10 Dying Arts and Why We Need to Preserve Them

Arts and crafts are what represent a country's long-standing culture and traditions the best. People die, but their creations last. They immortalize history. The delicate techniques of creating such arts are also worth treasuring. Artisans go to great lengths to preserve and replicate these authentic techniques and create crafts generations after generation. But modern times have caused a huge dent in the traditional arts and crafts industry. Factory-made mass-produced cheap products are replacing the traditionally crafted goods. The demand is depleting rapidly and artisans are barely getting their deserved payment. The lack of business and poor infrastructure are forcing a lot of them to change their line of profession. Especially after the pandemic, the situation of rural artisans and craftsmen has been extremely precarious. Various art techniques are losing their relevance. And this situation is not only a blow to a country's economy but also its root and history.

1. Rogan Painting: It's a form of art that originated from Gujarat and has been practiced for hundreds of years. The paint here comes from boiled castor oil and vegetable dyes. Artisans then put this paint on fabrics using metal blocks and stylus. Many women used to wear Rogan printed sarees for wedding functions. The intricate style of the painting needs patience and effort. That's why this art form is gradually getting endangered. There's only one family from Kutch still keeping this art alive who are known as the Khatri family. This family has been practicing the art for generations. But the constant decline in demand is dwindling their spirit. So there's a big chance that the next generation will not be able to keep the family legacy going and give up on the art altogether.

2. Manjusha Painting: This is an ancient folk art form that originated from Anga Pradesh aka the state we now know as Bihar. This is one of the only art forms which comes in a series. Each piece depicts the story of Behula, Bishahari, or Mansa. Manjusha is basically a box with pillars made from jute, bamboo, and paper. These boxes also contain paintings of Hindu gods and goddesses, which is termed Manjusha painting. These boxes are used for Bishahari Puja, which is a famous festival of Bhagalpur and other regions of Bihar. This art reflects the history of Anga Mahajanapada. This art form is also famously known as snake painting by foreigners because of the dominance of snake motifs to depict stories in the paintings. This art form garnered international acclaim during British rule. But its fame faded away over time. Only two families, Kumbhakar and Malakar, have been keeping the art alive. 

3. Patola Sarees: These sarees are some of the most expensive sarees in the world and originate from Patan of Gujarat. These sarees are generally made from silk with double ikat work. The saree-making procedure is extremely time-consuming and complicated. Each strand of silk needs to be dyed separately before weaving and that's why it takes almost six months to one year to make a single piece. This is why the cost of these sarees is high and can be only afforded by a select few. Patola weaving technique is known to and guarded by only three families in Patan. If they eventually give up on the art because of time constraints, efforts and cost, then these kinds of sarees will cease to exist too.

4. Art deco Silversmith: Silversmith industry of Scandinavia is intimately tied to the country's cultural heritage. But many unique techniques like art deco, practiced throughout the years are now on the brink of extinction because of a lack of active practitioners. There's a famous practice of cubic style in the silversmith industry and using geometry as intricate designs. This technique was pioneered by Wiwen Nilsson. He started working with Asian motifs. He forged silver to create different shapes of animals, birds, insects, etc. Though he used other metals too, silver was definitely he preferred using most. After him, very few people kept his legacy of cubic style art deco alive. 

5. Egyptian Cement Tiles: The craft of making cement tiles was not really exclusive to Egypt, as many countries of Europe in past practiced it. But Egypt is one of the places where this craft flourished the most. It is an almost 200 years old technique that is only kept alive here thanks to one craftsman, Saied Hussain. In the competitive market of marble and ceramic tiles, he kept the tradition of making beautiful tiles with cement. This is a delicate job where you mix thoroughly sifted cement with various colors and then pour the color mix on the desired mold. The pouring of the color mix needs utmost care and precision. The raw materials for this kind of tile-making are expensive nowadays and also the process demands a lot of effort. This is why most people are not really inclined to learn and continue this craft anymore.

6. Morocco's Mosaic Tiles: Morocco is a country rich in cultural heritage. One of their most famous traditional crafts is making zellige, the mosaic tiles which can be found in Moroccan mosques and palaces. To make zellige, artisans hammer colored clay with hands and mold them into desired shapes and sizes. Then they place and position them with cement and thus the beautiful zellige is created. The entire process is definitely very grueling with little pay. Factories can produce the same amount of tiles much more quickly. This is why the younger generation is very reluctant to learn the craft and the future of it seems pretty obscure. The only silver lining is that these mosaic tiles still have a bit of demand from wealthy Moroccan families and foreigners. So this craft may have hope for sustenance.

Customizable Mosaic Table

7. Withy Pot-Making: Withy pot-making is a practice in the UK which has been in existence for more than 400 years. Fishermen used these traditional pots for fishing in the past. But now most of them have swapped them for modern plastic and wire traps. That's why the demand for these withy pots has reduced drastically. HCA has declared this craft as 'critically endangered. Very few weavers are still involved with this practice and most of them treat it just as a side business. 

8. Clay-pipe Making: British people have been using clay pipes since the 1500s. The fascination with smoking increased the popularity and demand for clay pipes. But now that this popularity has diminished, this craft has fallen under the endangered category as well. Uk has only 3 known manufacturers left. The original mold made with iron and brass is pretty difficult to obtain now. So the craftsmen adapted their techniques. They generally use plastic molds to make clay pipes. These handmade pipes can take quite a few days to prepare if the design is tricky. 

9. Parsi Embroidery: Parsi embroidery originates from Iran and then it got influenced by various cultures including Chinese, European, Indian, etc. This embroidery technique is an integral part of India's textile heritage. The sarees adorned with this kind of embroidery are known as Parsi Gara sarees. These sarees are famous for their intricate and elegant designs. The khaka stitch used on these sarees is so fine that it needs a lot of delicate handling. One-piece takes more than 6 months to complete and the process is tiring. In the time when factories produce stuff in a large quantity and in very little time, artisans are reluctant to put so much effort into one craft. 

10. Santhal Painting: Santhal painting is a famous cultural heritage of the Santhal tribe of India. These paintings generally depict the most mundane things of life in a joyful and hopeful manner. The theme can be anything ranging from weddings to harvest festivals. The special community of painters who paint these paintings is known as Jadu Patua. They belong to the Santhal Pargana. These paintings are known for very realistic and modern drawings of human figures. Painters use natural vegetable dyes as colors for the paint. Though these paintings are extraordinary, the ancient tribal craft doesn't have much of a market anymore. Painters never get the payment they deserve. So this craft is now on the decline and people are going for different professions.

A little bit of attention and effort from our side can go a long way to revive and sustain these traditional crafts and techniques. If we let these crafts go extinct, then we lose a part of our culture and history along with it. So let's make an initiative to support our local artisans as best as we can so the native art can grow and prosper.