AGARTALA, August 7 (TIWN): The first National Handloom Day was celebrated on Friday at Pragna Bhawan.

Directorate of Handloom, Handicrafts and Sericulture Government, Director T.K Chakma on Friday inaugurated the first National Handloom Day.

The date August 7 has been chosen due to its special significance in India`s history; it was on this day that the Swadeshi Movement was launched in 1905.

The formal proclamation of Swadeshi Movement was made on August 7, 1905, in a massive meeting in the Calcutta Town hall.

The movement involved revival of domestic products and production processes. The Government of India has declared August 7 as National Handloom Day every year, in memory of this.

The celebration of the day and honouring of handloom weavers will provide an impetus to the Handloom industries of India and will also help in promoting handloom as a genuine international product.

The auspicious day will be celebrated all over the country with the coordination of the State Government.

India has one of the finest textile traditions in the world. The handloom industry of India is as old as our civilisation itself and boasts of a lot of living traditions to this day.

The tradition of weaving by hand is a part of the country's cultural ethos. The handloom sector has a unique place in our economy. It has been sustained by transferring skills from one generation to another.

During the programme, Paschim Tripura Zilla Parishad Sabhadhipati Dilip Das, Assistant Consultant of Special Handloom Development Projects H. Bhowmik and others were present at the programme.