Indian textile skills

I have been in India the last week working on a project with a block printing enterprise in Gujurat. It is my first time time in India and I am astounded at the level of skill and craftsmanship that the people have. For a country that is so poor economically, they are so rich in other ways.

Spending time at the block print factory, I watched the block carver as he carves with such precision and care. He sits cross-legged, for eight hours a day, in front of a small wooden stool, carving the wood blocks, using his own hand made tools. His skills have been passed down through his family for generations and even though he would probably have over forty years of skills experience, he is still paid very poorly, even at this well-managed company.

But as I watch him I wonder if he would give it all up in an instant to work in one of the new, expanding industries that are emerging in India. Its all very well to romanticise his tradiotnal know-how but what if he still lives in poverty?

I have been pondering on how complex the issues are in this country and will have some more thoughts later on the subject.