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Study Trip to India titled ‘Urban Northern India: Communities and Livelihoods

Global Programme is offering the Study Trip to India titled ‘Urban Northern India: Communities and Livelihoods’. This Study Trip will be held from 22 – 29 February 2008 and students will visit the cities of Jaipur, Agra and Delhi in India. This study trip will examine crafts and craft communities in Northern India to understand social issues, livelihoods and habitats, NGO activities and the difficulties in preserving heritage.21 February, 2008ctor in India, second only to agriculture. With over twenty three million practitioners it includes diverse crafts, techniques and technologies. One in every 200 Indians is an artisan involved in activities ranging from crafting with clay to working with precious stone. Not only are there communities which rely solely on crafts for their livelihood, but a number of agricultural communities depend on traditional craft skills as a secondary source of income.

This trip will examine structures of craft communities, the continuing relevance of caste in terms of occupation in contemporary India, the linkages between craft and gender, and the problems craftspeople face such as lack of capital, dependency on moneylenders and lack of information and access to urban markets. It will also study urban spaces which craft communities occupy for work and living. With an understanding of crafts as a social, cultural and economic force, we will examine the impact that urbanization and globalization has had on traditional crafts. With globalization and India’s aspirations to economic prowess heritage crafts are increasingly threatened and seen as peripheral, even though export earnings from the crafts sector continue to grow. The study trip will also examine how, in the last two decades, women have gained economic self sufficiency and empowerment in certain niche sectors of crafts. 

While looking at efforts at conservation of traditional skills, the field trip will involve working with both governmental organizations as well as NGOs. Some of the artisan communities that may be studied are those engaged in blue pottery, terracotta and zardozi (metallic embellishments on cloth) in Delhi; hand screen printing and cloth block printers in Jaipur (Rajasthan); block printing and handmade paper in Sanganer and Bangru (Rajasthan) and stone workers in Agra. 

The trip will involve working with both governmental and non-governmental organizations which support traditional crafts and aim to revive crafts that are being threatened. Some of these organizations may be the Craft Revival Trust (http://www.craftrevival.org/Index.htm); All India Artisans and Craft-workers welfare Association (http://www.craftmark.org/); Craft Council of India and the Anokhi Museum of Hand-printing http://www.anokhi.com/anokhi/anokhi-museum.html. 

Closing date: Tuesday, 8 January 2008 

Partner Organizations Involved 

  1. Craft Revival Trust
  2. All India Artisans and Craft-workers welfare Association
  3. Craft Council of India
  4. Anokhi Museum of Hand-printing

Venue 

  1. Jaipur
  2. Agra
  3. Delhi

Duration 

Dates:       21 – 29 February 2008 

Cost & Items Covered 

Students are expected to pay part of the airfare and Programme fee and the rest will be subsidized by USP.

The payment will be SGD$1000. 

Application and Selection Process 

15 USP students will be selected for this programme. 

This study trip is open to all USP students. Participants must have done some modules in India or the arts or similar modules and show a passion for learning about issues in communities & its livelihood (through an essay). They must show commitment to participate fully in and contribute actively to all the activities of the trip. There is no restriction on Year or Major. Participants are expected to have a CAP of 3.5 or higher. 

Students who are interested are required to submit the items stated below. Please note that you will be required to attend an interview. 

  1. Completed online Application Form (at https://usp3.nus.edu.sg/ems_isis/event_reg.jsp?eventtpctrl_seq_n=1062&event_c=100376 )
  2. A Personal Statement (no longer than 1 page in length – to be attached via the online application page) on
    1. 14 March, 2008/SPAN>
    2. Your views on urban communities & livelihoods
    3. What you can contribute to this program
    4. What you expect to gain from the experience and how you would utilize what you have learn upon your return to Singapore

  3. A Curriculum Vitae no longer than 4 - 6 pages in length (to be attached via the online application page) 

Important Details 

  1. Please apply via the following link: https://usp3.nus.edu.sg/ems_isis/event_reg.jsp?eventtpctrl_seq_n=1062&event_c=100376
  2. Please remember to check/tick the correct programme; Study Trip on Urban Northern India: Communities and Livelihoods
  3. Please name your file (essay required) as “UrbanIndia2008_YourName” 

Closing date: Tuesday, 8 January 2008 

Please feel free to contact Vindy ( / 6516 4628) or Sor Hui ( /6516 4063) if you have further queries.