystems, where valuable research exists, but pathways to commercialisation and long-term sustainability remain weak.
What Needs Immediate Action?
For crafts to survive meaningfully, Dr. Dhingra believes that design intervention alone is not enough.
Craft-based initiatives require continued mentorship, the involvement of senior designers, and strategic identification of appropriate markets. She suggests that artisan producer groups and collaborative startups can help strengthen long-term sustainability.
Equally important is market access. Buyers need to encounter these products through trade fairs, meetings, and curated showcases, while artisans require consistent support and handholding during the process of entering larger markets.
Product quality, she notes, must be continuously upgraded. For international markets, artisan groups also need support in navigating certifications, compliance systems, and export requirements.
Beyond logistics and infrastructure, Dr. Dhingra emphasises the importance of storytelling and positioning. Crafts today require strong narratives and thoughtful market placement to remain relevant and valued within contemporary economies.
Beyond Preservation
This conversation with Prof. Dr. Sudha Dhingra reminds us that craft preservation cannot exist as a symbolic gesture alone. It must be approached as a long-term economic, educational, and social commitment.
To preserve languishing crafts is to protect ecosystems of labour, memory, skill, and identity. It is also to recognise the dignity of artisans and the structural support required for their work to thrive in modern markets.
As conversations around sustainability continue to evolve, perhaps the future of ethical design lies not in reinventing tradition, but in investing more deeply in the people and systems that have carried it forward for generations.