National Handloom Day: Know about the Sarees of Karnataka that have obtained Geographical Indication (GI)

Team Udayavani, Aug 8, 2020, 1:35 PM IST

National Handloom Day is celebrated every year on August 7. This year it is being organised by the Ministry of Textiles on a virtual platform.

According to Financial Express, The event would be attended by the Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani, who would be the Chief Guest for the occasion, while Secretary Textiles Ravi Capoor would be the Guest of Honour. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur would also be attending the event virtually

History

On August 7, 1905, a formal proclamation was made at the Calcutta Town Hall to boycott foreign goods and rely on Indian-made products. Later,  in 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first National Handloom Day.

The prime objective of holding the National Handloom Day is to highlight the contribution of handloom to the socioeconomic development of the country and increase income of the weavers.

Intensive efforts are being made by the Office of the Development Commissioner for Handlooms, Government of India to upgrade the hand weaving technology in terms of weaver’s comfort, productivity and quality. A large number of Handloom Weavers’ co-operative societies too are constantly at work to improve the quality and working conditions for hand weaving.

Handloom in Karnataka

According to the department of Handlooms and Textiles, The Department of Handlooms and Textiles was set up during 1991-92 in the state of Karnataka.

Karnataka is known for silk and traditional weaving. The state is the largest producer of mulberry silk and also grows abundant cotton

Also, Many varieties of sarees of Karnataka have obtained Geographical Indication (GI) namely Ilkal Sarees, Mysore Silk Sarees, Udupi Cotton Sarees and Karnataka Kasuti Sarees

Ilkal Sarees

Ilkal saree takes its name from the town of Ilkal in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka. The sarees are locally woven using cotton warp on the body and art silk warp for border and pallu portion of the saree

Mysore Silk Sarees

Mysore silk is one of the most popular, finest and purest forms of silk. Mysore silk is produced by the Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation Limited (KSIC). The factory was founded in 1912 by Sri Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, the Maharaja of Mysore

Udupi Cotton Sarees

Udupi saree is one of the richest variety of cotton sarees in Karnataka. These handloom sarees are made with combed cotton yarn of counts 80” and 60”. The speciality of Udupi sarees are that the pallu and borders are bright

Karnataka Kasuti Sarees

It is a  is a traditional form of folk embroidery practiced in Karnataka. The pattern to be embroidered is first marked with charcoal or pencil and then proper needles and thread are selected. A Kasuti centre was set up in Hubli, Karnataka by the Department of Social Welfare, Government of Karnataka to encourage the Kasuti culture and also provide a single roof for the rural women to showcase their craft