First and foremost, I would like to thank Prime Minister Modiji for having promoted handlooms to a great extent and motivated people like me who have been students of fashion. His vision towards atmanirbhata is significant and is helpful for all handloom weavers. Post my education, there have been few incidents that have significantly impacted me. One of them has been of a skilled artisan who had weaved for my finale collection, lost his life in an emergency operation in 2006. Reason being the inability to cough up 25 thousand rupees for that operation. I only got to know about it after a couple of years through different weavers from the same community. I carry the guilt and the responsibility not just as a student but also as a citizen of this country and believe that we should strive to save the cloth of freedom handloom and its makers.
This is a highly unorganized and informal sector with almost 50 lakh of population with maximum of the working people between the age group of 35 to 50. We should consider this as almost the second last generation who is just not weaving the cloths but through it the country's spirit and representative of its culture.
As a handloom promoter, I always take pride in saying that our country has been in the goal of sustainable development through textile by not using harsh chemicals either by industries or by people for centuries.
Handloom does not pollute! Handloom gives employment! Handloom projects the real history and culture of our country. My humble request to the government of India is to strengthen the sector by bringing back the GST to zero percent and empowering them with health cards and education for the children.
I am requesting the FM and the PM to again bring back the GST to 0% as handloom as weavers are the second largest community who have been suffering and are being pushed to commit suicide after farmers. These are the same people and the same hand who have been weaving the cloth for the respectful idols we worship in temples since centuries. It is our responsibility to save and secure them. On behalf of the entire community, I request the government to kindly help.
