A day that honors contributions of a weaving community

News Editor, Takmaa News, Kolkata, 5th Aug 2022 : Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav in commemoration with West Bengal Art Leadership Council (WBALC) in association with Own The Past celebrated World Handloom Day on the theme “ The Treasure of Indian Weaves”in the esteemed presence of Reena Dewan, President of WICCI  and Paromita Ghosh, Vice President of WICCI at Trincas, today. The event is curated by WBALC VP Paromita Ghosh and members Vibha Mitra and Anisha Singh Motwani.

Own the Past and WICCI presented a kaleidoscope of Indian textile. All groups of women wore various types of handloom from the Indian Diaspora starting from Woven to printed or embroidered. Handloom is essentially handwoven and requires the skill of a human being. A craft learned over time, generation to generation. The Indian textiles and color spectrum, the weaves, the embroidery edits, the print profiles. The saree does perhaps more justice than any other attire to the richness of our handwoven traditions. Qissaas of yore, the beautiful heritage, and the art of weaving handed down through generations now becoming defunct.

While addressing the media Reena Dewan, President of WICCI said, “On this day, we honor our handloom-weaving community and highlight the contribution of this sector to the socio-economic development of our country. We reaffirm our resolve to protect our handloom heritage and empower the handloom weavers and workers financially and instill pride in their exquisite craftsmanship. The handloom sector is a symbol of our country’s rich and varied cultural heritage and is an important source of livelihood in rural and semi-rural parts of our country. It is also a sector that directly addresses women’s empowerment with over 70% of all weavers and allied workers being female.”

Speaking on the occasion Paromita Ghosh, Vice President of WICCI said, “On this day, we honor our handloom-weaving community and highlight the contribution of this sector to the socio-economic development of our country. We reaffirm our resolve to protect our handloom heritage and empower the handloom weavers and workers financially and instill pride in their exquisite craftsmanship. This industry has been an important source of livelihood and employment in every part of the country, especially for women. Thus, the day is to make people aware of the rich history of Indian handloom at a time when synthetic fabrics took over the textile industry.”