National Handloom Day 2021: All you need to know about day that honours contributions of weaving community

The National Handloom Day is observed on 7 August across the country. It is a day to honour the Swadeshi Movement that took place in 1905 and to celebrate India’s rich fabrics. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the country will celebrate the 7th National Handloom Day to exhibit the legacy of the Indian handloom industry and also to honour the weavers in India. The main objective of this day is to raise awareness among the common people, increase the contribution towards socio-economic development for the weavers in the country and provide better opportunities for them. History of National Handloom Day To mark the 100th anniversary of the Swadeshi Movement that began in 1905 on this day, the Union Government declared 7 August as National Handloom Day. The day was first observed in the year 2015 by the Central government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated the first National Handloom Day in Tamil Nadu’s Chennai city. Significance of National Handloom Day Among the many sectors, the handloom industry is one of the major symbols that represents Indian cultural heritage. It also holds a great cultural significance in history. This industry has been an important source of livelihood and employment in every part of the country, especially for women. Thus, the day is to make people aware of the rich history of Indian handloom at a time when synthetic fabrics took over the textile industry. In order to celebrate the day, Ministry of Textile have set up Handloom Craft Villages in three states:

• Kovalam, Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala
• Mohpara Village, Golaghat district in Assam
• Kanihama, Budgam district in Srinagar

The aim behind setting up these handloom craft villages is to provide additional attraction towards the state for domestic and international tourists and most importantly to promote well-known handloom and handicraft products.