Kathua, Aug. 8 -- A wave of joy and hope has swept through wool weavers and artisans in the remote hilly regions of Jammu and Kashmir after Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the country's traditional handloom sector.

Handloom artisan Sukhdev, who has been engaged in the craft for around 25 to 30 years, said the process involves raising sheep, obtaining wool, processing it through machines, spinning the yarn and finally weaving it by hand.

Describing the work as labour-intensive, Sukhdev said preparing the raw yarn takes considerable time, and it takes at least a month to complete a shawl.

"We raise our own sheep and use their wool. Then it goes through a machine process, followed by spinning. Finally, we weave it by hand. It req...