Revitalizing Usta Kala: A Study on the Craft and Artisans of Bikaner

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-535-5_3How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Heritage craft; Traditional craftsmanship; Gold embossing; Floral prints; leather; Design

Abstract

India is a diverse country with an abundant amount of cultural history. It has numerous traditional art forms exhibiting the artists individuals were in ancient. Usta Kala is one of these art forms. This craft from Bikaner, Rajasthan, and is known for its complex gold embossing and floral motifs that combine Persian and Rajput styles. Nevertheless, this craft, which has been there for hundreds of years, will eventually disappear forward. Only a few artisans are still able to make a living doing it, and they are having a hard time doing so because of changes in the economy and the market. This study investigates at Usta Kala’s craft cluster and focuses on the social and economic problems that artisans face and the work that is being done for the preservation of their distinctive heritage of culture. Researcher used snowball sampling method, artisans were approached to collect insights into the present circumstance of this craft. The outcomes indicate that numerous artisans are unsatisfied with their economic circumstances, such as inadequate wages, inconsistent employment possibilities, and a lack of governmental assistance. This research underscores the imperative of preserving traditional handicraft while enacting specific implement target policy interventions that will ensure the ongoing viability and consideration of Usta Kala within contemporary India.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Shabana Sharif
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/03/16
TI  - Revitalizing Usta Kala: A Study on the Craft and Artisans of Bikaner
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Creativity, Innovation & Design (ICCID 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 20
EP  - 35
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-535-5_3
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-535-5_3
ID  - Sharif2026
ER  -