[India] ICTs help traditional handicrafts in Kerala

["Irfan Khan" <khania@super.net.pk>]

[source: http://www.indev.org/news/news.html]


ICTs help traditional handicrafts in Kerala

Keltron, a public sector undertaking of Kerala, India is taking up a 
project to support the dying community of artisans and traditional 
handicrafts using ICTs. Keltron is planning to set up a major portal 
for supporting artisans working in traditional crafts and 
handicarafts in Kerala as a support to marketing their products. 
Kerala has a very rich traditional art forms, handicrafts made of 
various material including sandalwood, bamboo, timber, rubber wood, 
handloom, coir, cocnut shells, mud, brassmetal etc.

However, these artisans are facing extinction today for want of 
demand in the domestic market. Unless supported, these artisans would 
switch to other professions and alongwith them these traditional 
artforms will die as these have been inherited from one generation to 
another. The persons belong to the lowest strata of society, a large 
portion would be women and this is not going to be a profit 
venture.Keltron, therefore, thought to take up as a promotional 
venture, a portal which will help them to exploit demands for such 
products in other countries. While Keltron is setting up the portal 
on their own, they need support for front ending the portal so that 
it has visibility in markets in different parts of the globe.


[read about keltron at 
http://www.indev.org/articles/keltronproject.html ]