Indian Artisans : Social Institutions and Cultural Values

162 Pages·2000·8.6 MB·English

by  Bhattacharya, Ranjit Kumar

About the Book
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Jacket design & Illustrations :
Anup Giri
Gopa Chakrabarti
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2018 with funding from
Public.Resource.Org
https://archive.org/details/indianartisanssoOObhat

Indian Artisans
Social Institutions and Cultural Values
Edited by
R. K. BHATTACHARYA
S. B. CHAKRABARTI
GOLDEN JUBILEE (1945-1995)
Anthropological Survey of India
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF CULTURE
DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE
27, JAWAHARLAL NEHRU ROAD, KOLKATA 700 016
No. 0.88
First Edition : May 2000
Second Edition : January 2002
Published by
Director
Anthropological Survey of India
27, Jawaharlal Nehru Road
Kolkata-700 016
ISBN : 81-85579-56-3
Printed by
Creative Data Centre
58/32, Prince Anwar Shah Road
Kolkata-700 045
Price : Rs. 180.00; $54.00
Without the expressed permission of the Director,
Anthropological Survey of India, no portion of this publication should be
reproduced partly or wholly
In Memory
Late Meera Mukherjee

FOREWORD
The Anthropological Survey of India (An.SI) deserves to be compli¬
mented for bringing out this volume on Indian Artisans, as its tribute to
the Nation, on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Independence.
Anthropology is the holistic study of Man-in-Nature; a materialistic and
institutional complement to the philosophical study of Being-in-the-
World. No other living being surpasses Homo sapiens in the range and
variety of creative expression; it is because of this distinctiveness that
Man leaves an impress on Nature - for good as well as bad. It is this im¬
press that cultural anthropology seeks to explore in a holistic sense.
Crafts are an important element of the variegated panorama of cul¬
tural expression. Craft is technology - one can trace the genesis of tech¬
nology to Man creating tools, the wherewithal for survival. Craft is also
a creative urge and aesthetic sensibility. Craft is also the product of belief
systems and of living traditions; it encapsulates the life of the artisan and
the society - the Time and Space - in which he lives. The Anthropologi¬
cal approach, being holistic, views Man-in-Nature as a whole, unlike the
six blind men who took that part of the elephant they touched to be the
essence of the elephant.
This volume brings together a collection of celebrated scholars of dif¬
ferent disciplines; they reflect and together they present a holistic
kaleidoscopic picture of Indian artisans. I am sure that the variety of the
fare the volume offers would attract a range of readers - erudite scholars
as well as laymen. I hope that all readers will come to appreciate the
spirit of Anthropology.
(Dr. R. V. Vaidyanatha Ayyar)
Secretary to the Government of India
Ministry of Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports
Department of Culture
-■V..