Handloom has always been an integral part of Indian craftsmanship with every state having a unique range from the Chennai Checks, to the Pashmina and Shahtoosh of Jammu & Kashmir and the colorful Tie-and-Dyes of Gujarat and Rajasthan to name but a few.
When it was announced that our PM, Shri Narendra Modi Ji, will launch the first National Handloom Day in Chennai on August 7 2015, the weavers and handloom workers nationwide celebrated heartily.
Mr. Modi has always been an enthusiastic promoter of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Incredible India’ slogans. With the completion of one year in the office, Mr. Modi along with a delegation of designers led by BJP politician Shaina NC met with the Textiles Minster to propose and initiate setting up of dyeing centers, providing subsidized yarn, campaigning for Handloom along the lines of Incredible India, and starting a nationwide series of exhibitions to establish classical handloom benchmarks.
When powerful and influential people promote certain arts and crafts, chances are that the dying art gets a breath of life and once again starts getting noticed by the people of the country. No wonder India’s handloom industry needs such influential people to bring the ‘neglected art’ back to its feet. It’s a universal truth that in India the maximum impact left on us are either by politicians or Bollywood celebrities. Given that fact, Indian Handloom Industry seems to be in great hands now that we have our charismatic PM promoting it, known designers like Gaurang Shah, Rahul Mishra, Shruti Sancheti and Sanjay Garg (who expansively work with handwoven Indian weaves) promoting it and our own Indian Bollywood beauty Vidya Balan joining hands in hand with the industry to get it back on its feet.
Very recently the pretty actress (on June 23) inaugurated the handicrafts and handlooms sale organized by the Madhya Pradesh government at the Jehangir Art Gallery. The actress was seen viewing the various handicrafts and handlooms items and looked every inch impressed by the karigari and kalakari of the artists and workers.
Today the stunning actress was in Hyderabad to create awareness and promote ‘Handlooms’ to the people of the Nawabi city, organized and hosted by FICCI Ladies Organisation Hyderabad.
