Two from West Bengal craft success tales, selected for National Handloom Award

BURDWAN: A 48-year-old weaver from East Burdwan's Kalna, Khayeruddin Sheikh, and Howrah-based handloom designer, Soumitra Mondal, are among the list of Sant Kabir and National Handloom Awardees for 2023. The two awardees from Bengal will be felicitated on Aug 7- which is also the National Handloom Day- at Vigyan Mancha.

Khayeruddin has won the award for weaving 'Jamdani' sarees, while Soumitra - known for adding traditional designs to modern and western silhouettes - has fetched the honour for design development as an individual designer.

They have also been asked to showcase their products and designs in a special handloom expo likely to be held in Delhi. For Khayeruddin, the award is a promise that his work will now be recognised by many. Growing up in a modest family, financial hardships had forced him to take up weaving as early as 12. He did not want to be a mason like his father. He took a bus from Kalna to Nabadwip (in Nadia) to learn weaving.

Khayeruddin works out of his modest home, with help of his wife, son and daughter. For the competition, he had crafted a box design on a cotton jamdani saree. The national awardee earns only Rs 400 a day, which he says is barely enough to support his family. "I have heard that I am selected for an award. I feel happy, may be things will get better for me," he said.

Soumitra has already made a name for himself in designing handloom products. The 56-year-old designer works out of his workshops in Howrah and Phulia (in Nadia). He has been a part of several fashion shows and events in Kolkata and outside. He said he was extremely happy to get the award.

In addition, the Weaver Service Centre in Kolkata has also been selected as a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for product and design development. Rajesh Chatterjee, the Centre's deputy director, has been nominated by the Bengal govt to receive the award. In 2015, the Centre govt decided to designate August 7, every year, as the National Handloom Day. This is done to remember the Swadeshi Movement, which was launched on August 7, 1905. The movement had encouraged indigenous industries, especially handloom weavers.