National Handloom Day - 7th August 2024

Tags: Important Days

The 10th National Handloom Day was celebrated on Wednesday, 7th August 2024.

An Overview of the News

• The event took place at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The Hon’ble Vice President of India was the Chief Guest.

• Union Textiles Minister, Giriraj Singh, and Minister of State for External Affairs & Textiles, Pabitra Margherita, attended.

• Attendees included MPs, eminent personalities, designers, industry representatives, exporters, senior government officers, and over 1000 weavers from across the country.

Awards and Releases

• Sant Kabir Awards and National Handloom Awards were conferred to handloom weavers for their outstanding contributions to the handloom sector.

• The Award Catalogue was released by the Hon’ble Vice President of India.

• A Coffee Table Book titled “Parampara- Sustainability in Handloom Traditions of India” was also released by the Hon’ble Vice President of India.

Historical Significance

• Inception: National Handloom Day was first celebrated on 7th August 2015.

• Commemoration: The date marks the launch of the Swadeshi Movement on 7th August 1905, promoting indigenous industries, particularly handloom weavers.

Objectives

• Honouring Weavers: To recognize and motivate handloom weavers, fostering a sense of pride in the industry.

• Cultural and Economic Impact: To appreciate the contribution of the handloom sector to India's cultural, traditional, and economic landscape.

• Awareness Generation: To highlight the importance of the handloom sector in socio-economic development.

Nationwide Activities

• Social Media Campaign: Through My Gov portal with activities like pledge-taking, selfies, designing a souvenir, and a quiz contest.

• Exhibitions:

  • "Virasat" at Handloom Haat, New Delhi (3rd to 16th August) with thematic displays and live demonstrations.

  • Exclusive exhibition at Delhi Haat INA (1st to 15th August).

• Special Sourcing Show: (B2B) at Varanasi organized by Handloom Export Promotion Council (7th to 9th August).

• Educational Awareness:

  • "Know Your Weaves" event at Crafts Museum (1st to 14th August) with participation from approx. 10,000 students from schools across Delhi.

  • Handloom expos and awareness activities in colleges organized by Weaver Service Centres.

  • Thematic displays, weaving demonstrations, panel discussions, quizzes on handlooms, and fashion presentations by NIFT and IIHTs.

Some of the well known handlooms

• Tamil Nadu’s famous Kanchipuram sarees

• Paithani weaves of Maharashtra

• Muga Silk of Assam

• Mysore Silk of Karnataka