New Delhi, Aug. 5 -- Every August 7, National Handloom Day marks a moment that binds India's past with its future thread by thread, story by story. The day commemorates the Swadeshi Movement of 1905, when handwoven fabric emerged not only as a piece of fabric but as a powerful symbol of resistance, self-reliance, and cultural identity. What began as a clean slate evolved into the warp and weft of heritage, art, and community expression.

The handloom sector today supports over 35 lakh weavers and allied workers, 72% of whom are women, across rural and semi-urban India. For all its richness, the sector now stands at one that demands innovation without dilution, technology without erasure, and modernization without marginalization.

An endu...