Weaving in Assam replete with artistic sensibility and linked to folklife: NN Rana Patgiri
National Handloom Expo concludes
A Correspondent
TANGLA: “Assam has a rich legacy of handloom and textiles which can be traced back to the days of Sankardeva but the industry is still lacking adequate craftsmen. The industry has a global market and the need for authentic and quality products have paved the way for the rural women of Assam to tap the booming commercial market of the industry and to take it up as an income-generating avenue to become economically self-reliant,” said Managing Director of Bodoland Regional Apex Weavers & Artisans Cooperative Federation Ltd. (BRAWFED), NN Rana Patgiri at Bordoloi Bhavan in Tangla town of Udalguri district on Sunday.
Taking part in the concluding day ceremony of the 14-day long National Handloom Expo on Sunday at Tangla town, he said that the traditional designs and motifs in handloom products of the greater Assamese society always sport a unique identity and charisma. He further said that weaving in Assam was so replete with artistic sensibility and intimately linked to folklife that Gandhiji, during his tour to promote khadi and swadeshi, had remarked, “Assamese women weave fairy tales in their looms.”
Assistant Director of the Weavers Service Centre, Guwahati, Sarbeswar Das stressed the need of the weavers and entrepreneurs to infuse new economic oxygen by technological up-gradation for handwoven textiles.
Deputy Director of Handloom and Textiles, Assam, Dr Jayanta Dev Sarma dwelt on the need of trending and appealing designs by weavers to suit the changing demands of the buyers.
The expo, organized by BRAWFED, in collaboration with the Development Commissioner for Handlooms, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, was participated by 61 stalls from Assam, including other parts of the country. Besides a theme pavilion was also put where hand-woven products were put to display. According to sources, the National Handloom Expo recorded Rs 1.2 crore business during the 13-day period.