Now Reading: Assam bags India’s top handloom honour, Sant Kabir Award
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Assam bags India’s top handloom honour, Sant Kabir Award
President Droupadi Murmu conferred four national handloom awards on Assam artisans during the 12th National Handloom Day celebrations on August 7. Runima Chetiya Choudhury of Kamrup (Metro) received the Sant Kabir Handloom…
The Story in Brief
President Droupadi Murmu conferred four national handloom awards on Assam artisans during the 12th National Handloom Day celebrations on August 7. Runima Chetiya Choudhury of Kamrup (Metro) received the Sant Kabir Handloom Award in the Women Weavers category for her Muga Silk Saree. Assam was one of only three states to secure the country’s highest handloom honour, alongside Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.
The state also bagged three National Handloom Awards. Jyoti Bhuyan of Guwahati won for Natural Dyed Eri Silk Saree, Riti Doley of Majuli for Silk Gero in the Divyang Weaver category, and M/s Marvella Associates of Sualkuchi for start-up ventures. Among other northeastern states, Manipur’s Takhellambam Rani Devi and Sikkim’s Shital Tamang also received National Handloom Awards.
The Indian Opinion
The awards rightly celebrate fine craftsmanship, but the usual narrative that government honours automatically revive traditional sectors needs scrutiny. Muga and Eri silk weavers still face raw material shortages and poor market linkages. President Murmu’s call for global value chains is meaningful only if followed by concrete policy, easier credit, design interventions, and export facilitation. The real test: will next year’s handloom statistics show higher incomes for the lakhs of weavers in Assam’s villages, not just more trophy shelves?
Source: assamtribune.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
