Handlooms have been an indispensable part of our rich heritage bringing pride to our textile industry and our nation as a whole. Historically, Indian subcontinent has always been one of the few regions that is still known for its vibrant culture. From the ruins of ancient Mohenjodaro-Harappa civilization to the present-day traditional textiles,it has been an incredible journey characterized by expression of emotions, region, religion as well as dedication and efforts of the artisans and craftsmen.

Handloom industry is considered a significant income generating sector after agriculture in rural India and contributes to a vast majority of world’s handlooms. Handloom products are ideally suited for weaving extremely fine and delicate fabrics made of yarns of 100s and above. Gold and silver thread weaving are best produced on handlooms as it keeps the yarn and its polish intact. Indian craftsmen are capable in fabricating intricate designs having multi coloured wefts that may be personalized giving the wearer a feeling of exclusiveness and stark distinction.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.”He always idealized ‘Khadi’ and contributed significantly for the popularity and unique status it enjoys in the creative society today. Of course, his admiration for khadi as a material didn’t stop there, he had endorsed Khadi throughout his life and only used ‘Khadi’ as a wrap-around …to an extent that its almost unimaginable to visualize his image alone removed from the material. 

Still our legacy is on the edge of extinction primarily because we as consumers have been way less proactive in order to protect it from the mad rush of globalization. Due to accelerating Industrialization and availability of almost an infinite choice of other products enhanced by free trade initiatives, we have shifted ourselves to power looms just because they were more productive and cost efficient. In addition to this, they imitated perfectly the aesthetics and feel of handloom products thereby diminishing their need.

But do you know that this has made textiles as one of the most resource intensive and 2^nd largest environment polluting industry. It alone contributes to 17-20% of global water pollution, 10% to global carbon emission, almost 21 billion tons of garbage per year and 4% of global landfills! To add on, most of the chemicals used, especially in wet processing, dyeing and printing are highly carcinogenic thereby causing serious health hazards not only to the workers but also to the wearers. Increasing use of synthetics like polyester, that takes over 200 years to decompose, serves as an icing on the cake.Also, the government policies focused primarily on exports rather than improving domestic demand.

And Today, when almost all of us have laid aside our roots, there is a need for the phoenix to rise again from its own ashes.

Everyone is now trying to run a ‘go green’initiative and responding to the urgent need for sustainability looking past fast fashion.The current government in India has been promoting actively campaigns like ‘Make in India’ and #I WearHandloom. Following which August 7 has been declared as the National Handloom Day to mark the Swadeshi Movement which began in 1905.

Lately, a majority of the leading fashion labels have taken noticeable steps inching towards a greener environment. Spykar, for an instance, uses 90% recycled water and depends 60% on solar power. In the current scenario, where everyone is trying to put their best foot forward, are we as consumers contributing enough? As residents, it becomes our utmost priority to develop sensitivity and bring out our heritage, culture and environment from the jaws of extinction.

I wear handlooms, do you!