Handloom signifies our rich cultural heritage: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday greeted the people on National Handloom Day and said that India’s handloom sector signifies the rich and diverse cultural heritage of the country. In a series of tweets, Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared 7 August as National Handloom Day to commemorate the Swadeshi movement.

“India’s handloom sector signifies our rich and diverse cultural heritage. In 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared 7 August as the National Handloom Day to commemorate the Swadeshi movement that began in 1905 on the same day and to revive this ancient Indian art,” he said.

The Home Minister further said that it is also aimed at encouraging countrymen to use handloom products woven by indigenous weavers.

“On this 8th National Handloom Day, let us join hands to further the Modi government’s resolve to preserve and promote our handloom heritage and empower our handloom weavers, especially women,” he added.

National Handloom Day is observed every year on 7 August to recognise the contributions of the handloom weavers of the country. On this day, the handloom weaving community is honoured and the contribution of this sector to the socio-economic development of this country is highlighted.

PM Modi declared 7 August as National Handloom Day to mark the Swadeshi movement as it was on this day that the movement was launched in 1905. The movement involved the revival of domestic products and production processes.

A symbol of our country’s rich and varied cultural heritage, handloom is an important sector providing livelihood in rural and semi-rural parts of our country. It is a sector that directly addresses women’s empowerment, with over 70% of all weavers and allied workers being female. One of the defining movements in our struggle for freedom was the Swadeshi Movement.

The 7th of August was chosen as National Handloom Day to commemorate the Swadeshi Movement, which was launched on this day in 1905 in the Calcutta Town Hall to protest the British Government’s partition of Bengal.

The first National Handloom Day was organised by PM Modi in Chennai.