C an we promote a ‘Handmade in India’ tag as the ‘Make in India’ campaign is being promoted? This question echoed during a discussion on ‘Art Futures: Creating Future Stakeholders in Art’, organised by the Union Ministry of Culture at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Mumbai.
India, a country with a rich and diverse heritage, is substantially lagging behind in marketing to the world its own treasures. However, it is not just a question of the conservation of both the tangible and intangible heritage, or the livelihood of millions of artists, or earning foreign exchange through tourism. It is a question of creating visionary and passionate artists as well as a generation of art-lovers.
Patronage to philanthropy
Until the colonial period, artists used to enjoy patronage in some form or the other. But the transition from such patronage to philanthropy supported by the masses hasn’t been very effective. Therefore, art work continues to remain a luxury item in a developing country such as ours. On the contrary, from the painted mud walls of tribal huts to a simple rangoli at a doorstep, we find art flourishing in every corner of India. One needs to attach a value to it. Efforts should be made to demystify art works and develop markets to make them affordable to commoners.
This transformation should start from the school education stage. To quote Unesco, “introducing learners to artistic processes cultivates a fertile imagination, emotional intelligence, capacity for critical reflection and social adaptability as well as freedom of thought.” India possesses the demographic dividend. Nurturing our young population in such a way that they would have creative minds and independent voices is our collective responsibility. Art education through hands-on learning will contribute to it.
Innovations can help
Technological innovations can further aid this process. The present generation demands smart access to different avenues of knowledge. There are mobile apps to help learn classical western music and dance styles or to simply take a virtual walk through a heritage city. The upcoming film Loving Vincent, based on the life of the Vincent van Gogh, is another such marvel. It is the world’s first fully painted animated film, created by a team of 115 artists using Van Gogh’s style of painting. Can we also think of creating such biographical films on Raja Ravi Varma, Amrita Sher-Gil or M.F. Husain? Augmented reality and virtual technology, therefore, have the greatest potential to bring the young closer to art.
In 1949 China had only 25 museums. It targeted to create 3,500 museums by 2015 and achieved it some three years in advance of the target date. Strategically developing the cultural and creative industry (CCI) has been an integral part of China’s 12th five-year plan. India should make the most of its glorious past for a better future. Steps such as patenting valuable cultural objects, giving tax benefits to craftspersons, introducing culture as a subject in curricula, structuring funding through public-private partnership models would accelerate the process.
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