India has a rich tradition in art and crafts, dating back to the Indus Valley civilization. In some communities, craft styles have remained unchanged for centuries. One of the best known forms of Indian crafts is, of course textiles, with each region and each community in the country having its own motifs and designs. Also well known are terracotta modeling, a very ancient craft, and lost wax brass modeling, which is especially popular in Central India. Other well-known Indian crafts are gold, silver and white metal jewellery with various stone inlays, pottery, especially made of baked clay, which keep the water cool in India’s hot climate, metal work, such as ritual and decorative objects made of brass, bronze, silver or a combination of various metals. Metal works are especially popular in the tribal regions of central India, and also among the crafts produced by Tibetan refugees who have settled in the country. Textiles such as saris that are found predominantly in the eastern and southern parts of the country, rugs, carpets and shawls that are made in mountainous regions of Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir, embroidery and appliqué work mostly from Rajasthan and Gujarat, woodwork from Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, where timber is abundant, and leatherwork, especially shoes and bags.

As in all pre-modern societies, all crafts in India formerly had a purpose, ritual or practical. Indian crafts, along with spices, were the main trading commodities before the colonial period. It was rapid urbanization and competition from factory-made products during the colonial period made a lot of crafts irrelevant and a number of crafts-persons lost their means of income.

However, in India, the crafts sector is still the second largest provider of employment after agriculture, and a number of agricultural communities depend on crafts for their survival in periods of drought, famine or other natural disasters. The handicrafts sector provides women of poorer communities with an avenue of entrepreneurship and economic independence.

In a country like India, which has a rich cultural heritage, the arts and crafts can contribute significantly towards the national economy and in raising the standard of living. However, that can happen only if India’s artisans are confident and self-reliant, and are given the chance to innovate.

Today in India, traditional crafts are mainly seen as a “poor man’s industry”. And in most cases, crafts-persons are indeed very poor, even if their products are selling nationally and abroad at inflated prices. As craft items with “ethnic” motifs have become a hobbyhorse for the elite, a whole industry has grown around them in which the crafts-persons themselves are the last and least to be rewarded after all middlemen commissions are taken care of. The Government of India has created a number of organizations that attempt to promote India’s heritage and its crafts, both nationally and internationally, and in the process, sustain craftspersons’ practices. Some of these organizations are the All India Handicrafts Board, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Lalit Kala Academy, crafts councils and handicrafts emporiums. However, these organizations are often criticized for being shortsighted and accused of simply replacing the dreaded and exploitative “middlemen” that they seek to do away with. Their overtly protectionist attitude towards India’s artisans by denying them a direct access to the market, many believe, causes a lack of innovation on the part of the craftspersons, thereby hindering the natural process of artistic reactions to social and political events.

In an effort to enable the artisans to interact with customers and cooperate with other craftspersons and even urban professional artists and designers, a number of government and non government organizations (NGOs) have started building craft villages in picturesque settings throughout the country. Here, buyers can directly buy craft products from the makers themselves at prices that are both affordable while also adequately compensating the artisans for their efforts. Such centres, such as Dastkar and Dilli Haat, have also come up in urban areas.

Dastkar, an all-India society that promotes the traditional crafts of India and looks after the interests of artisans and craftspeople, was formed in 1981. It aims at empowering weaker sections of society, especially women, by providing them with avenues to gainfully utilize their traditional and local knowledge into entrepreneural activities and also at raising awareness among urban residents of the various handicraft traditions and products by making them easily available. Dastkar provides consumers with the opportunity to interact directly with the artisans, thereby ensuring that the products that are being made conform to the best quality and that the craftspersons are adequately compensated for their effort. It also guides the artisans in gainful investments that can further and enrich their knowledge and market bases. Dastkar also acts as a pressure group protecting the interests of craftspersons, and it protested against the Government of India’s textile policy in 1985 and 1988. It has participated in a number of national and international craft meets and has been a member of a series of craft and development forums.

Following the devastating earthquake of January 26, 2001, in Gujarat's Kutchch region, many artisan communities lost their homes and means of livelihood. The Kutchch region is famous for its distinct and unique crafts, and a number of cooperative societies were set up to assist the artisans in rebuilding their livelihood systems and provide them with an opportunity to return to normalcy. Some of the cooperatives are Kutch Mahila Sangathan, Kala Raksha and Shrujan in Bhuj and Manjothi Art in Bhujpur village.