"It is not enough to say that hand-spinning is one of the industries to be revived. It is necessary to insist that it is the central industry that must engage our attention if we are to re-establish the village home."
— Mahatma Gandhi
The National Handloom Day is celebrated on August 7 every year. The day is observed in honour of the handloom industry and the role it has played for centuries in preserving our traditional handicrafts. The day also honours contribution of the industry and its workers to our economy and employment generation.
The day also highlights the handloom industry and is celebrated on 7 August annually. It also focuses on the contribution of handloom to the socio-economic development of the country and increase the income of the weavers.
National Handloom Day History
With the announcement of the partition of Bengal, the Swadeshi Movement expanded and gained popularity. On August 7, 1905, a formal announcement was made at the Calcutta Town Hall to completely boycott the use of foreign goods and switch to Indian-made goods. It was a medium to show gratitude to weavers and others in the handloom industry to promote handwoven and handmade textiles.
The movement was further strengthened during the years 1918–1947 under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. He pledged himself to boycott British goods, particularly cloth and burned by burning 150,000 English clothes at Elphinstone Mill Compound in Mumbai in 1921. Coupled with this, Gandhiji also raised spinning centers all over India. Therefore, the day goes back to the root of where it all began. It not only honours the handloom industry but also the people who fought to strengthen and re-establish it in Pre-Independence India.
After a century later, in 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the first National Handloom Day
The National Handloom Day is celebrated on August 7 to commemorate the Swadeshi Movement.
National Handloom Day 2021 Theme
The theme of the National Handloom Day 2021 is “Hand Loom – An Indian Legacy“. This is the Phrase around which the whole celebration of the National Handloom Day 2021 will revolve.
Significance
Talking about Significance, the handloom sector is the second-largest field of employment in India. Agriculture sector placed at no 1. According to a report of 2019 Textile Output, India is the second-largest cloth manufacturer in the world. Leaving behind by China. According to this report, 6.9% of the world’s clothes are made by India. While China has fully trapped the market with 52.2% of the Global Share. US and Pakistan are behind India.
Objective of National Handloom Day
The day reminds us to honour and celebrate our rich cultural heritage and the people who work tirelessly daily to keep it alive. The idea behind this celebration is to protect the heritage of our indigenous arts and crafts and to empower the workers in this sector.
The day also enables us to all gather and reaffirm, and assist the handloom weavers and encourage people to purchase the handloom merchandise. This will empower the weavers, of which 70% are women, both financially and infuse contentment in their craftsmanship.
What to do on National Handloom Day?
• Support the handloom industry by purchasing handmade goods.
• Use the hashtag #myhandloommypride when you post your purchases over social media.
• This way you can also support the Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Mission.
• If you can, support the Indian handloom industry both in India and abroad.
• Promote the Vocal for Local Mission.
The Handloom Industry in India
The ‘handloom’ is a machines that is used to weave material without having the use of any kind of electrical energy. As the name suggests, the machine is worked by hand. The yarn that is spun with the help of these handlooms is called khadi. In India there are a total of 1246 handlooms clusters spread across the length and breadth of the country. The highest number of such clusters is in Assam at 203.
Make in India Handloom Industry
The Make in India program was devised by the Indian government to promote India as a manufacturing destination meeting global standards, to facilitate FDI, to boost invention and entrepreneurship in India. For this campaign, the Indian Textile industry has emerged as a pivotal unit of the Indian economy. A major subsect of the textile industry is the Indian handloom corporation. While strongly holding on to indigenous handicraft roots, the handloom industry has unmatched potential for innovation, variation and experimentation.
Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)
The KVIC was established in 1957. The objective behind the same was to encourage, promote and foster the growth of khadi and village industries in rural India. The KVIC work toward implementing government schemes pertaining to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. The Commission plays an important role in developing rural industries by generating opportunities for self-employment in small enterprises.
Handlooms of India
• Ikat from Odisha
Ikat is weaved in several parts of the country but Odisha seems to have pretty much mastered the Ikat art of weaving. Ikat weavers in Odisha are more often than not the members of communities like the Meher or Bhulia who have inherited the art form and have mastered the trait over the years. They strive to bring the rich Oriya culture to life in their Ikats with their unique dyeing techniques.
• Kalamkari from Andhra Pradesh
One of the most prominent features of Andhra Pradesh, Kalamkari is a kind of hand-painted or block-printed textile art that dates back to the Indus Valley Civilisation. With a history of 3000 years, Kalamkari is known to have evolved during the Mughal era and has managed to retain its grace to date.
• Bandhani or tie and dye from Gujarat
Tie and dye or bandhani is a derivative of the Sanskrit word 'bandh" which means 'to tie' and is one of the most popular textile arts of India. Considering they come from one of the most culturally rich states of Gujarat and Rajasthan, bandhani in its full glory is a burst of vibrant colours and glasswork. The authentic bandhani features square or round motifs that are a result of the dye—the more intricate your tie and dye the more authentic your bandhani.
• Patan Patola from Gujarat
Made in pure silk, Patola saris are the ultimate manifestation of the weaving prowess that the artisans of Gujrat have attained over several centuries. In the Patan town of Gujarat, this silk cloth with double Ikat patterns is brought to life as weavers work diligently for over five months to weave one Patola sari.
• Brocades from Uttar Pradesh
Banarasi saris are one of India’s most precious textile art forms and wearing one is like wearing a piece of art. The weavers of Varanasi are nothing short of artists themselves as they weave with fine gold and silver metallic threads to create exotic delicate brocades.
Handloom Brands in India
Here is a list of top 8 handloom brands in India —
• The Calico Guild
• REHWA Society
• Vaishali S
• Jigmat Couture • Heirloom Naga
• Raw Mango • Abraham & Thakore • Sarita Handa • Indian handloom industry
The handloom sector and the textile sector in India is the second-largest source of employment to people after the agriculture sector. By the statistics provided in the Fourth All India Handloom Census, families that are engaged in handloom and weaving related activities numbered 31.45 lakh. Most importantly, 70 per cent of the handloom weavers and related workers are women, hence it functions as a key to women empowerment.
Important and Allied Ministries
A number of departments and organizations are collectively working toward realising the Aatma Nirbhar Bharat dream and fostering the handloom industry. Some ministries actively involved are —
Challenges faced by the Handloom Industry
• The handloom industry, like many others, was severely hit during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
• The Assam floods in 2020 severely affected the Assam silk handloom industry.
• Availability of cheaper alternatives reduces the market for handloom products.
• Products are comparatively more expensive thereby they automatically become luxury or niche goods.
• Handicrafts have been pushed to the side-lines with the availability of more cushiony jobs.
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