National Handloom Day: Handloom Stories Woven With Love!

Pictures can tell beautiful stories. And the ones you’ll see below will narrate the most heart-warming tales, making you melt like butter on a freshly baked croissant. *Note to self: Buy croissants. And butter.* 

On the occasion of National Handloom Day, we rolled out a contest, exclusively for the  women at BYJU’S. We asked them  to share photographs featuring their favourite handloom products and describe the story behind it. 

While the photos spoke louder than words, where women flaunted their precious handloom outfits, the stories that accompanied, were even more inspiring. 

Scroll down to check out a few stories behind the women @BYJU’S showcasing their handloom favorites

Basant Kaur

Basant Kaur’s entry for the contest was in a green shrug made by her mother. Basant’s mother, a designer with her own label, started her journey by designing clothes for her daughter. The shrug was made 10 years ago, but Basant has preserved it perfectly and pairs it with all her outfits, thanks to her mother’s unique taste. 

Nibedita Tripathy

On the occasion of Mother’s Day, Nibedita Tripathy gifted this beautiful Sambalpuri saree to her mother with her first salary. The moment was as special as the saree, because this was Nibedita’s first gift to her mother. Looking back at the moment, Nibedita says, “I still remember the immediate smile that flashed on her face when she saw this saree and reacted the same way all Indian moms would – “Where was the need to spend so much?”.

Sonali Garg

From the dupatta to the sharara to the cushion covers, Sonali Garg’s photograph is every handloom lover’s dream frame! The sharara was made by Sonali’s friend from a saree and is very special to her. The cushion covers were stitched by her maasi (aunt), and are definitely  eye-catching.

Riya Kakkar

Riya Kakkar is a fan of bandhani and says that it reminds her of her relation (bandhan) with her roots. While  traveling to various parts of the country, Riya loves pairing her bandhani dupatta with different kinds of outfits. Explaining her indo-western look, Riya says, “This fusion ensemble highlights the connection between the city girl, and the weaver from the village, who made this dupatta for her.”

Sadhana R

Sadhana R’s mother purchased this red Kanchipuram silk saree when Sadhana was in the fifth grade. Reminiscing her childhood days, Sadhana narrated how back then, saree sellers would come home and sell their wares. Since she was a little girl, she wanted to drape this saree on herself. In response, her mother would say that she wasn’t old enough to handle a saree. One fine day, Sadhana’s mother finally gave her the saree and said, “You can wear this now.” The happiness that she could finally wear it, led to Sadhana clicking many photos to preserve this memory forever.

Meghna Howladar

Meghna Howladar picked this pure Dhakai Jamdani handloom saree when she traveled to the rural districts of  West Bengal. She considers herself lucky to have witnessed the entire procedure of how this  gorgeous saree was created from scratch. This is also the first saree Meghna bought for herself, with her first salary from  BYJU’S, making it that much more special. 

Mrudula Mallepaddi

Mrudula Mallepaddi took this saree from her grandmother’s collection. When she chose this particular one, her grandma couldn’t understand why Mrudula was not taking a new saree instead. But draping her grandmother’s saree for Mrudula meant feeling her presence, holding her hands, and listening to her childhood stories. The fragrance makes Mrudula feel safe and loved on a stressful day.

Amrutha M Nair

In this photograph, Amrutha M Nair is decked up in a hand-woven Kerala sari popularly known as ‘set-sari’, on the occasion of Vishu. It was a special moment for her because it was her first Vishu as a married woman. She also planned the festival for her entire family and asked everyone to wear sarees, dhotis, and kurtas. It was a beautiful family moment cherished by all.

Padmaja N

Padmaja N believes that every woman is attracted towards sarees from their childhood. She recently got her hands on her mother’s first wedding handloom saree, gifted by her father. It was an emotional  moment for Padmaja to finally be able to fulfill her childhood dream of wearing six yeards of grace.

Sreelaxmi V

Sreelaxmi V’s picture is from her hometown, clicked during Onam. During this time she visited a handloom village with her grandmother and met her grandma’s friends who had their own handloom business. She noticed this saree being woven by one of the weavers and waited for him to complete it and immediately grabbed it! She was inspired to see a saree made with so much passion, love, and dedication and she believes that it’s the passion and love that makes handloom fabrics even more beautiful. 

If you have a handloom story you would like to share, tell us in the comments below! Let’s spread love and appreciate the efforts of the weavers of our country. 

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