Handlooms are India’s unique heritage and the livelihood of lakhs of skilled handloom weavers.
A move is on to repeal The Handloom Reservation Act, which since 1985 has been protecting traditional Handloom weaves, especially saris, from being copied by their machine-made and powerloom competitors. It was a small but important protection for Handloom weavers, who otherwise struggle to survive. Their yarn, their designs and their markets are under attack.
Now the influential powerloom lobby has agitated successfully that this Act be withdrawn. To say that because we have powerlooms, we don’t need handlooms does not make sense. The handloom can create thousands of distinctive regional weaves and designs that no powerloom can replicate, and a tactile wonderful drape that is also irreplaceable by mechanised means. Globally too, more and more ecologically sensitive international buyers look to India as a source for the hand made.
Each weave has a cultural tradition and a story, each linking us to our social and cultural roots. If we remove the protection and incentives for handloom weavers to continue weaving their traditional products and saris, we would suddenly be bereft of both our past and our future.
Handloom lovers, it’s time to raise your voice! Join us in lobbying against the repeal of The Handloom Reservation Act.
– via Dastkar Delhi
Storytellers of Wonder 
13 responses to “The Handloom Sector Needs Your Help”
We are with you.i support all weavers ,they are also a part of country nd their contributions are high
I support it
Reblogged this on Luxuriously yours… and commented:
There was no better way to start my blog than by supporting this beautiful cause. Sign the petition and do your share to save the Indian handloom industry.
I have already shared it on Feb, so have other people. We also need to push the work done by all artisans and promote it in a huge way, so that we don’t have other agencies taking over, we need people’s support.
We should preserve the Handloom sector
Let’s preserve our heritage and culture
Nothing more beautiful than a hand woven fabric and to truely complete your wardrobe. A machine can never take over the ‘Magic’ a hand can weave together. Lets keep our traditional weaves safe in the hands of our master weavers.
I don’t know where to sign?
You have raised your voice about something I feel very strongly about. I have written about Handlooms very extensively over the years in newspapers, magazines and books. This sector needs all the support that we can give it.
Alka, You can sign the petition by clicking here http://chn.ge/1Flzveh
Handmade textiles have a quality that can never be replaced by machine made equivalents and they are an expression of the skill and culture of the weavers. These traditions should be protected and honoured
Handloom weavers to be uplifted our traditional weaves should be encouraged
Governments must do more to buy directly from the weavers and give them market price
This is part of our heritage and we need to save it.