“Once I wanted to wear a
batik shirt and I asked a friend of mine who did batik to make a one for me. He
didn’t do it. So I did it by myself,”
Deshabandu Buddhi Keerthisena, a pioneer of Sri Lankan batik industry recalled
how his friend’s failure to make him a batik shirt laid the foundation for him
to become a batik artiste. “I saw what I was capable of; what I can do with
batik designs. I got interested in it and continued to make batik,” he said.
Before he became a batik artiste in 1970s, he worked as a journalist and a
media officer. Currently, he works as the chairman of the National Craft
Council, Ministry of Traditional Industries and small Enterprise Development.
Keerthisena is from
Koswadiya, Halpanwila in the Puttalam District. “I went to the village school.”
He says he was very reluctant to go to school when he was a kid. “I remember I
cried almost everyday, refusing go to school. But later when I started to meet
friends and understood how fun school is, I started liking it,” he said that he
was interested in art lessons while he was at school. “I did other students’
paintings during exams. I passed and they also passed the subject,” Keerthisena
laughed recounting how mischievous he was during his school years.
When asked whether he had
a guru to master the art of batik, he said that there is nothing much to learn
in the field under a teacher. According to him, success of batik art depends on
the artiste’s commitment and interest. “Everything you have to learn, you can learn
on your own,” he noted. He also described the process of making batik print.
First the design must be drawn on the fabric. Next step is applying colors. “But
this step is done using wax. Wax is used to cover the areas which must remain
uncolored. Then, starting from the lightest color, the process will continue
using layers of colors,” he explained. “Likewise, you can use about six color
processes. Applying wax is the most important step,” he added. The final step
of making batik is to boil the fabric in hot water to remove wax. Once the fabric
is dry, it is ready to use.
Batik creation, which he
started as a hobby soon became popular in Sri Lanka as well as in other
countries. Since then, ‘Buddhi batik creations’ still maintains its reputation
all over the world. Keerthisena held his first overseas exhibition in 1974 and
since then has held over a hundred fashion shows and exhibitions in countries including
Sweden, Denmark, Finland,
Norway, Italy, Austria,
the UK, USA, Seychelles,
Singapore, Malaysia, Japan
and France.
“The first exhibition was difficult for me and it was a failure. It was held in
Bonn, Germany;
had the best hotel in Hamburg
but still, I couldn’t sell a single piece,” he recalled how frustrated he was
at his debut international exhibition. “But the second exhibition, also held at
Backnang, Germany was a success. I sold
almost all my work,” he said proudly. He said that he has noticed that the less
urban cities are the best places to showcase creative art since it attracts
more buyers than urban cities.
Keerthisena said that
there is a good demand for batik creations among local consumers as well as
foreign. According to him, quality batik can be sold anytime, anyplace and at
any price. “The problem here is we lack people who make quality batik. This goes
for handcraft as well,” he pointed out. “If you make quality products there is
a high end market for products.” He also said that this happens because the
craftsmen do not have a long-term plan or a vision. “They just want to make
something and make money out of it. Not that I blame them, but this is the
problem,” he reiterated.
He also pointed out that
high commissions paid for mediators like tour guide, operators and arts and
crafts galleries is another problem faced by handicraftsmen.
“This is a bigger problem
than it appears to be. The craftsman doesn’t get the price he /she deserves
when the creation is sold through a middleman. Middleman makes more money than
either the shop owner or the tour guide. He has his margins; he buys crafts
from the craftsmen for the lowest price they can offer and sells it to the
highest price,” he said this must be opposed. He said that unless this is
changed that the craftsmen get the real price for their work, handicrafts
industry will collapse and ultimately the craftsmen will suffer.
He said that unless craftsmen
take to the roads with placards the authorities will not heed their appeals. “I
shouldn’t be saying this as the chairman of the National Crafts Council. They
don’t make noise. They don’t ask for what they deserve. They are innocent, but
extremely creative,” he emphasized. “National Crafts Council has made several
proposals for the craftsmen where they will have to work together with the
council to make a marketing strategy in which they can be directly involved,”
he reiterated.
As Keerthisena explained, Laksala
is the marketing arm of the government for craftsmen. If Laksala increases the
price given to the craftsmen naturally the other shops will also have to increase
the price. “We have been making requests throughout, but we still didn’t
receive any positive response,” he said. “They might have their own excuses,
but if they don’t increase the prices they pay, they are undermining their own future,”
he pointed out. “They should not bargain with the craftsmen, they should bargain
with the customers,” he said.
Moreover Keerthisena said
that craftsmanship is not transferred from generation to generation now. He
said that the low income of craftsman has resulted by this. “If the prices are
increased and they start to receive good returns, this situation can be remedied.
When the parents’ economy is good, the child will naturally develop an interest
in the field,” he said.
The National Crafts
Council (NCC) has been established under the Parliamentary Act No. 35 of 1982
for the purpose of promotion, development, fostering and preservation of
handicrafts and uplift of social and economic status of craftsmen. “The vision
of the NCC is to make the lives of the craftsmen better. We have several
programs from training, product development, marketing to educating the
craftsmen on technology and buying raw material,” he said. “The three
institutes; NCC, National
Design Center
and Laksala; have to work together for the betterment of the craftsmen,” he
added.
Increased raw material
prices, as Keerthisena mentioned, is
also a barrier for the craftsmen to produce high-quality creations. “We can’t
control this. Prices go up day by day, not only here, but also in the world
market,” he emphasized that there is a shortage of local raw material and the
price of imported raw material is exorbitant for the small-scale craftsmen. “We
already have programs to re-grow raw material like reed or timber. But it will
take sometime,” he noted.
Keerthisena also spoke
about the handicrafts exhibition scheduled to be held from June 26 to 29. “It’s
a means of providing marketing support for the craftsmen. We have similar
programs each year in different parts of the country. “In addition, we have the
national exhibition and trade fair, Shilpa, where we get to showcase our
products,” he said. Shilpa National Exhibition and Award Ceremony for the
handicraft and small industrialists will be held in August at the BMICH. He
also mentioned that he is trying to increase cash prices given to winner of
these exhibitions. Craftsmen selected from all over the country will showcase
their creations at these exhibitions.
Keethisena said that he
cannot be 100 percent satisfied with the situation of the artistes in general.
“It is the way of our society, it is our economy. If you take a European
artiste, he is recognized and he can sell his products to the highest bidder.
It is the way of their economy,” he explained. “Our economy is comparatively small;
therefore our income and turnover is naturally low,” he opined. He said that he
is satisfied with the programs run by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs as well
as the Ministry of Traditional Industries to promote the crafts as well as the
craftsmen.
He believes that the
corporate sector should also join their efforts to promote local craftsmen.
“They use local crafts to promote themselves in their marketing and
advertising. It is high time they support to promote them also in return,” he
urged. “They have a lot of money which
they earn using these crafts. They can utilize this revenue for the betterment
of the field. At least they can sponsor a cash prize of an exhibition, for
example,” he added. He said that they have tried to reach out to the corporate
sector for sponsorships but their efforts were ineffective.
He reiterated that the
craftsmen should take responsibly for uplifting the quality of their own lives.
“They should not remain idle, expecting everything to be handed to them. They
must have their own societies to promote themselves and market their product
without waiting for someone else to promote them,” he said.
Originally published: http://www.nation.lk/edition/fine/item/30427-craftsmen-should-make-noise.html
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