There's a need to start innovative campaigns to support weavers, believes Momi Mazumdar Mukherjee.
Kharghar’s Momi Mazumdar Mukherjee (43) is upbeat about National Handloom Day being celebrated on August 7. Any step to control the decline in the consumption of natural fabrics is a step in a positive direction, she says.
It is with this desire to prevent the death of handloom consumption and pursue her passion for sarees, that she started her home-run enterprise called 'Devi' in 2012. Born in Jamshedpur, Mukherjee credits her mother for inculcating a taste and liking for not just sarees, but also everything organic. “My mother ensured that I have a saree from every region in the country in my wardrobe.”
Her work involves travelling across the country and bringing back handloom attire and accessories for men and women to sell across the country. She showcases her products on Facebook and also sells bulk stock to bigger showrooms. “This spares me from having to take care of smaller, individual orders and leaves more time to focus on the creative aspects,” said the ex-banker.
Today, she has a network of weavers in multiple states including Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu whom she works with.
“It is necessary that we support these weavers. We need to work towards preserving what we have. We shouldn't wait for a foreigner to come in and remind us how great our textiles are. When we buy a cotton saree, we help an entire industry of farmers and weavers to thrive,” Mukherjee says.
Mukherjee cannot help but rue that handloom is less favourable these days, especially in the metros. Lower prices, lower maintenance, and more convenience could be attributed to the popularity of synthetic fabrics. But she has also observed the lack of knowledge about textiles among people. Thus, she believes initiatives like #100sareepact and #IWearHandloom help. “Sometimes fads are needed to make things trendy,” she signs off.
Here are some of the tweets doing the rounds on Twitter:
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