Handicraft industries
Also called: Traditional handicrafts · Topic: Indian Economy on the Eve of Independence · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 1 "Indian Economy on the Eve of Independence"
Meaning
Handicraft industries are goods made by hand by skilled artisans, not by machines. Before British rule, India's handicrafts were famous across the world for their fine materials and high craftsmanship. They included cotton and silk textiles, metal work and precious-stone work. Under British rule these industries were ruined. The causes were one-way free trade, loss of support from princely courts and competition from cheap machine-made British goods. The ruin of handicrafts is at the heart of deindustrialisation, the decline of industry in colonial India.
Example
Dhaka muslin, a cotton cloth from in and around Dhaka, was famous worldwide. Its finest variety was called malmal. Foreign travellers called it malmal shahi or malmal khas, which means cloth fit for royalty.
Don't confuse with
- Modern industry: this means factory production using machines, such as cotton mills (from 1854) and TISCO (1907). Handicrafts are made by hand in homes and small workshops.