Bhubaneswar: The Handloom, Textiles and Handicrafts department of Odisha organised the National Handloom Day at Soochana Bhawan in Bhubaneswar, Tuesday.
August 7 was chosen for this day as it holds a special significance in India’s history. It was on this day in 1905 that the Swadeshi movement was formally declared before a massive gathering at Calcutta’s Town Hall. The declaration called for the boycott of foreign goods and revival of domestic production and indigenous products.
Snehangini Churria, the minister of Handloom, Textiles, and Handicrafts, was the chief guest on the occasion. She said the handloom industry is not just an industry but a source of employment for many artistes, and helps in the empowerment of women handloom workers.
Odisha produces handloom fabrics worth Rs 160 crore. There are nearly 1.9 lakh weavers in the state engaged in handloom production.
The minister said that last year the CM had decided to constitute a handloom and handicrafts development council to boost the sales of local handloom and handicraft products and promote rural artisans.
She said a big market was set up in Bargarh’s Balijuri area at a cost of Rs 10 crore for marketing handloom and handicraft products. She also said the inauguration of the Kala Bhoomi museum had given an opportunity to artistes to exhibit their work.
She said under the Barishta Bunakar Sahayata Yojana which provided aid to the around 8000 weavers who have been working in this field for the last 20 years, 500 weavers have been given aid. The money was directly deposited into their bank accounts.
On the occasion the Weavers Cooperative Committee of Ganjam was given a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh for their work in the field of weavers development in the last 75 years.
Three cooperative committees of Sonepur were also given cash prizes of Rs 3 lakh for running profitable businesses in the handloom sector.
Nine weavers of the state were given state awards for 2016-17. The first prize winner got Rs 25,000, the second prize winner Rs 15,000 and the third prize got Rs 10,000. An exhibition was also organised on the occasion and weavers products were exhibited.
Sui Dhaaga-Made in India launches logo
Mumbai: In an effort to celebrate the rich and diverse handicrafts of India, the team of upcoming Bollywood film Sui Dhaaga – Made In India reached out to local artisans and craftsmen from across the country including Odisha to create the logo of the film in their unique stitching styles.
The logo’s launch on August 7 coincides with the National Handloom Day.
“We reached out to 15 uniquely skilled artistes/artist groups who helped us design our film logo. It has been an exhaustive and most rewarding experience for all of us at Yash Raj Films (YRF),” Manan Mehta, Vice President – Marketing and Merchandising, YRF, said in a statement.
It took the team six months to plan, research and execute the film’s logo in 15 different styles.
From the east, the film’s logo has been made in Pipli style from Odisha, handloom work from Assam and Kantha stitch work from West Bengal.
The makers hope Sui Dhaaga creates awareness of India’s culture amongst today’s youth.
Starring Varun Dhawan and Anushka Sharma, the film is about finding love and respect through self-reliance. Its plot is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy and takes a leaf out of the Make In India campaign.
