A place rich with its variety and diversity, and more stuck to its grassroots, India and its handicrafts add to the legacy of the beautiful culture that it has. Fewer countries are now left that value or pay heed to the hand-crafted creations, and fortunately India is one of them, while on the edge, but is still holding.
Today, handicrafts are mostly ornamental or used for gifting purposes, like hand crafted vases or kettles. But ages back, hand-crafted things were used for various purposes and were so designed.
Everybody knows the story of Alibaba and the Forty Thieves, and we know the animal-skinned vase they used for drinking water, they were handcrafted as well. And perhaps some of the first mentions of the 'handicrafts', but they were mainly complying with the necessity of the hour. Earlier, most of the races and humans were travellers or nomads, persay, and used natural materials to create something and making it not for just one purpose but multiple purposes.
But, even today nothing can replace the significance of something made with hands and with heart. Although, made with more man-made or non-natural materials today, Indian Handicrafts and the people that are involved in making them, must be valued or given the due respect.
Today, handicrafts can be seen competing in the commercial market and a lot of products have started finding their place in the room where lot of standardized products can be seen.