The legacy of the handloom industry in India is acknowledged through national Handloom day every year.
The handloom industry has an enriched history in Asian countries. Indian played a predominant role in making fabrics famous across the globe. A handloom indicates any type of loom apart from the powerloom. However, this definition was changed a decade ago. Handloom included the hybrid loom with a minimum of one manual weaving process. Before going into the details, you must know some details about handloom. Read on.
How to distinguish khadi from handloom?
Any handloom is prepared without using electricity. Fabric woven on the handloom with hand-spun yarn is known as khadi. When the yarn is spun in commercial mills and further woven on handloom is regarded as handloom fabric.
What are the famous handloom fabrics in India?
Across different states, different handloom fabrics are famous globally. They are Kanjeevaram from Tamil Nadu, Ikat from Odisha, Kalamkari from Andhra Pradesh, Banarasi from Uttar Pradesh, Bandhani, and PatanPatola from Gujarat, and Bhagalpuri Silk from Bihar.
Handloom industry and socioeconomic situation in India:
The handloom industry employsa large population in rural India. It is the second biggest employment sector followed by agriculture. At least, 5 million people are involved in this sector. Around 10-15% of total produced cloth comes from this handloom industry. Indian Handloom industry generates around 95% of total global production.
When is this day is celebrated?
Every year, on the 7th of August, National Handloom Day is celebrated across India. It was started in 2015 at Madras University located in Chennai. Every year, a new thems is selected to raise awareness.
Significance of National Handloom Day celebration:
This day is solely dedicated to appreciating the handloom industry sector for its amazing contribution to the development of the socio-economy in India. The handloom industry represents the cultural heritage of India. A large portion of rural women relies on the handloom sector for daily earnings. This special day aims to raise awareness about the rich history of the Indian handloom industry. Nowadays, synthetic fabrics are trying to take over the textile sector. So, you must celebrate this day to acknowledge those colorful weaves and rich fabrics. The fate of this industry oscillates between two important ends. On one end, the participation of local weavers in the handloom industry is decreasing. On the other hand, people are relying on machine-made fabrics. They are generating better return value than manual ones. The art of weaving is unique, amazing, and mesmerizing. However, it is facing tough competition with machine-borne fabrics. So, important steps must be taken to raise awareness about manual processing.
The handloom industry is now flourishing globally. So people must be encouraged to join and acknowledge the Handloom industry.
