dilli haat

This was one of the (possibly several) trips to dilli haat that I always make when visiting home. I also stock up on juttis and this is one of the two pairs I bought this time. Seeing the talent and skills of the local artisans is a little bittersweet. I doubt they ever make enough to provide for their livelihood though I suppose they're probably better off having a space at dilli haat due to all the well-deserved tourist traffic it gets. Dilli Haat is a great sampling of all the great imagination, craftsmanship and diversity that is inherent in India's arts and crafts across all regions. There is plenty of representation abroad for some of the crafts and I always hope the compensation is at least somewhat fair in comparison to the amount of profits some secondary sellers make off of these goods.

All the support for handmade products and the popularity of etsy often gives me hope for crafts. But, all such ideas fail a little bit when I come here. The economic disparity makes me restless and confused. With respect to crafts, I just feel sad that unlike US and some other countries, there will never be enough support to help enough artisans and craftsmen. There is also that uncomfortable little thought about so much skill being exploited for possibly huge profit margins. I try to be easygoing when I flip through Indian Elle and Vogue with clothes and their exhorbitant price tags but it's never not irksome.