Mapping the Geographical Indication-Tagged Handicraft Landscape of West Bengal: A Documentary Analysis of Distribution, Diversity, and Craft Traditions

Geographical Indication (GI) offers an institutional framework for safeguarding authentic region-based products, along with the indigenous technology and knowledge used to produce them. The present research examines the GI-tagged handicrafts in West Bengal through document analysis of the Geographical Indications Registry of Intellectual Property India. Of the 35 recognised GI products, 16 are handicraft items, and this study analysed them in terms of representation, craft variety, chronology, and spatial distribution using descriptive analysis. Findings of this study reveal that handicrafts form the highest proportion (45.71%) of the total number of GI products in West Bengal, and textiles, weaving, and embroidery comprise half of all handicrafts. The temporal distribution of GI recognition shows high clustering in 2013-2018, while spatial distribution shows clustering only in some selected craft-producing regions, mainly Bankura. The analysis reveals that GI recognition is not only diverse but also uneven in terms of crafts, regions, and period in West Bengal. The research provides documentary foundational information for a better comprehension of the recognition of handicraft traditions and points out directions for future studies regarding the GI system