Maheshwari Sarees – From Traditional Roots to Contemporary Style Statements

 Maheshwari Sarees – From Traditional Roots to Contemporary Style Statements 

#Richard Holkar, Shali Holkar #Maheshwari sarees #Holkar dynasty #Holkar Foundation #womenweaves #skill development #community center #collaboration#sustainability #ethical practices #zero-waste policy# fair wages #eco-friendly dyes #heritage craft #global audience# livelihood #tradition #craft #Informal #SeemaMishra #MaheshGulati #shalyholkar #mansiChaudhary#Apoorva Chaudhary#Sangitasingh

The Maheshwari saree originated in the town of Maheshwar in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is said that the weaving of Maheshwari sarees dates to the 18th century when Rani Ahilya Bai Holkar, a queen and ruler of the Holkar dynasty, invited weavers from Surat and Malwa to Maheshwar to create a distinct weaving style for her kingdom. The Maheshwari sarees were initially woven using cotton, but over time, silk was also introduced to create more luxurious and vibrant sarees. The motifs and designs on Maheshwari sarees are inspired by the natural beauty of Maheshwar and the ancient temples and forts in the surrounding areas, making each saree unique. Today, Maheshwari sarees are popular for their soft texture, lightweight, and vibrant colors, and are worn by women all over India for various occasions. 

Richard Holkar has played a significant role in the development of Maheshwari sarees. He is the scion of the Holkar dynasty and has been actively working towards the preservation and promotion of Maheshwari handloom textiles. 

In the 1970s, Richard Holkar’s mother, Maharani Sanyogita Devi, began a revival project for Maheshwari weavers, who were facing tough competition from power loom fabrics. Richard Holkar furthered this initiative and formed the Holkar Foundation, which aimed to uplift the socio-economic status of the weavers and promote their craft. 

Under his leadership, the foundation launched several programs to improve the production, quality, and design of Maheshwari sarees. They provided training to weavers on new technologies and techniques, organized workshops for skill development, and even built a community center for the weavers. 

Richard Holkar also collaborated with designers and brands to take Maheshwari sarees to a wider market, both nationally and internationally. The foundation has participated in several fashion shows and exhibitions to showcase the sarees and increase awareness of the craft. 

Today, the Holkar Foundation is recognized as one of the leading organizations working towards the preservation and promotion of Maheshwari handloom textiles, and Richard Holkar’s contributions in this regard have been instrumental. 

UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that mainly focuses on promoting industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization, and environmental sustainability. UNIDO has been working closely with the Indian government and the private sector to promote the Maheshwari saree industry. 

The role of UNIDO in the promotion of Maheshwari sarees has been significant in the following areas  

1. Capacity Building: It has provided training on dyeing, weaving, and finishing techniques to improve the quality of the sarees. 

2. Market Linkages: building market linkages for the Maheshwari sarees industry. It has organized exhibitions and trade fairs to showcase the sarees to potential buyers and promote the industry. 

3. Sustainable Development:  promoting sustainable development in the Maheshwari sarees industry. It has been promoting the use of eco-friendly dyes and sustainable production practices to reduce the impact of the industry on the environment. 

4. Branding and Marketing:  branding and marketing strategies for the Maheshwari sarees. It has provided assistance in creating a brand image for the sarees and promoting them in domestic and international markets. 

Many designers and film personalities have been spotted wearing Maheshwari sarees. Some of them are: 

1. Vidya Balan – Bollywood actress known for her love for traditional sarees is often seen wearing Maheshwari sarees. 

2. Kiran Rao – Filmmaker and wife of Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao is known for her minimalist style and is often seen in Maheshwari sarees. 

3. Ritu Kumar – Fashion designer Ritu Kumar has collaborated with the Maheshwar Handloom Cluster to create contemporary designs in Maheshwari sarees. 

