In a unique postal campaign flagged off in Bengaluru on Thursday, supporters of handloom weavers from across India will ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure protection to “genuine handloom” by cracking down on imitations.
Sally Holkar, the activist behind the revival of Maheshwari sarees and handloom in India, started the campaign at Gandhi Bhavan by releasing a draft of the letter to be written to the prime minister.
“Friends of Handloom” – with support from activists like Prasanna of Desi Trust and Usramma who is behind Dastkar Andhra – hope to send one crore letters to Mr. Modi by January 30, 2015, to coincide with Martyr’s Day.
The campaign aims to raise support for the scattered handloom industry to re-establish its prominence. One of the important demands is implementation of the Handloom Reservation Act, 1985.
While complementing Mr. Modi for wearing handloom, the draft of the letter released by Ms. Holkar asks: “…Sir, are you sure what you are wearing is hand woven? We are not so sure. We have checked and found that nearly 70 per cent of what is being sold as khadi and handloom in this country is imitation fabric produced by powerlooms.”
The Chief Minister will meet a delegation of weavers on December 10 in Belagavi to discuss their demands.
