Headlines
New handloom act will mean death for handloom industry: Ritu Kumar
By
By Nivedita New Delhi, May 3
Talk of a change in the
Handloom Reservation Act, which has since 1985 protected handloom weaves
from being copied by machine-made and powerloom competitors, has got
veteran designer Ritu Kumar worried about the plight of millions of
India's weavers who are already fighting for their livelihood.
A
notable name in the Indian fashion industry, who has focussed her
efforts towards resurrecting the handloom industry and craft of local
weavers from different regions, Kumar says that any change in the Act
may not only impact the lives of over four million weavers but could
lead to the death of handloom itself in the country.
"The Act has
protected handloom for decades. It has protected yarn and allows our
weaver community to thrive. There's a movement to scrap that in favour
of powerloom. I am strongly protesting against it," Kumar told IANS in
an interview here.
"If they take away the reservation of
handloom, it will affect 4.4 million weavers and there won't be handloom
left in this country," she added.
It has been speculated that
the government plans to amend the Handloom Reservation Act. The news
comes against the backdrop of efforts by the powerloom lobby to get
parity with the handloom sector, which has called on the government to
implement the act.
Asked if the amendment will affect the charm
of the weaving process, for which India is known for globally, Kumar
said: "More than the romance and charm, what we will lose will be a huge
chunk of livelihood."
The designer, who has spent over four
decades in the fashion industry and has witnessed the changes in the
interests of national and international buyers, also shared how "there
is a strong lobbying happening around the country".
As part of
her contribution to the weaving sector, Kumar held a sari exhibition in
the capital. It saw rare handblock prints from Bengal -- and it's an
effort on her part to revive craft from the region and create employment
for weavers there.
For the line, Kumar has taken inspiration
from former Danish colony of Serampore, which she had explored in
mid-1960s when she was a student of art history.
"I couldn't
understand why there was no work (for weavers there). Of little samples
that I saw, it was so beautiful and I wondered why they had no work.
They were painting polka dots for export to America at the same price as
synthetic scarves, and it was terrible. I wasn't really a designer of
print, but I said, 'Let me try and do something'. I made blocks and
asked them to print them on saris.
"It's an old heritage which
came back to life. Over the years, we carried the block printing and I
also used Bhagalpur silk, which is made from ahimsa silk from that
region," Kumar explained.
The designer hopes that with her work
she "will be able to give at least that amount of work to those weavers
once again with the renewed interest". But awareness needs to be
created, she stressed.
"We need to create more awareness about
Indian handlooms. More education is required. People hardly know what
they are wearing," said Kumar, whose creations have been flaunted by
names like Jemima Khan, Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai and even the late
Princess Diana.
Kumar's work and involvement with weavers keeps her away from glitzy runway shows, but she's not complaining.
"I
am taking some time off to focus on these weavers, but I have not quit.
I think Label (son Amrish Kumar's designer label) is doing wonderfully
well in maintaining our signature crafts in a modern way."
(Nivedita can be contacted at [email protected])