EDITORIAL
Use data to save heritage occupations before the traditional skills disappear
The state government on Monday announced its plan to map the traditional and heritage occupations of Goa through a comprehensive study. An agency will be appointed by the Directorate of Planning, Statistics & Evaluation to conduct a survey through which primary data will be collected, it said.
The agency will identify the traditional and heritage occupations, revealing their geographic distribution and sectoral presence. It will collect ground-level data and analyse livelihood characteristics such as income and seasonality, among others. The GPS-enabled study will assess the challenges facing locals engaged in traditional occupations, as well as their potential and contribution to the local economy.
According to the department, an estimated 1.5 lakh Goans are engaged in traditional occupations. However, many of them are outside the formal system, with limited access to finance, market linkages, social security and institutional support. The data will also assist in bringing them into the formal economy, improving livelihood prospects and enhancing economic opportunities.
Mapping traditional and heritage occupations is definitely a positive development for Goa and its culture. The state had a well-structured gaunkari system (also called comunidade), and the occupations were well defined. The village system (on the lines of a commune) functioned smoothly as everyone knew their occupational duties. Indigenous occupations such as padeli (coconut plucker), mithakar (salt maker), kumbhar (potter), ramponkars (fishermen), reindeir (toddy tapper), poder (baker), chonnekar (gram sellers), khajekar (sweet makers), mhalo (barber), madval (dhobi/washerman), kaknakars (bangle-makers), shet (goldsmith), kasar (coppersmith), fullkar (floriculture cultivators), bhatti-kar (feni distillers) and mest (ironsmith), pidduk-kar (bead and necklace makers), etc., have been part of Goa’s rich cultural fabric.
Over the centuries, and more particularly from the 1960s onwards, they began to face challenges. Mass education, modernisation, mechanisation, the availability of new products, technology and migration are among the factors that have impacted the gaunkari system. The occupations of the artisans were kept alive because rich traditional knowledge and specialised skills were passed on from one generation to another. Their livelihoods were based on the practice of traditional occupations. Some became so well known for their respective crafts that their families came to be identified by those trades.
Today, these occupations face challenges such as declining viability, generational shifts and increasing competition from organised sectors. In addition, limited data on the structure of the traditional sector, its constraints and its potential hinders policymaking. Over the past decades, some occupations have come to the verge of extinction, while a few exist only in name. Some artisans live a marginalised existence.
In-migration of the labour force and entrepreneurs has also extended to some traditional occupation-related businesses. For example, the major workforce in pao (bread) making is from outside the state. By analysing the likelihood of the next generation taking over, the government should identify which heritage skills are on the brink of extinction and need immediate support. The tourism sector has much to offer this section of society.
While the government move is appreciable, the authorities need to study the 2010 report of the Task Force Committee headed by Dr Nandkumar Kamat to frame an appropriate scheme and package for the protection and support of Goa’s traditional businesses and occupations. Set up at the initiative of the then Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, the task force examined traditional occupations in detail and made recommendations for their protection and promotion.
The new initiative could transition Goa’s traditional sector from struggling for survival to sustainable entrepreneurship.