4. Sabyasachi Mukherjee – Designer Sabyasachi has also used Maheshwari fabric in his collections. 

5. Uma Prajapati – Founder of Upasana, a sustainable fashion brand, Uma Prajapati has been working closely with Maheshwari weavers to promote the sarees and create new design  

6. Gauri Khan – Interior designer and wife of Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri Khan has also been spotted wearing Maheshwari sarees. 

7. Sonam Kapoor – Bollywood actress and fashion icon, Sonam Kapoor has been seen wearing Maheshwari sarees at various events. 

7.  Sangeeta Bijlani – Former Miss India and Bollywood actress, Sangeeta Bijlani has also been seen wearing Maheshwari sarees. 

8. Rhea Kapoor – Fashion stylist and sister of Sonam Kapoor, Rhea Kapoor has also showcased Maheshwari sarees as part of her clothing line, Rheson. 

9.  Kangana Ranaut – Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut has been seen wearing Maheshwari sarees in various promotions and events. 

Maheshwari sarees were granted GI (Geographical Indication) certification in the year 2018. The Geographical Indication Registry granted the GI tag to Maheshwari sarees that are traditionally woven in the Maheshwar town of Madhya Pradesh. The GI tag certifies that the sarees are authentic and have unique qualities and characteristics attributed to the region they originate from. This certification has helped promote and protect the Maheshwari saree industry from imitation and has brought recognition to the rich cultural heritage of the region. 

Gi or Geographical Indication is a certification that identifies a product as originating from a specific geographical area that has unique qualities, reputation, or other characteristics associated with that area. The Maheshwari sarees industry can benefit greatly from obtaining a GI certification. Here are some ways that GI can help Maheshwari sarees: 

1. Protection from Imitation: GI certification provides legal protection against the imitation of Maheshwari sarees. It creates an exclusive brand identity for the sarees, preventing others from using the name Maheshwari on sarees that are not produced in the region. 

2. Increased Market Demand: GI certification creates a unique identity for Maheshwari sarees, which increases the demand of the product in the market. People are willing to pay more for products with unique or exclusive features, which can result in increased sales and revenues for the industry. 

3. Tourism Promotion: GI certification can also be used to promote tourism in the Maheshwari region. Tourists are attracted to places that are known for unique products or experiences, and the certification can be used to promote the sarees along with the region’s cultural heritage. 

4. Quality Assurance: GI certification also ensures the maintenance of quality standards and production processes of Maheshwari sarees. With the certification, saree lovers can be assured that they are buying an authentic product that meets a certain level of quality. 

 

https://www.facebook.com/ansari.handloomcreation 

maheshwaricreations.org 

https://www.facebook.com/gulrez.ansari.311 

Formalisation of Indian Economy

 

Cluster Governance

The recent civil society agitations have highlighted an important issue of governance within the congress party. In spite of all good intentions by the government, what is missing is the face of governance. There is excess of virtual governance by the leadership. This has to some extent resulted into trust deficit with the common men.Dr. Manmohan Singh need to more visible to common public to convert the values of government in the belief of people. Similarly the role of field agency and leadership is critical important to make any cluster globally competitive. How a cluster leadership conduct itself in the cluster is very important. The play of cluster norms through cluster networks converting into functional trust is direct function of leadership or more clearly the visible leadership.

NEW STAKEHOLDERS IN CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA

In the last six month there is daily news in the newspaper on the role of national chambers in the development of clusters. A new bred of stakeholders in the cluster development work is evolving due to a large chunk of funds is allocated to Clusters related activities by Government India.

Most of the National Industry Chambers suddenly activated interest in MICRO SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (most of these Chamber don’t even have provision to make MSMEs as their members). The inorganic growth of such stakeholders also doesn’t understand the actual meaning of cluster. There is now competition among chambers to control the large amount of funds available for cluster development.

The very interesting part of the scenario is that anything and everything related to group of firms is equated to a cluster (unlike network) if CII is working with 10 companies for quality improvement they call it cluster development programme.

