The hashtag #IWearHandloom that went on Twitter last week, started by Smriti Irani, our Minister of Textiles and we loved every minute of it. We love the response, we love the cause and most of all we love what this hashtag was actually announcing- India’s first ‘National Handloom Day’, celebrated on the 7th of August 2016.
When we think of India and of handloom, there’s just so much and it’s so intertwined in our lives that we do take it for granted a lot of the times, especially in the face of rapid globalization. A handwoven silk will always be a go-to in times of formal occasions like weddings and anniversaries, but we’re sure all of us prefer our jeans (or our cotton kurtas and leggings) for a casual day out. And even when we do reach for our weaves, it’s become easier for us to just admire the cloth without thinking of the effort that goes behind it, not to mention the art.
It’s nice therefore, that we now have an official appreciation day for all the weavers out there who have kept traditions alive by continuing to hand-weave textiles, especially in the presence of the mechanized textile industry. It’s good for us to take a day to realize how blessed we are to inherit such beauty, such creativity; for handloom is art.
When we wear handloom, therefore, we are wearing these carefully crafted pieces of art; mostly made with love and an obsession for perfection that is only seen in an artist’s handiwork. This is something that is often missing in our hardy cotton kurtas and denims.
The best part about handloom- there’s so much to work with. We are a diverse country and this diversity comes to play in our textiles, from the Ikat in Orissa to Rajasthan’s Bandhni, from the exquisite shawls of Nagaland to the Muga silk weaves of Assam. And we’re naming just four of probably hundreds (or even thousands) of varieties.
The fashion designers in the country are also well aware of this luxury and they are in full support of Smriti Irani’s campaign to boost the sale and the production of handloom. So are our celebrities and significant people, both men and women. For the weavers of Indian handloom, this would mean better money and better appreciation for their craft but for us, it means we get to look good more often. We think it’s a win-win situation.