NATIONAL HANDLOOM DAy 2021 wEBINAR By TEXTILE VALUE CHAIN

TEXTILE VALUE CHAIN Media Celebrated National Handloom Day on 7th August, 2021 Online through google meet platform, where more than 100 people have participated in the event. Celebrating culture and appreciating the artisan is the main objective of event. Since 2015 Prime Minister of India announced Handloom day considering With the partition of Bengal, the Swadeshi Movement gained strength. It was on August 7, 1905 that a formal proclamation was made at the Calcutta Town Hall to boycott foreign goods and rely on Indian-made products. The prime objective of holding the National Handloom Day is to highlight the contribution of handloom to the socioeconomic development of the country and increase income of the weav-ers.As per the 4th All India Handloom Census (2019-20), there are 26, 73,891 handloom weavers and 8,48,621 allied workers in the country. Handloom day is observed to raise awareness about the economic importance of the textile sec-tor, especially, traditional textile and handloom sector. This day is also meant for cherishing the rich textile heritage and skilled craftsmanship of India. We have invited 4 speakers from Industry for Handloom day Webinar

speaker : 1 : Mr. sundar Murugesan

An alumnus of prestigious Anna University & doctorate in Textiles technology with Triple post graduations in Technology (M.Tech), Management (MBA) and public administration (M.A) with over 35 years of rich experience in entire Textile value chains. Prior to joining Handloom Export Promotion Council- HEPC, Mr. Sundar Murugesan was Chief Executive Officer at Voltec Group. The highlight of his career has been his contribution in the nurturing of Indian Textile exports esp. Handloom segments to major international markets. He has a rich experience of working in export trade in both his cadre and with the various corporate entities spanning across his vast industrial exposure. This includes his longest stint with the Japanese MNC Sumitomo Corporation and French MNC Bureau Veritas.

he shared his views “ handloom is making mark in india and international. handloom industry scheme should be opted for industry stalwarts and make a handloom as an international brand. hepc can help to promote handloom in international market. handloom tourism can be started as an earning opportunity , where various cluster tour can be ar-ranged and explore our heritage. due to the increasing demand of synthetic clothing and fast fashion, indian handloom textiles are facing a decline in the demand. today, our weav-ers and artisans need appropriate value and respect for their work. the government has launched and is still launching various schemes to encourage handloom business. people in the value chain are also working towards establishing a handloom brand and handloom tourism. handloom legacy of india is so rich that it can also be promoted in the international market.

the previous generation cherished the traditional textiles and treasured the traditional paithanis, jamdanis, patola, bandhani, kanjeevaram, banarasi brocade and the other varieties of handloom textile. today, due to the changing fashion trends, people do not under-stand the beauty and value of these heritage textiles.

speaker 2 : Mr. sarfraz Khatri Owner of Pracheen, A well-motivated and energetic individual , Participated in paramparik karigars exhibition, crafts council exhibitions in cities like Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi, and Lakme fashion week 2013.

Conducted various workshops across India of hand block printing using natural dyes at chhatrapati shivaji maharaj vastu sangrahalaya organized by paramparik karigar.

he shared about how natural dying and printing gives natural vibrance in natural hand spun handloom fabric. difference between handloom fabric and power loom fabric is min-imal , from selvedge difference only fabric can be differentiated. We should

have awareness activity in indian Retail and international , where we can keep one corner in the store where only handloom garment, fabrics are kept. against the other but together with each other we can grow the industry. though we have a different handloom to cherish our regional culture, we have to understand that its not

about any one par-ticular textiles but it is about each one of those legacies artisans have been passing on to their successors to maintain the textile heritage of india. she have initiated process of handloom by suggesting school to have school uniform in handloom fabric.

speaker 3 : dr. ela dedhia Former Head, Department of Textiles & Fashion Technology, Nirmala Niketan, University of Mumbai is an educationist since 38 years, shouldered various responsibilities as In Charge Principal, IQAC Coordinator.She is a Recipient of the Fellow of the Textile Association of India, Bronze Medal of Society of Dyers & Colorist, UK, and the Kutch Shakti Award.She has consulted research projects focus on three R’s Recycle, Reduce, Reuse: rejuvenating traditional processes & exploring advanced technologies.She is an Editor and Re-viewer for National and International Journals and is a PhD Research Guide for University of Mumbai and SNDT Women’s University.

she shared her views on rich heritage of handloom industry. its not one

speaker 4 : Raghushree poddar, a Jaipur based designer and founder of brand “Reme Life-style’. Her 10-yearold brand has already marked its footprints reputed on online stores and vari-ous fashion weeks across India. Her brand stands strong based on her instincts and passion. Her family owns Cheer Sagar export house. Reme is a chemical free fashion and home textile that makes products from organic handloom fabric and natural dyes only. Their collections are beau-tifully embellished with hand embroidery, block print and other traditional embellishments that are handcrafted by the traditional artisans of Rajasthan. Raghushree believes in sustainable and eco-friendly clothing.

she shared that to promote more consumer awareness and consumption, all citizen should wear handloom once in a week, she also suggested that if sarees are not suitable for every-day clothing, one can use these handcrafted textiles in the form of jumpsuits, kaftans, dresses, and other piece of clothing.

Other few suggestions came from delegates that, handloom can be used in

Railway home fur-nishing, promote brand in Retail store, malls, MbO, promote as brand, indulge in aware-ness activity ,difference of handloom and power loom fabrics awareness activity etc.

The wonderful session was followed by an interactive session of questions and answers. Textile Value Chain is grateful to all the eminent speakers of the event, dignitaries from the field of tex-tiles and fashion, students and faculties from various institutes and all 100+ participants because of whom this event was successful. Handloom day is not just a single day but it could be cele-brated every day. Handloom and Power-loom should be branded separately in India as well as International market. Webinar is successfully concluded with continue webinars in future. We are thankful to entire textile value chain team for making this event successful and meaningful.

Cherishing the Handloom Legacy of India