It is Monday morning and the heads and teams manning operations and front office at Apollo Hospitals sport elegant handloom attire. Sangita Reddy, joint managing director of Apollo Hospitals group exudes a sense of pride as she joins her staff for a photo session. Ever since IT minister KT Rama Rao’s call to make Mondays as the handloom day, there has been a steady rise among people wanting to embrace it.
In the first week of March, it was US Consulate which made news for its handloom look. The Consulate celebrated its own handloom day and had also invited Sudha Mullapudi of Abhihaara. While Consul General Katherine Hadda wore a beautiful Pochampally ikat outfit, public affairs officer Gabriel Hons-Olivier sported a Nehru jacket made of handloom.
On television
On the small screen too, designs of Rajesh Pratap Singh and Rohit Bal grab eyeballs. The duo have been giving makeovers to youngsters using handloom on the TV show Get The Look #GlobalIndia . Rajesh Pratap Singh points out the programme is relevant in today’s environment. “It’s refreshing that the youth are interested in handloom/khadi and Indian textiles. We work extensively with weavers across the country and it never ceases to amaze me at the variety and rich heritage we have. This is something we love to share and communicate with the youth and that’s what this programme is working towards. Khadi indigos was the focus as part of the programme,” he shares.
With many campaigns and initiatives, social media has played an active role in building brand handlooms. Analysts feel #MondaysForHandlooms goes a long way in helping the Indian textiles and the weaving industry.
“Handloom has always been an excellent attire for different occasions, but as an office wear it is something new,” points out Sangita Reddy. “Minister KTR’s call prompted us to give it a thought. We adopted it as an attire for Mondays. The best part is, it can give the much needed fillip to our weaving industry and the millions of families dependant on it. It also spreads a sense of wellness at a healthcare facility like ours.” She observes employees enjoyed this different attire. “It seemed comfortable and created a positive vibe amongst patients and their attendants.”
Consul General Katherine speaks of her love for the fabric, colour and texture. “I would like to explore more handloom fabrics from our consular region (Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha), for their legacies of traditional handlooms. Helping the weavers and their families is important for the economic future of our district. And, it is wonderful to support this artistic tradition.’ While Gabriel has seen a few handloom fabrics in other countries where he had been posted in , he observes Indian handlooms are distinct in their weaves. “I realised the amount of work that goes into making these fabrics. Handlooms are a wonderful way to beat the Indian heat, especially during summer days.”
Modish makeover
The perception about handlooms has undergone a positive change. Thanks to designers, handloom collections get a modish makeover and striking new ones have emerged for every season and reason. Rajesh Pratap Singh’s khadi denim puts khadi at the centre stage. “The obvious way to get khadi into the mainstream is through a garment which is the most widely worn the world over — the denim jeans. People may be unaware of the origin of indigo natural dyes from our past and how it was intertwined with the freedom struggle in India. So a perfect extension for us was Indigo X Khadi = khadi denim a pure Indian product we are proud to be associated with as a brand,’ the designer points out.
This little push through campaigns, initiatives and collections will make a positive impact and a growing love for our heritage handloom.
