CONSTRAINTS ANALYSIS OF SEASHELL HANDICRAFT ARTISANS IN ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLAND

Handicrafts can be defined as products which are produced either completely by hand or with the help of tools. The Indian handicraft industry stands a unique place as it represents the rich Indian culture, traditions and heritage along with the modern and trendy touches. The industry is of vital importance to Indian economy and is considered as the second largest employment generating sector after agriculture, employing around 7 million artisans.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) form an archipelago of 572 islands is an ideal tourist destination in India, dominated by the tribal's and the craft of the region display the creative aspect of people who dexterously and artistically work on crafts. The sea around Andaman islands is a rich breeding ground for a variety of commercially important shells likeTurbo,Trochus,Nautilus,Chank and Species of Cypraea and these shells are regularly used in the small scale shell craft industry. Artisans who are deriving income from seashell handicraft are widespread across the island. A study was conducted to understand the constraints faced by seashell handicraft artisans.

Artisans were found to be distributed in different age groups with minimum 25yrs and maximum 58yrs. Experience of artisans indicated that they were the masters of shell handicrafts, which they have been pursuing relentlessly with great devotion for years. The study reported that most of the shell handicraft items are made from the raw materials available within the locality, rest are procured from mainland. Power driven circular saws and buffing machines were found to be used to cut the shell in desired size and shape. The results of the study depicted that artisans in the shell craft industry is facing lot of constraints like health problems, inadequate infrastructure, poor internet connectivity, growing competition, lack of government support, limited income etc...Constraint index analysis was employed to rank the identified constraints in the study area. Possible suggestions for eliminating the recognized constraints for the improvement of the artisans who have devoted their entire life in the pursuit of artistic crafts were also reported in the study.