Covid 19 and the Durga Puja Decoration Artisans of West Bengal: Mapping the Crisis of an Unorganized Sector in South Asia

Abstract

The sufferings of the unorganized sector have increased manifold in the current times, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in developing countries like India. The present study attempts to examine the precarious conditions of the decoration artisans of Krishnanagar (Nadia District) and Kumartuli (Kolkata City) areas of West Bengal, India during the COVID-19 pandemic. The overall analysis comparing the Pre-COVID-19 situations with the situation conditioned by the pandemic indicates a significant loss of annual turnovers during the times of the pandemic. The rise in the price of raw materials and shortage of labour supply caused by lockdowns and Covid-related restrictions have affected the livelihood mechanisms of the decoration artisans in both places. This has severely affected the market distribution chain of the artefacts of the decoration artisans encompassing the Indian and international markets. The study attempts to provide some policy recommendations for the survival of the decoration artisans which can assist the government and policymakers towards sustainable planning and provision of inclusive growth which is very important in the context of the addition of Durga Puja to the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, preserving both heritage and economy in the long run.