07/08/2026
On this National Handloom Day, myriads of thoughts are coming in my mind. While the significance of the day is indisputable, we, as handloom lovers have much bigger responsibility on our shoulder, instead of just following the call of GRWM.
Let us acknowledge that our traditional art forms are struggling to survive, weavers are having a hard time to remaining in their ancestral profession, the business of powerloom is growing exponentially.
Does it mean we call to boycott apparels and fabrics made in mills, certainly not. Powerloom is super powerful and produces goods in huge quantity. For mass consumption, powerloom is the way.
However, the problem lies in copying the traditional designs and producing cheap products. From Odisha to Manipur, everywhere machine is using prints to replicate the design. While the extremely cheap ones are easy to identify, the identical ones are hard to differentiate.
Despite having decent knowledge of handwoven sarees, I was almost cheated by a seller in Puri, Odisha while buying a Bomkai silk. Thankfully I paid enough attention to the detail and could identify the impurity. The sad part is they were selling such sarees as handloom ones in open market to tourists from across India.
The situation is worse in Banaras. Almost every seller there is selling Banarasi. And if you are novice, you will be cheated with the blink of an eye. In Banaras, shopkeepers are selling powerloom Banarasis for 3000-4000 rupees, sometimes even close to 10k.
This is how the handloom market is getting ruined. Unfortunately, this dishonesty and cheating does not have repercussion. There is no punishment for these white lies.
This let’s be mindful and inquire a little more while buying a peace of handloom product. Let’s speak about the losses handloom market is facing because of this blatant lies.