President lauds weavers for preserving cultural heritage

Bhoodan Pochampally (Yadadri-Bhongir): President Droupadi Murmu was on Wednesday all praise for the contribution of handloom weavers in preserving the cultural heritage of country.

She attended a face-to-face interaction with handloom weavers who make Ikat clothes at Bhudhan Pochampally in Yadadri-Bhongir district.

The President assured that she would do her best for the development of the handloom sector after she was apprised of the difficulties of the weavers. She even said that she would arrange visits by people from her native area to Pochampally to familiarise themselves with the Ikat art.

She noted that it was a great pleasure to learn about the recognition to Pochampally village as one of the world’s best tourist villages in 2021 by United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

She expressed her satisfaction at training, skill and financial assistance to the weavers under the Textile Sector Capacity Building Scheme.

She stated that as many as 35 lakh people were getting livelihood every day in the handloom sector.

Textiles being woven in Telangana are world famous, she acknowledged. She underscored that Pochampally, Warangal, Sircilla, Gadwala, Narayanpet, Siddipet and Puttapaka garments have achieved the GI (Geographical Identification) tag. She said that she would draw the attention of the government to the issues of handloom workers.

As part of the programme, she visited Sriranjan Silk Industry Production Control Units in Pochampally and enquired about their artistic skills. She also visited the pavilion theme set up with handloom products of Telangana.

Weavers were asked about the process of extracting silk from raw silk and making cloths.She inspected the special stalls set up during her visit to Pochampally. She paid floral tributes to the portrait of Acharya Vinoba Bhave and visited Vinobha Bhave photo exhibition. She observed women spinning yarn with looms.

Award winners in the field of handloom, Boga Saraswathi, Loka Shyamkumar and Kurapati Venkatesham, explained their professional skills and difficulties in the field of handloom to the President. Pottabattini Suguna and minister Seethakka presented a saree to the President on the occasion. Boga Saraswati presented a double Ikkat cloth.