Handicraft exhibitions make a comeback after a year’s gap

The return of handicraft exhibitions – Bengaluru Dastkar Bazaar, Handmade Collective and Vastrabharana – after last year’s break is likely to revive the businesses of artisans and craftspeople who were hit by the lockdown. According to the 2011 census, there are seven million artisans in India, but the actual number now is much higher, if not double, say NGOs and organisers of handicraft exhibitions. Their livelihoods were affected by the inability to procure raw materials, the lack of cash reserves and the shut down of markets.