India's traditional occupations

Agriculture employs millions of Indians, since almost 70 per cent of people live in rural areas. Many farm small plots; some grow cash crops like tea, coffee, cardamom and rubber. Along India's long coastline, fishing is important.

Handicrafts are a rural livelihood, and now an important export: woodwork, pottery, metalwork, jewellery, embroidery, weaving, dyeing, shell work, terracotta, sholapith (shola craft), carpets. Each region has its own woven fabrics, embroideries and costumes. Regional cuisines and the visual arts (once supported by temples and royal courts) also give people livelihoods.

Traditionally, craft skills were passed down within families, often as guarded secrets. Religion, caste and occupation were tightly linked.

Today, crafts are losing ground to mass-produced goods. The reasons: illiteracy, poverty, weak finance and marketing, slow land reforms, and shrinking forests and natural resources.

Reviving them needs: design innovation, eco-friendly materials, better packaging, training, conserving traditional knowledge, and protecting it through intellectual property rights (IPR). And we must keep the diversity of crafts, without the old caste-based division of work. Rich crafts need new markets and fair chances.