National handloom expo begins

Odisha Channel Bureau Bhubaneswar, Feb 5: The National Handloom Expo-2015 was inaugurated by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the exhibition ground here on Wednesday evening.Hundreds of artisans from different parts of the country are participating in the annual event to demonstrate and sell their products.The expo will continue till March 1. Speaking on the occasion, Patnaik said that India has immense significance for its intricate hand-wovens all over the world since ages.“The highly evolved weaving skills in handloom of our country have made great contribution to our art and culture.This bears testimony to the wonderful artistic ability and tradition of artisans of our country,” said Patnaik.The Chief Minister said that with the advent of modern times, drastic change in fashion and rapid growth of technology driven textile sector, the handloom sector faces steep competition and challenges for which traditional artisans are leaving their age old profession.Today, it is a great challenge before all of us to preserve, protect and promote our old handloom heritage. The organisation of National Handloom Expo at this point of time by the Government of India and Government of Odisha provides a common platform to our weavers for wide publicity and promotion of their products, he added.