MODI’S VISION: FROM VILLAGE LOOMS TO GLOBAL MARKETS

NARRATORS RECALL PM MODI’S DEEP COMMITMENT TO INDIA’S WEAVERS AND ARTISANS, AND HIS VISION OF TAKING THEIR TRADITIONAL SKILLS FROM REMOTE VILLAGES TO GLOBAL MARKETS

MODI JI’S IDEA TURNED MY FORTUNES - Chaman Siju, Handloom artisan, Gujarat

There was once a textile show organised in Gandhinagar in Gujarat, where I had the opportunity to participate and welcome Modi ji. The purpose of the exhibition was to facilitate rural artisans tap the global market for their products by showcasing their skill. Thousands of handicraft and handloom artisans work in remote corners and far off villages of the country who never come into the limelight and find it hard to sell their products beyond local or regional markets due to lack of knowledge, exposure and proper marketing opportunities. This lowers the possibilities of a good income for them and thus weavers and artisans traditionally live in poverty. The exhibition was thus an important event for us and we were hopeful that it would open new avenues for our products.

There an idea of Modi ji struck me hard. He asked me to produce clothes with organic cotton and said he would gift those handloom products to his foreign guests whenever he travelled to some other country or some state head came to meet him in India. This way, people across the world would come to know of Indian craft and art and also through this, our products would get a free branding and marketing worldwide, he said. It was a simple but highly innovative idea that could give local artisans an international platform without requiring huge marketing budgets.

I did as suggested, and then I was called in Delhi with my products. I handed them over at the Prime Minister’s Office. To my surprise, when Japanese Prime Minister late Shinzo Abe came here as our guest, Modi ji did gift him a stole made of organic cotton. On another occasion when Abe was in India, he was seen wearing the same stole, earlier gifted to him by Modi ji. This was a great moral booster for us and also a moment of immense pride.

Even today, wherever he goes or whenever he needs to gift something to some guest, Modi ji procures stoles and other such products made of organic black cotton from me and uses them as gifts. Modi ji’s concern and commitment towards the welfare and uplift of poor artisans is exemplary. His innovative idea of branding my product for a global reach not only gave our traditional craft visibility across borders but also changed my fortunes. It showed how a small but thoughtful intervention from a leader can create opportunities for people working at the grassroots and take their products from remote villages to a global audience.

SAW MODI JI’S DEEP CONCERN FOR POOR WEAVERS, ARTISANS - Vanathi Srinivasan, National president, BJP Mahila Morcha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi once came to Tamil Nadu on the occasion of National Handloom Day. I was at the airport to receive him. Later, when the PM was speaking at the event, he told us about the life of weavers, how they survived through all the hardships, how they worked against the odds and how they needed institutional support for growth and prosperity. His detailing was minute and the narration was so moving and realistic that it seemed he had himself lived the life of a weaver and knew their problems inside out.

There were graphical explanations of how the weaver worked in one room, her children sleeping in a corner of the same room and the kitchen also functioning at the same place. The hardships faced by these families were brought before the audience in such a realistic presentation that it inspired many people, including me, to do something for them and alleviate their ordeals. This only bore testimony to Modi ji’s deep concern for the lives of poor weavers and his sincere attempt at making their lives better by promoting their skill, craftsmanship and products. He did not merely speak about handloom as an industry, but brought before us the human story of those who worked tirelessly through sweat and toil behind every piece of fabric that we wore and flaunted.

Modi ji also told us that weaving was ingrained in our culture historically, through centuries of tradition and thus it must hold a place of our pride and bear our identity globally I n modern times. He urged us to respect the weaver and go all out to see that their products saw the light of the day and reached bigger markets instead of languishing locally as provincial products. His message was clear that handloom was not merely a means of livelihood but also a reflection of India’s rich cultural heritage, traditions and identity that should be celebrated globally.

Taking cues from him, I started holding handloom fashion shows in Coimbatore for the younger generation. I roped in colleges, gradually taking the number to over 50 now, that involves around 25,000 students, who see and realise the value of our rich handloom tradition. Over 2,000 students participate in the fashion shows every year. Through these events, young students get an opportunity to see the beauty of handloom, understand the hard work of the weavers and appreciate the importance of preserving this rich tradition.

I have got the inspiration to start and the motivation to sustain this event only from the inspiring message of Modi ji. His understanding and appreciation of the life of the weaver was an eye-opener for us as well and we started seeing the profession and the industry perspective in a different light. It gave us the courage and direction to do something meaningful for them and take them out of poverty through express initiatives. What began as a simple idea inspired by the PM’s words, by and by became an initiative involving thousands of young people and other stakeholders, who collectively help, directly or indirectly, giving a muchneeded fillip to our handloom sector. Modi ji’s message continues to motivate us to promote handloom, support our weavers and ensure that their invaluable skills and traditions receive the recognition and respect they truly deserve.

COMPILED AND EDITED BY SHASHIKANT SHARMA