After playing an instrumental role in getting Geographical Indication (GI) for 'Tangaliya, a 700-year-old hand woven textile craft from Surendranagar district, the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) is now trying to revive and give a new identity to this dying art.
GI of goods are defined as that aspect of industrial property which refer to the geographical indication referring to a country or a place of origin of that product, and conveys assurance of quality and distinctiveness which is essentially attributable to the fact of its origin.
"The Tangaliya Hastkala Association, (THA) which got registration under GI, is a congregation of 226 Tangaliya weavers, and was created on the initiative of NIFT," Rajesh Gupta, Project In-charge, NIFT (Gandhinagar) said.
"NIFT as part of its cluster development initiative is imparting training to Tangaliya weavers, and has conducted over 20 workshops on skill building and design development, which has drastically changed the woven textile range of this craft," Gupta said.
"After getting GI for our dying craft a delegation from Australia and Kenya visited my house and inquired about Tangaliya... They told me orders will be placed once the samples are approved," President Tangaliya Hastkala Association (THA) Jaha Rathore said.
The GI registration has made this unique woven textile from Surendranagar district famous world over, and it could be the first step towards revival of this 700-year-old dying craft of Tangaliya, Rathore said.
Tangaliya's weaving comprises knotting a contrast color thread say maroon, green, yellow, pink, orange along the warp and pushing them together to create the effect of raised dots.
Tangaliya is an exquisite woven textile of Gujarat is synonymous with traditional costume (shawl) of Bharvad (shepherd community) women and is manufactured using pit looms at homes.
According to Gupta, Tangaliya weavers are now using yarns like marino wool and eri silk, instead of traditional sheep wool for making mufflers, shawls, stoles and other garments.
"Tangaliya today has new identity as THA members have started manufacturing wrap arounds, suit pieces, tops, stoles ...For which placement of tangaliya dots is customised on fabric by NIFT," Gupta said.
The weavers have now started manufacturing on frame looms, instead of the traditional pit looms, which has helped in increasing the cloth width thus paving way for designing, he added.
Among number of communities that co-exist in Gujarat, the women of Bharwad community of Vankaner, Amreli, Dehgam, Surendranagar, Joravarnagar, Botad, Bhavnagar and Kutch can be identified by the Tangaliya shawl they wear, Gupta said.
Ramraj, Charmalia, Dhunslu, and Lobdi are some of the prominent types of Tangaliya being woven in clusters situated in villages of Dedara, Vastadi, Godavari and Vadla in Surendranagar district.
India, as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) had enacted the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection) Act in 1999 which has come into force from 2003.
