4/100 ‪#‎100sareepact‬ Huge clarification and assurance from the Textile ministry, GOI regarding Handloom Reservation Act, 1985. Now that we have the clarification, let us ask the next question. Who is enforcing the bill? I see that the market place is inundated with sarees, mostly from powerlooms. As customers, are we responsible for powerloom sarees to prevail over those from handlooms.
1. Cheaper sells Faster: It is a constant observation that, customers pick a cheaper similar looking powerloom saree over a pricier handloom saree. Those who pick the handloom saree are a very small minority. Seriously, how many are asking the question?
2. Ignorance is Bliss: How much did the govt. educate its population on this bill? For those who would want to read and learn about the act. Here it is. http://handlooms.nic.in/writeread…/UploadFile/Act%201985.pdf
Let us educate ourselves and our friends and family, so they pick those 11 articles in handlooms only.
3. David wins in the End: If the handloom weavers (and the handloom product vendors alike) can be smart about the production and marketing of the precious Handloom products, the Goliath comes crumbling down.
This is the 3rd of my 4 Malkha sarees that I bought from Malkha India. The saree is Ajrakh printed some 2 years ago by Noor Mohammed Haji Abdul Raheem Gamthiwala (along with another Malkha saree that I gifted to a friend’s wife). This saree is one of my favourite drapes, the fabric…the printing technique….the natural dyes used……all the labour that went into the making, there’s volumes to talk about. It doesn’t matter how much I paid for it, it is a priceless precious possession.
I accessorized it with Kerala mural painted neckpiece that I bought from a knick-knack vendor. Photo Credits: Lakshminath Dondeti
‪#‎Malkha‬ ‪#‎AjrakhPrinting‬ ‪#‎KeralaMuralPainting‬ ‪#‎Vegetabledyes‬ ‪#‎Handloom‬ ‪#‎HandloomReservationAct‬ ‪#‎AllyMatthan‬ ‪#‎AnjuMaudgalKadam‬ ‪#‎Gamthiwala‬ ‪#‎MalkhaIndia‬