National Handloom Day 2019: Weaving intricate labours of love

The National Handloom Day, observed on August 7 every year, celebrates the rich hues, textures and grandeur of Indian fabrics from across the country.

Obseved annually on August 7 since 2015, the objective of National Handloom Day is to generate awareness about the importance of the handloom industry in the socioeconomic development of the country. (Photo | Vinay Madapu/EPS) 

The 2019 event is being held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, the objective of which is to empower women and girls of the state. (Photo | Vinay Madapu/EPS)

Handloom weaver from Hyderabad Ramulu weaves a saree which will fetch him about Rs 6000. Though handloom products are gaining more attention, weavers are still facing hardships. (Photo | Vinay Madapu/EPS)

The First National Handloom Day was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 7, 2015 in Chennai. (Photo | S. Senbagapandiyan/ EPS)

August 7 was chosen to honour the launch of the Swadeshi movement which was officially proclaimed on August 7, 1905. (Photo | S. Senbagapandiyan/ EPS)

Handloom Day is a celebration of the country’s 5,000-year old tradition of hand weaving cloths.(Photo | S. Senbagapandiyan/ EPS)

However, not everything is hunky dory for the weavers of India. In several parts of the country, weavers, owing to the lack of revenue generation, often take to different employment methods to make the ends meet. Many weavers cannot afford to have the space and money to fix the handloom machines at their homes, so they depend on the master weaver, who has more than 30 manual handloom machines. (Photo | S. Senbagapandiyan/ EPS)

The process of weaving can be broken down to several steps starting with dying. During the process of dying, weavers add colours to the threads. (Photo | S. Senbagapandiyan/ EPS)

The threads mixed with chemicals are dried under the sun for more than five hours. (Photo | S. Senbagapandiyan/ EPS)

After the dyeing process, the weavers segregate the threads to dry it further. The separated threads are then put under the sun and dried for three more hours before the process. (Photo | S. Senbagapandiyan/ EPS)

The weavers of Telangana's Pochampally village manufacture exclusive sarees with intricate and distinctive designs. (Photo | S. Senbagapandiyan/ EPS)

Weavers of Koyalagudem village, located 50 kilometres away from Hyderabad, weave sarees using handlooms at households. (Photo | S. Senbagapandiyan/ EPS)