Nagaland weavers earn top honours on National Handloom Day

DIMAPUR — Nagaland’s legacy of handloom weaving took centre stage on Wednesday as the state won three prestigious awards at the 10th National Handloom Day celebration held at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi.

Government of India recognised exceptional talent and contributions of handloom artisans across the country at the event, attended by Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar, Union Minister for Textiles Giriraj Singh, and Union State Minister for Textiles Pabitra Margherita.

Vekuvolo Dozo of Naga United Village, Chümoukedima, was conferred the National Award for Handloom 2023 for her outstanding contributions to the handloom sector.

Adding to the state’s accolades, Reena Rajiyung from Dhansiripar, Chümoukedima, was awarded a certificate for individual intervention benefits under the National Handloom Development Programme, implemented by the Development Commissioner for Handlooms.

Furthermore, the Weavers Service Centre in Dimapur, led by Head of Office Sarbeswar Das, received a special award for outstanding performance, among best performing centres.

On the occasion, the Vice President of India conferred the Sant Kabir Award to five weavers from across the country, while twelve handloom artisans were honoured with the National Award.