GS-PAPER- III/ INDIAN ECONOMY

Context-

• “VIRAASAT,” an exhibition marking the 10th National Handloom Day, began at Handloom Haat in Janpath, New Delhi, on August 3, 2024, And event will continue until August 16, 2024.
• This Exhibition Organized by the National Handloom Development Corporation Ltd (NHDC) under the Ministry of Textiles. The exhibition is dedicated to celebrating India’s handloom heritage and enhancing market connectivity for weavers and artisans.

Key highlights

• The exhibition showcases handloom products from various exotic regions of India.
• The event features 75 stalls highlighting handloom weavers and artisans, along with workshops on natural dyes, kasturi cotton, design, and exports.
• Recently the P.M. of India praised handloom artisans and encouraged people to post photos of local products on social media using the ‘#MyProductMyPride’.
• National Handloom Day celebrates the Swadeshi Movement, which began on August 7, 1905, promoting indigenous industries and handloom weavers. The first National Handloom Day was observed on August 7, 2015, by Prime Minister in Chennai.

INDIA AND HANDLOOMS

• The handloom sector represents India’s rich and diverse cultural heritage. Handloom textiles are a traditional art of India, with the production of handloom saris playing a significant role in the economic development of rural India.
• Handloom weaving is widespread across India, supporting hundreds of thousands of families in villages who rely on this craft for their livelihoods
• Various regions have their own unique styles of handloom weaving, each characterized by distinct motifs, designs, and colours.
• Unique Products: Handloom items such as Banarasi, Jamdani, Baluchari, Madhubani, Kosa, Ikkat, Patola, and others are celebrated worldwide for their distinctive weaves, designs, and traditional motifs.
• “Tant” meaning “Handloom” in Bengali. Some handloom saris are made out of high-quality silk fabric, which is valued for its lustre like Kanchipuram silk saris, Chanderi silk saris, Tussar silk saris, Banarasi silk saris.Maheshwari saris, Bagh print saris, Baluchuri saris, Sambalpuri saris, Kantha stitch saris, Bandhani saris and Munga saris are Some of well-known Indian handloom saris.

Need for such a move

• The handloom sector is crucial to India’s economy, contributing nearly 22% of the country’s cloth production. The exhibition seeks to preserve handloom heritage, empower weavers, and improve their financial stability by enhancing market access.
• Government initiatives aim to establish a unique identity for handloom products by branding them as high-quality, defect-free, and environmentally friendly, ensuring their authenticity as handcrafted items.
• India’s economic policy has long supported the advancement of the handloom industry, with the Textile Policy of 1985 focusing on promoting handloom garments.
•  It stands as the second-largest economic activity after agriculture, employing approximately 3 million weavers and 4.33 million people overall, according to the 2009-2010 Handloom Census.
• The 2010 census reported that 4.4 million families were involved in hand weaving.
• The exhibition seeks to preserve handloom heritage, empower weavers, and improve their financial stability by enhancing market access.
• Handloom sector has supports environmental conservation while boosting artisans’ livelihoods that proves environmental sustainability.

Conclusion–

On-going support for exhibitions like “VIRAASAT” can enhance the market for handloom products and boost earnings for the handloom community. Expanding and effectively implementing government schemes to support handloom artisans can foster growth and sustainability within the sector. Raising awareness about the value of handloom products and encouraging their purchase can help preserve the handloom tradition. Combining modern technology with traditional handloom practices can enhance efficiency and innovation, ensuring the sector’s long-term viability.

Source- PIB