Gujarat govt handholds FICCI FLO Ahmedabad Chapter to uplift textile, handicraft artisans & tourism

NE BUSINESS BUREAU

AHMEDABAD, JULY 10

With a vision of changing lives of handloom, handicrafts artisans as well as people involved in tourism sector and providing unprecedented opportunities, FICCI FLO Ahmedabad Chapter organized a textile and handicraft tourism symposium here on Friday.

The symposium was virtually inaugurated by 38^th national chief of FLO and JK International Director Ujjwala Singhania. In her address, Singhania said, “Kashmir to Kanyakumari handloom, handicrafts artisans have their unique creations. This is the second largest promotional event after COVID-induced pandemic aiming at imparting skill development, marketing and tech adaptations to uplift all those involved in textile and tourism sectors.”

Hareet Shukla, tourism secretary, Government of Gujarat, in his virtual address said, “The Gujarat Government will handhold with the FICCI FLO to help revive the handloom, handicraft artisans by promoting textile tourism. FLO’s knowledge report based on this symposium will certainly be studied and implemented.”

Gujarat Tourism’s Khyati Nayak, Business Development and Skill Development head, said,  “A great initiative after the pandemic.  Gujarat Tourism promotes tourism globally and has a lot of segments in it like many destinations; where each destination has its unique specialty. Among all these specialties, one important specialty is textile and handicraft. Today, FICCI FLO Ahmedabad Chapter through this Symposium promotes the textile and handicraft of Gujarat which is appreciated.”

Nandita Munshaw, Chairperson FICCI FLO Ahmedabad Chapter said, “Vocal for Local is the PM’s call, and we in Gujarat hear it loud and clear. Our vision is not to limit our traditional textiles to our wardrobes and wedding trunks but to give ‘Ready to Wear Ensemble’, an alluring western cut, experiment with its riveting colours, thus making it a “Garment for all ages, for all seasons, for draping it carelessly as we trot across the globe and if possible, the dress for our visit to the moon. With an aim to recognize artists who play their vital part in taking Gujarat’s textile to the next level, the symposium highlighted the lesser-known textile and handicraft regions of Gujarat in tribal belts which not only bridge the gap between weavers and tourists but also it encouraged overall development of tourism.”

Shilpa Bhagat Patel – Textile Initiative Head said, “Our city of Ahmedabad has acquired the heritage tag but somehow that is limited to admiring the architecture. I believe it should be more inclusive by recognizing our textile and crafts lineage. This rich heritage should extend beyond Ahmedabad, to the other parts of Gujarat too. It is this sentiment that we hope to achieve through the symposium with its great lineup of speakers and stalwarts of the tourism industry via an innovative route map”

The team of entrepreneurs, professionals, corporate executives, and industry veterans deliberated over the situation of weavers and artisans associated with various arts and crafts of Gujarat who are affected by the pandemic took part in the symposium. The symposium was therefore the need of the hour to understand issues faced by artisans of various genres whilst encouraging them in a bid to promote their economic empowerment.

Gujarat boasts a wide variety of crafts. Its beadwork, embroidery, woven and printed clothes, wood crafts, pottery, and leather handcraft among others that have always been imbued in rich cultural heritage. A number of people are associated with traditional craftsmanship whose socio-economic situation depends on their craftsmanship. The conclave by FICCI FLO aimed to promote such traditional weavers while highlighting the lesser-known arts across Gujarat.

The symposium extensively focused on promoting textile and handicraft tourism in the state so that it can benefit the weavers and other artisans associated with their respective arts. After all, tourists play a vital part in boosting the local economy and FICCI FLO discussed scores of aspects to promote textile and handicraft tourism across various territories of Gujarat. The conclave further shed light on bridging the gap between weavers and tourists to encourage tourism while adding value to the economic well-being of weavers and artisans.

In the one-day textile & handicraft tourism symposium, 18 speakers from the NGOs, artisans, private tourism industry stalwarts, and the government representative from Gujarat tourism did a brainstorming session on policies and promotions to revive these twin sectors. A number of artists also took part in the symposium and addressed their issues that have been well thought-out by the speakers.  The compiled report will be submitted to the state government to resolve the issues.

SYMPOSIUM SPEAKERS