Room for loom

India’s handloom industry does not quite get the credit it deserves. Rooted in a diverse and culturally rich tradition, it is the second-largest employer in the country, an age-old source of exquisite artistry. For all its advantages, though, the artisans who breathe life into the sector face a host of challenges.

Antaran, the crafts-themed livelihoods programme of the Tata Trusts, has been enabling handloom artisans to better cope with these challenges. Launched in 2018, the initiative encourages artisans to become entrepreneurs and provides them with the tools to do so.

From its kick-off in Assam’s Kamrup and Nalbari districts, Antaran has spread its weaving wings and now covers about 250 villages in six handloom hubs in four states, reaching more than 3,700 artisans, some 2,500 of them women.

This edition of Showcase journeys back to where it all began, Kamrup and Nalbari, where weaving is a way of life passed down through generations, and where handloom artisans are finding pathways to success.