Indian Handloom – Imperfect still perfect beauty to every wardrobe

Handwoven thus imperfect! But a perfect classic example of dedication, devotion and determination of skilled craftsmanship of Indian weavers who consider their craft as a heritage of their ancestors and their country .. And yes, it indeed is the Rich heritage of Indian culture - the art of weaving of numerous threads with precision into complex designs to form the beautiful piece of cloth.

These are not only woven out of threads but also with emotions and love of the weaver. Why am I emphasizing the emotional part out here again and again? Unlike the machine-made cloths which hardly takes few hours to make a Six -yards of Fabric, the Artisans take days to even at times a month to complete the Six -yards of Fabric. Born creative, they inherit the skill from their forefathers. It runs in their genes. To be forced to comply with the changing face of society is not something they need. They want to stand upright with dignity, holding on to their identity. And so, they refuse to give up their inheritance! If you ever had been in a loom you must have seen the weaver covering up the part which is partly weaved as a cloth, so it to protect it form any damage or dirt till the piece it totally completed. I love the gesture of care and love they show towards their craft. I guess this is what a machine-made cloth misses out.. they are perfect but miss out the Human Touch - imperfect but still perfect.

The Imperfection of the handwoven saree is what make it more special and beautiful. Humans are never perfect then how can their work be? But each one of us is special in our own way. The tiny holes of pins pinned in the loom, sometimes the unlucky small stain which might have accidently landed even after the utmost caution or an extra knot in the in the which might be a result of a strain of lint or thread which landed on the loom fabric unnoticed and woven in process. These as we call it, Imperfection are the stories which make each handloom unique in itself, stories of utmost patience, warmth, love, hope and dignity created by human hands to keep their Inheritance alive. Isn’t that fascinating and dramatic in same time?

So, let’s come to some facts. Handloom is an art. Handloom industry is the largest cottage industry in the country with 23.77 lakh looms. There is such a spectacular craftsmanship involved in fabrics woven all across India. It is an art that involves persistence besides tremendous skill and effort. But the painful part is that these Skilled Artisans despite of playing a Vital role to uphold the Indian legacy, they are struggling to make their living. Its highly labor-intensive industry and is not in a Good state. The craftsmens’ product losses their place specifically in Indian Domestic market in particular because we are not comfortable in paying the right amount to our Indigenous handloom but would rather prefer to buy Internationally Branded product and even at times the same handloom product but under the label of an International Brand which might be using the name of our country or anything related to our culture. I am not against shopping of International brands but try to understand the Brands which are celebrated internationally have been well accepted and successful in their domestic market. And we Indians being the one of the largest consumer markets and a deep pool of skill and talents, hardly have namesake brands of our own internationally. It’s because of our mentality to think others as superior to our own. Anything Exported are considered best, we don’t even check the indigenous product we just kill the competition on our biased views.

Let’s join up once again to the Swadeshi Trend whose base was set up long back and work collectively towards acceptance and upliftment of these Handlooms in our lives and wardrobes. So, when you drape a handwoven saree, remember, it is not just a six-yard of fabric that you drape, but you embody somebody’s thought process, creativity, somebody’s toil and hard work and moreover a tradition thrives through ages empowering millions! And the one who doesn’t drape it can gift it to the special one and can feel the happiness in their smiling faces. With this beautiful note of hope will like to conclude.