Handloom – an Indian legacy

“India as a king of Handloom”

In earlier Period, almost every village had its own weavers who made all the clothing requirements
needed by the villagers like sarees, dhotis, etc. Small handy instruments were used in the process,
including the famous spinning wheel (also known as Charkha), mostly by women. This hand spun yarn
was later made into cloth on the handloom by the weavers.

The Indian handloom industry is one of the oldest and largest cottage industries in India with 23.77 lakh
looms. Handloom playing important role in our economy, about 43.31 lakh workers are directly and
indirectly getting employment, and from these nearby 77% of them being women. Production in the
handloom sector was estimated to be about 3547 million square meters during 2014-2015. This sector
contributes nearby 15% of the cloth production in the country and also contributes to the export earning
of the country. 95% of the world’s handwoven fabric comes from India. It has been sustained by
transferring skills from one generation to another. The strength of the sector lies in its uniqueness,
flexibility of production, openness to innovations, adaptability to the suppliers’ requirement and the
wealth of its tradition.

From post 90’s liberalisation, handloom sector had to face competition from cheap imports, and design
imitations from powerlooms. “India Handloom Brand” is an endorsement to quality of the handloom
products in terms of raw material, processing, embellishments, weaving design and other parameters
besides social and environmental compliances for earning the trust of the consumers. Prime Minister
Shri Narendra Modi launched the India Handloom Brand at Chennai on August 7, 2015 as part of the
First ever National Handloom Day celebrations.

To increase an awareness about the benefits of handloom to the younger generations National
Handloom Day is celebrated on August 7 of every year. Government of India has taken several
measures to boost the Handloom sector. The Handlooms (Reservation of Production Articles) Act, 1985,
Handloom Census, Geographical Indication, e-commerce initiatives such as 'e-dhaga’, capacity building
programs and the overall revival of handlooms and Khadi Gramodyog industries are important steps
launched by the Goal to boost the handloom sector in India.

The ‘solar charkha’ program which was recently launched was set up to support artisanal clusters. It is
also important to address handloom concerns such as those related to the lack of market connections,
pricing, raw materials in labour-intensive activities such as spinning, weaving, and embroidery work.

In India here are different styles of weaving in different parts of the country from Kashmir to kanyakumari
and kucch to Kohima, every region has its own handloom techniques that are used to weave many
unique fabrics, statewies some of them are:

KALAMKARI (Andhra Pradesh), APATANI (Arunachal Pradesh), MUGA SILK (Assam), BHAGALPURI,
SILK (Bihar), KOSA SILK (Chhattisgarh), KUNBI (Goa), BANDHANI (Gujarat), KUCHAI SILK (Jharkhand),
MYSORE SILK (Karnataka), KASAVU (Kerala), CHANDERI (Madhya Pradesh), PAITHANI
(Maharashtra), PHANEK (Manipur), ERI SILK (Meghalaya), PUANS (LOIN CLOTH) (Mizoram), NAGA,
SHAWLS (Nagaland), SAMBALPURI SAREE (Odisha), PHULKARI (Punjab), SHISHA (Rajasthan),
LEPCHA (Sikkim), KANJEEVARAM SILK (Tamil Nadu), POCHAMPALLY IKAT (Telangana), PACHRA
(Tripura), CHIKANKARI (Uttar Pradesh), PANCHACHULI WEAVE (Uttarakhand). There could be as wide
a range as 20- 30 varied styles in the same region.

Here are some of the benefits of handloom fabrics and handloom sector are as follows:

• Hand woven cotton, compared to mill made cotton, is known for its breathability. This means that
it allows for more air penetration which makes it cooler, smoother and more absorbent.
• The handloom industry meets the basic human requirements
• This also contributes significantly to exports and the GDP
• This sector provides jobs in both rural and urban areas
• The sector contributes approximately 15 percent of the country's clothes production
• Handloom sector is praised for its ease of manufacture, openness to innovation, uniqueness,
adaptability to supplier requirements
• Production in the handloom sector was estimated to be about 3547 million square meters during
2014-2015

Name- shwati singh

Class -12th A
School - sarvodaya vidayalaya coed dichaon kalan
Place - b-26 jai vihar extn. Phase-3 najafgarh New Delhi -43