The cluster concept by new stakeholders in cluster development is perceived in a much narrower and very limited sense and to a great extent not even actually applying cluster development tools for actual competitiveness of the clusters.

100 GIs in India

The registration of Geographical Indications has reached to 100 in the last 4 four years .  An interesting dimension observed in GI registration is that a number of government agencies specially state governments have not only started the facilitation of GI work in their respective states but also started owning some GIs on behalf of local Communities. One of the first states to play a proactive role in GIs was Himachal Pradesh. Similarly, Karanataka and WestBengal have also filed a number of GI cases.

Recently,  GOI has given mandate to APEDA to work on filling of GI for basmati rice. 

The Genesis of GI Act rest on the fact that the owner of the GI should ensure benefits of GI registration should go the producers of the product. With the rise of third party ownership of GI registration there is strong possibility that such benefits will dilute or may not accrue to the producers.

The  best model to own GI is the producers themselves. The most appropriate example of this is Darjeeling TEA, where the TEA board, which is a producers organisation, own the Darjeeling TEA GI. Needless to say that after GI TEA producers have been jointly benefited.

With 100 GIs another undesired development observed  is mad rush for GI registration. There are different kinds of arguments like in one the cases in Karnataka a particular type of banana is registered to revive its production.

It seems that there is need for more sensitisation on the significance of GI in three different contexts. Regional Context- where GI can become one of the tools to empower local economy secondly,  at the national level where  through GI  misuse of potential market may be avoided third at international level where GI  may help in better respect for our products in international markets.

The issues such as quality control, good supply chain management and traceability of GI products require special attentions by the owners of GI.

The use of Information Communication Technology specially use of web in popularising of GI products, list of producers and unique qualities may be very useful.

  

THE EXPERIENCE SHARING OF CLUSTER RELATED DEVELOPMENTS

Cluster Development Policy initiatives are increasing in number in both developed and developing countries. In the next six months two important events happening to share such experiences.
The conference on 22nd and 23rd September in Berlin presents latest achievements and new initiatives of cluster development in European countries . The focus will be on know-how on the current development of European cluster initiatives and efficient cluster management. International experts will show solutions for national and regional authorities. Representatives of cluster initiatives share their experience on management tools, transnational clusters, national programmes and the role of national authorities in regional development policies. As a communication platform this conference brings together actors of cluster management from public institutions in charge of innovation and regional development policy, research institutes, universities and the private sector

The conference brouchure is available at : http://www.europaeische-akademie.net/fileadmin/user_upload/dateien/seminare/Brochure_Cluster-Policy_PR.pdf

The second event will take place at Cape Town, South Africa. The theme of the conference is CLUSTERS: Meeting the Challenge of Globalization. The conference will during its three days programme 29-31 october will cover the following main areas:
Clear methodologies around managing cluster programmes
1. Shifting the frontiers regarding the measurement and impact of cluster initiatives
2. Fine tuning the practical tools to be applied by cluster practitioners
3. Identification of the challenges and opportunities in running cluster initiatives and programmes
More information on conference is available at :
http://www.sbs.co.za/tci2008/

Information and Communication Technology Infrastructure in Industrial Clusters

To integrate into global economy is one of the biggest challenges for MSMEs. Due to limited financial capabilities there are challenges to invest in technology which is necessary for such integration. Recently, during the discussion with one of the buying houses the doubts were raised on the logistic readiness of MSMEs to match with international retail chains. What should we do for this? Internationally Technology Centers are playing an important role to support small and medium enterprises by providing state of art ICT support. Recently, Microsoft under project Vikas has set up India’s first E-readiness centre to facilitate extensive application of ICT in Tirupur Knitwear Cluster in India. It will help more than 5000 textile units to get access to latest useful IT applications, an interesting read in todays’ THE HINDU at http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/06/stories/2008060657360100.htm