Evolution of Handloom Weaving Activity in India

This paper seeks to place the evolution of handloom weaving activity and its current scenario in Indian economy. Though the handloom weaving of India had a glorious past, the colonial regime shattered the hand spinning culture of traditional handloom sector of India and forced the country as the supplier of raw materials to Britain. Factory-made cheap cloths had replaced the Indian hand-woven fabrics within the country, and weavers lost their employment due to the shutdown of handloom units. Despite such adversity of handloom sector, Indian artisans had stood the test of time and had kept this great craft alive. The phasing out of the MFA has placed India in an advantageous position in international market for handloom.