Assam start-up wins National Handloom Award for ‘Soil-to-Silk’ model
Marvella Associates from Assam has won a National Handloom Award for its Soil-to-Silk model. The recognition spotlights Sualkuchi's weaving heritage and its link to rural livelihoods.
- Aug 09, 2026,
- Updated Aug 09, 2026, 9:06 AM IST
An Assam-based start-up has won a National Handloom Award for its work in integrating silk production, traditional weaving and rural livelihoods, bringing national recognition to Sualkuchi’s centuries-old handloom heritage.
Marvella Associates, co-founded by Pakumoni Das and Jugal Bharali, received the award in the start-up venture category from President Droupadi Murmu on National Handloom Day.
The award was among 22 national honours presented for achievements across India’s handloom sector. The list included three Sant Kabir Handloom Awards and 19 National Handloom Awards covering areas such as weaving, innovation, design development, marketing, start-up ventures and producer companies.
Based in Sualkuchi, Assam’s famed silk-weaving town, Marvella has developed what it calls a ‘Soil-to-Silk’ model, taking visitors through the entire silk-making process — from cultivating host plants and rearing eri and muga silkworms to cocoon production, yarn reeling, dyeing, weaving and finishing.
The model seeks to connect the production process with the livelihoods of the people involved, while giving visitors a closer understanding of Assam’s silk and weaving traditions.
The start-up has also introduced the model to students as a way of building awareness about the state’s weaving heritage and the communities dependent on it.
The National Handloom Awards are given under the Handloom Marketing Assistance component of the National Handloom Development Programme. According to officials, the awards recognise creativity, quality and innovation while highlighting efforts to preserve traditional skills through contemporary approaches.
Marvella’s latest recognition adds to an award it received from the Ministry of Tourism in the craft category in 2025.
The venture says its larger goal is to develop a self-sustaining Assamese village economy built around traditional practices, including handloom weaving, folk music, rituals, agriculture and the use of local plants and herbs.