UNIQUE INITIATIVE
interfere with the skills and sensibilities of artisans,
but simply preserve what has been in existence
for thousands of years; what has evolved with
the ancient science of local resources and
techniques. I believe that any form of adaptation
or intervention would only result in the loss of
what is one of the world’s greatest treasures.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE
IMPORTANCE INDIA CRAFT WEEK
HOLDS FOR ARTISANS?
India Craft Week (ICW) was India’s first official
crafts platform to focus on the untold stories
of the sector. ICW showcases evolving trends
encompassing regional and folk styles, material
culture, and narratives from all over India. It is
designed to showcase the crafts from being
mediocre to ‘aspirational and desired’, by bringing
in national as well as international communities
that value them. It is also the largest of its kind in
New Delhi to present a host of crafts workshops
and demonstrations.
India Craft Week, thus, has been established
to build an ecosystem of new ideas and design
ideologies, resulting in innovative products. This
year, for example, one of the highlights of the
show were pashmina shawls. These shawls have
been facing a declining demand graph for quite
some time now. In order to find a solution to this,
Craft Village and Majid (Ahmad) Mir’s family are
helping to revive the ancient technique, wherein
pashmina weaves would be repurposed into
fashionable jackets. Two such innovations include
showcasing airline uniforms in ajrak print and
crafting miniature pottery buttons. Most of the
airlines in the world use their respective country’s
traditional textiles to create define the identify for
their staff.
“WE SHOULD NOT MANIPULATE
TRADITIONAL FORMS THAT ARE
THE EPITOME OF JOY AND SELF-
EXPRESSION, AND INSTEAD,
JUST BE A PART OF THIS GREAT,
MEDITATIVE HERITAGE.”
the only ‘fabrics without guilt’, which empower
communities and are environment-friendly. I am
of the opinion that only a generation of intelligent
handloomed fabrics can make the industry kind.
IF THERE WAS ONE MESSAGE YOU
WOULD LIKE TO PASS ON TO THE
READERS AND THE INDUSTRY AT
LARGE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Let the craftspeople do what they know best;
let us not forcefully place them in conditions
that they are not familiar with. The best way
ahead is to help artisans find newer markets
and opportunities, and bring them into teams in
which everyone does their job diligently. As far as
my experience goes, we should not manipulate
traditional forms that are the epitome of joy and
self-expression, and instead, just be a part of this
great, meditative heritage.
HOW CAN WE PROPEL THE TEXTILE
INDUSTRY IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION?
Engaging with artisans in product-making and
manufacturing, the right promotion of indigenous
products through co-branding, duly crediting the
makers, and organising local, national, and global
forums to talk about exchanges, are some of the
many steps we can take. Handloomed fabrics are
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