By Our Editor,
Over 100 years ago, during India’s freedom struggle under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, the indigenous handloom products were popular symbols of protest against the British Raj. People piled up fine factory-produced clothes imported from England and, as a sign of protest, burnt them publicly. These were substituted by local khadi products, which were soon adopted enthusiastically across India. But after independence, the enthusiasm soon died down and handloom products lost their importance. Desiring to revive its historical significance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared August 7 every year as Handloom Day and, consequently, the handloom sector is making significant progress within a short time. With the help of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), the Ministry of Textiles will start 10 more design resource centres for extending assistance to weavers, exporters, manufacturers and designers. These centres are located at Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kannur, Indore, Nagpur, Meerut, Bhagalpur, and Panipat. It was a matter of time before India’s khadi soon became acceptable in other parts of the globe. Patagonia, the southern tip of the South American continent, recently purchased nearly 30,000 metres of khadi denim fabric worth Rs 1.08 crore from Gujarat, through Arvind Mills, India’s leading textile mill. In July 2017, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) inked an agreement with Arvind Mills Limited, Ahmedabad, for the trading of Khadi denim products with different countries of the world.
The earliest textiles were simple, ordinary designs made for clothing and dwelling purposes. Soon the Chinese improved the products and earned huge profits by trading with other countries of Europe and Asia. Man-made fibres through chemical processes like nylon, rayon, etc. soon flooded the market as they were comparatively cheap. Machines, too, have been improvised for the encouragement of individual weavers as well as organisations. The Centre has launched the “My Handloom” portal, affording various benefits under the various handloom schemes like block-level clusters, handloom marketing assistance and awards. The launching of the “India Handloom” brand in 2015 coincided with the occasion of the First National Handloom Day. By August-end 2020, 1590 products were registered under this brand, which had over 180 categories of products. The Ministry of Textiles is also facilitating the formation of producers’ companies throughout India with the aim of extending assistance and benefits of various handloom schemes to weavers and workers who are either working independently or in the fold of self-help groups (SHGs) or producer groups. The handloom cottage industry, which many years ago flourished in Ri Bhoi district and East and West Jaintia Hills districts and certain regions of western Meghalaya, can be revived and revitalised so that unemployed youths proficient and skilled in the trade can benefit.
Recently, KVIC helped the weavers and workers by distributing 9 lakh face masks across the country and also sold them online. Total sales, including online, were nearly 11 lakh face masks. Stitching rates to artisans, mostly women, given by KVIC was Rs 3 per mask, which totalled Rs 30 lakh in all. Soon KVIC received an order of 1.61 lakh face masks from the Indian Red Cross Society requiring 20,000 metres of Khadi fabric.