Destruction Of Indian Artisanal Professions In Colonial British Rule
                     Destruction Of Indian Artisanal Professions In 
Colonial British Rule
Chaitanya Kumari
Writes informational articles on ancient Indian 
artisan vocational education, 64 kala or 
chausat kala, along with others articles on finance, 
health, sanathana dharma and wisdom.
Historically, artisanal professions in India were considered to be sacred, and artisans 
were highly respected. During the pre-colonial era, India was the leading exporter of 
these artworks made by expert craftspeople.
But things started to change adversely in the British regime. These rulers intended to 
exercise complete control over the Indian economy by destroying the traditional art 
forms. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened during that phase of Indian 
history. The Britishers were successful in carrying out the methodical destruction of 
various artisanal professions.
 Before the disruption caused by the British regime, the artisanal communities in 
India were closely-knit groups. They were self-sufficient in all respects and 
were able to contribute to the Indian economy, as well. It was then that the 
foreign rulers decided that, to establish their superiority, the arts and crafts of 
India needed to be undermined.
 The British government began to implement its strategy in a crafty way. 
They introduced rules that abnormally increased the duties that the artisans 
had to pay for exports. Simultaneously, the authorities drastically lowered 
the duties specific to imports. The resultant scenario created a huge 
imbalance for the craftspeople; they were unable to cope with the financial 
burden.
 Before the arrival of the Britishers, Indian rulers patronized the artisanal 
professions. These royal families ensured that the artworks of artisans 
fetched good returns. The artisans’ well-being was taken care of.
 But there was a complete turnaround in things with the establishment of the 
British Empire. Most of the rulers in India were left with no option other 
than to surrender to the British authority and function only as its 
representatives. Thus, they could not continue extending their support to 
artisanal workers.
 Also, the British government cleverly formed many regulations that stopped 
people from making use of goods manufactured in India. An example can be 
taken. The authorities mandated that a specified pattern of leather shoes had to 
be compulsorily worn when in the proximity of British officials. This led to 
the downfall of the sector of shoes made by skilled artisans.
 The British rulers started to sell products manufactured by machines at 
attractively lower prices. Even the indigenous buyers preferred to buy these 
goods and completely ignored the artworks of Indian craftspeople.
 This is a continuation of the previous point. The English education system that 
the British introduced was appealing even to many Indians. They were 
brainwashed into believing that this system was superior to their ancient 
pattern of education. After that, it was just logical that these students got 
convinced about another key aspect. The products made by artisans were 
substandard in comparison to their counterparts made by machines.
 The development of railways made things easier for British officials. 
Traveling by train, they were able to reach the innermost regions of the 
country. Here, their primary intention was to wipe out all forms of Indian 
arts and crafts.
 The artisanal groups and farmers, together, were responsible for the rural 
zones being self-reliant. The economic balance was maintained. But when 
the artisans lost their sources of livelihood, they were forced to take up 
agricultural activities. The available agricultural land was limited and not 
enough to meet the demand. This aggravated things for the craftspeople and 
the agriculturists.
The subject discussed here is a vast one, and all its facets cannot be covered in a 
small write-up. Yet, a sincere attempt has been made to include the major points 
of the topic.
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