“Incredible India is home to many talented artists who are nurturing India’s incredible art heritage and constantly striving to bring various arts to a place of honour on the world stage. Riding on the strength of all these artists, our country is getting ready to take a huge leap on the world stage in the field of art.” Sheetal Teli Ugale, Commissioner of Textile – Government of Maharashtra, said while inaugurating the “Fabric of Unity” campaign.
She further said, “Artists who weave the rainbow-colored fabric of life on handlooms have dreamt of taking handloom art on the world stage on the eve of the 75th year of Indian Independence. In order to fulfill the dream of the weavers, the Maharashtra State Handloom Corporation Ltd. Nagpur – a Government of Maharashtra undertaking, took an innovative initiative to weave the ‘Fabric of unity’ for the fulfillment of the weavers’ dream.”
Under the initiative, which started on 18th April 2022 – World Heritage Day, Indian Citizens made their invaluable contribution in the conservation of handloom art by weaving 75 feet of cloth on handloom. Through these efforts, the citizens have contributed towards preserving Indian textile art, its ancient culture and tradition. The initiative was a promise for future endeavours of bringing handloom art and culture on the global stage.
Highlighting the glorious past of Indian weaving culture, she mentioned, “The Indian textile industry is traditionally a thousand-year-old story. Remains found in recent excavations show that Indians knew the art of growing cotton and stitching them into clothes from it at least three and a half thousand years ago. The art of making clothes from cotton in India dates back to BC. It is believed it developed during the Mesolithic age. The Rigveda also mentions ‘wool’ clothes in abundance. In the Vedic period, women used to weave clothes. It was a very complicated and laborious process of weaving, spinning and disciplined vertical arrangement of the threads and then skillfully interlacing the horizontal threads.”
She explained that, Initially, clothes were woven in a similar way all over the world. Later, India discovered the handloom and dominated the world textile industry from 1500 BC to the twelfth century AD. She further said the ‘Indian economy’ flourished with textiles at its centre and India’s invention of the handloom was the symbol of its industrial revolution.
In her insightful speech, she said, “India’s first gift to the world is the textile industry. Until the 18th century there was no country that could compete with India in producing extremely soft, simple to intricate structures, textures and weaves from simple to elaborately embroidered textiles! We Indian citizens must preserve such a glorious clothing culture. I think this is our duty. But for this, it is necessary to connect the new generation with this glorious history.”
Joining modern innovation with the eternal ethos of India, she opined, “Along with modernity and mechanisation, there is a need for human touch, emotion and empathy, otherwise the world will get transformed into a set of robots. Today, Society seems to be taking a U turn and again giving importance to the touch of humanity, the feeling and emotions.”
“The production of handmade paper, handmade cookies, ma ke haath ka khana, handmade rakhi etc. not only gives employment and business opportunities to rural India but also provides a solid platform for the appreciation of art, artists and the latent qualities of human beings. And it is with this vision that we, the citizens of India, resolved to create this “Fabric of Unity” and carried it to completion.” she said.
The Fabric of Unity, is an effort to take world heritage handloom art, the hard work, and skill of the weavers, from self-reliance to self-respect.
Maharashtra State Handloom Corporation Pvt. Ltd. has successfully completed the project of making a record length of 75 feet hand-woven fabric in honour of the 75th year of Indian Independence through indigenous art, craftsmanship, raw materials and the pride of the people.
Through “Fabric of Unity”, Mahahandloom wishes to percolate the message that we, as Indians, are bound together in the same way as each individual thread of a fabric is bound with others. The result is a fabric that exemplifies the persona of a person and also protects the dignity.