A month after Dastkar founder Laila Tyabji posted a promotional campaign for handloom cotton sarees on her social media account, a Twitter campaign, #IWearHandloom, was initiated by Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani on Monday.
Social change
Ms. Tyabji, whose non-profit organisation helps connect weavers and craftsmen to the market, said such campaigns and initiatives will help the younger generation appreciate handloom, besides getting weavers and craftsmen full value for their craft.
Having supported over 670 groups of craftsmen and made them financially-independent through Dastkar, craft, she said, is a “catalyst for social change”.
“With all branded products in the market, the younger generation might not be interested in handmade things like a shawl or saree, which are probably not easily available. This is where the connect between weavers and the market should be established, and this is what we are doing at Dastkar,” said Ms. Tyabji.
She also talked that the importance of appreciating the value of handloom and rewarding the craftsmen monetarily.
“People should understand that if they are buying a handmade product, it will cost more. It should cost more because it requires special skills, but that awareness is non-existent. That is the reason why craftsmen and weavers do not want to pass on their skills to the next generation. In such a scenario, there is need to change public perception towards handlooms.”
“Thankfully, this is slowly changing with the help of social media and government initiatives. Campaigns like #100SareePact and #IWearHandloom will contribute positively to this,” she added.
Having worked with weavers and craftsmen for nearly 35 years at Dastkar, Ms. Tyabji, who has been closely associated with all forms of crafts, feels that “every craft has the potential to re-invent itself with time”.
“Take the example of the matka . People in urban areas do not need matkas any more because they have refrigerators to cool drinking water. So potters are re-inventing their craft and making earthen pots, which people use for indoor plants. Every craft has the potential to re-invent itself, all that is required is support.”
The support to craftsmen is exactly what Dastkar has been providing.
Ms. Tyabji, along with the Dastkar team, had started a petition last year against the repealing of the Handloom Reservation Act, which has, since 1985, been protecting traditional handloom weaves, especially sarees, from being copied by machines and power looms.
Petition
Her “Save Handlooms — Don’t Repeal the Handloom Reservation Act!” petition on Change.org, circulated widely on social media, had received about 15,000 signatories in less than a week.
Though the government decided to not to repeal the Act, Ms. Tyabji is still fighting for preserving traditional crafts and making them relevant to the current generation.
If people are buying a handmade product, it will cost more because it requires special skills
“People should understand that if they are buying a handmade product, it will cost more. It should cost more because it requires special skills, but that awareness is non-existent.
