Guwahati hosts handloom workshop to hone artisans' skills

The North East Zonal Cultural Centre recently organized a workshop on shitalpatti and handloom products in Guwahati with an aim to empower women and enhance their skills.

Handloom is a vast industry in India, particularly in the northeast, which largely contributes in uplifting the social and economic lives of the artisans.

A large number of people, especially in rural and tribal areas, are engaged in handloom and handicraft works in the Northeastern states.

The government has always given impetus to enhance their skills and provide suitable market for their products.

Recently, the North East Zonal Cultural Centre (NEZCC) organized a workshop on handloom and Shitalpatti, literally meaning 'cool mat', at Shilpagram.

The main objective was to promote women artisans' skills and upgrade those with new designing techniques, developing diversified products and to grab a larger market.

"Nearly 40-50 ladies are there and they are given some skills how to weave and how to prepare from Shitalpatti (MAT) and this will go long way. After learning this, ladies can come forward and work as it will give prestige, confidence and money to them and their children," said P.B. Acharya, Governor of Nagaland and Assam.

The governor expressed much interest and eagerness in the Shitalpatti work and shared his experience on the textile industry.He also interacted with the designers and artisans.

"This workshop benefits poor and needy persons who are not getting any job. It is also a big problem here that even after education people are not getting jobs. So, if they learn making Shitalpatti or handloom products, they can directly sell it to the market as it does not involve any middle person," said Ranjan Bishwas, Organizer, NEZCC

"This is basically a seven-day workshop in which we will train the artisans. Handloom industry is a very vast area and in a week we will train them how to make different decorative and other products with weaving," said Barnali, an expert

Government of India launched a massive skill India campaign to tap the huge potential of artisans from nook and corner of the country under its National Skill development mission.