Himachal's shawl industry enters Guinness Book for largest display of hand-woven pieces

Shimla, Jan 3 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh's traditional shawl industry on Saturday made its way into the Guinness Book of World Records for displaying more than 4,000 hand-woven pieces under one roof at the MSME Fest here, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said.

Inaugurating the three-day micro, small, medium enterprises (MSME) Fest at the Ridge here, Sukhu said the achievement has brought global recognition to the state's handloom products.

He said self-help groups and other entrepreneurs from different districts created the shawls, all of which were handcrafted in Khadi, with each exhibit carrying handloom certifications and GI tagging.

"These are products of traditional weavers from almost every district, including Kullu, Kinnaur, Chamba, Kangra, and Sirmaur, known for carrying a legacy of intricate patterns and multiple colours and have existed for hundreds of years and in Kinnaur, the weavers take seven to eight months or even a year to create one shawl," Sukhu said.

He said representatives of reputed national and international companies visiting the state during the fest would provide opportunities to artisans, weavers and small entrepreneurs to directly showcase and market their products to global buyers.

Festival coordinator Anjana Thakur told PTI that the hand-made shawls were brought from all across the state and displayed under one roof.

In Kinnaur, the weavers take seven to eight months or even a year to create one shawl. The highest-priced shawl from Kinnaur showcased at the festival is worth Rs 1.75 lakh, Thakur said.

The entire Kullu district and the remote interior mountain pockets of Mandi are popular hubs of the weaving industry, with women being the biggest stakeholders.

Traditionally, during winters when Kullu, Kinnaur, Mandi, and Lahaul-Spiti used to be snowbound and cut off from the rest of the country, families would devote their time to weaving on looms to make "patti" (or pattu) from natural wool with white, grey and black colours for clothing, shawls, and coats for personal use.

Kullu shawls have held a GI tag since 2004, helping traditional weavers protect the authenticity of the craft and link it to its region.

The chief minister said the event will set a new direction for MSMEs in Himachal Pradesh. He noted that in the last three years, the state government held meetings with investors in major industrial hubs such as Dubai, Japan and Mumbai, resulting in the signing of Memorandums of Understanding worth Rs 5,000 crore.

He said 683 industrial projects worth Rs 14,000 crore have been approved, which are expected to generate employment opportunities for around 32,000 people.

With a view to strengthening the MSMEs in rural areas, proposals worth Rs 1,642 crore have been submitted to the central government, out of which Rs 109.34 crore has been approved so far, and 107 start-ups have been launched in the State during the past three years, he said in a statement. PTI BPL RHL