STARS WEAVE TOGETHER SUPPORT TO PROTECT INDIAN HANDLOOM
From flaunting the textile to propagating the cause of weavers, celebs share their love for the traditional art on National Handloom Day
There’s a growing tribe of voices in Bollywood, striving to not only protect the rich traditional heritage of Indian handloom but also helping the community behind it sustain itself in times of crisis. While actor Vidya Balan has been vocal for the local for long, actors like Tisca Chopra, Kritika Kamra, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Samantha Prabhu, and Nandita Das are also utilising their star power to protect the art.
Today, on National Handloom Day, we get talking to some of these stars about preserving the elegant past for a richer future. Here’s what they have to say.
Tisca Chopra
Indian fashion stands out internationally because of the rich traditional weaves that are part of the Indian heritage. Machine-made can never replace handmade and that’s what makes these weaves and embroideries like silk, Chanderi, ikat, kantha, kalamkari, and khadi so unique. The pandemic has been difficult for all of us but for traditional craftspeople, who stay in villages and wait for buyers from the city to come and purchase, it’s been tougher. I have been mindful to buy local crafts from indigenous weavers via supply chains that give most of the profit to the craftsmen.
Nandita Das
My father (painter Jatin Das) has been a collector of folk art, crafts and handloom textiles all his life. So I grew up with hand-spun material all around me. I have always worn natural fabrics; they breathe and feel better. So it pains me to see the traditional weaves disappearing. While I am not a purist, all for the evolution of art, modern inputs often disregard the richness of the tradition. I’m often asked why I wear sarees to formal occasions. Apart from the fact that they’re beautiful, it’s my way of honouring the faceless weavers. The only way to keep the art alive is to use it in daily life.
Kritika Kamra
Since last year, there has been a major dip in demand for these already dying art forms. My experience through my Chanderi project (undertaken last year to help local weavers) has shown me how hard it is for the artisans. Even today, our handlooms are not packaged the way they should be. Some designers are doing it, but still, apart from occasions, it has not come into our radar of casual daily wear. The habit of investing in pieces that are exclusive and take longer to come to us should be cultivated. The stories behind these pieces should interest
buyers.
MACHINE-MADE CAN NEVER REPLACE HANDMADE AND THAT’S WHAT MAKES THESE WEAVES AND EMBROIDERIES LIKE SILK, CHANDERI, IKAT, KANTHA, KALAMKARI, AND KHADI SO UNIQUE.