Northeast artisans shine as President honours handloom excellence on National Handloom Day

Northeast India's rich weaving traditions were among the biggest highlights as President Droupadi Murmu presented the Sant Kabir Handloom Awards and National Handloom Awards 2025 to 22 weavers, designers, cooperatives and entrepreneurs at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre on the occasion of National Handloom Day.

Assam's Runima Chetiya Choudhury received the prestigious Sant Kabir Handloom Award, the highest civilian honour in the handloom sector, for her Muga silk saree. Assam-based Marvella Associates was also recognised under the Start-up Ventures/Producer Company category at the National Handloom Awards, reflecting the state's growing contribution to innovation and entrepreneurship in the handloom sector.

Sikkim also featured among this year's award-winning traditions, with Lepcha textiles recognised as part of the country's diverse handloom heritage. Manipur was among the 13 states and Union Territories represented in this year's list of awardees.

The Sant Kabir Handloom Awards were presented to three artisans. Besides Choudhury, the award went to Ram Meher of Odisha for the Bichitpar Khadi Saree and Shah Muhammad Ansari of Uttar Pradesh for the Zarbaft Shewatambari Awadh Jamdhani Saree.

Nineteen recipients were honoured under various categories of the National Handloom Awards for excellence in weaving, design development, marketing and entrepreneurship. Award-winning creations included Kanchipuram silk sarees from Tamil Nadu, Ikat sarees from Telangana, Cotton Tussar Half-and-Half Jamdani sarees from Andhra Pradesh, Maheshwari sarees from Madhya Pradesh, Kani shawls from Jammu and Kashmir, 500-count Khadi Muslin Jamdani sarees from West Bengal and Jagatsinghpur sarees from Odisha.

Special awards were also presented to women weavers, young weavers, tribal artisans, divyang weavers and craftspeople working to revive endangered weaving traditions.

Recognition extended beyond weaving, with Gopinathan MV of Tamil Nadu and Mantu Basak of West Bengal honoured for design development. N. Venkateswara Rao of Andhra Pradesh and CH-31 Kovilvazhi Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society of Tamil Nadu received awards for marketing handloom products.

The awardees represented Odisha, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Manipur, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Sikkim, showcasing the country's diverse textile traditions.

Observed annually on August 7, National Handloom Day commemorates the Swadeshi Movement of 1905 and recognises the contribution of the handloom sector to preserving traditional crafts, generating rural livelihoods and supporting millions of weaving families across India.