ThisisNews Network
Ladakh: The Looms of Ladakh Cooperative has expressed its gratitude to Yeshwant Holkar III, his wife Nyrika Holkar, and members of the Holkar family for visiting the cooperative and encouraging its artisan members during their recent interaction.
The cooperative noted that 14 of its member-owners are alumni of The Handloom School in Maheshwar, an institution widely recognised for its role in preserving and advancing India’s handloom traditions.
According to the cooperative, its association with The Handloom School dates back to 2018, when efforts were initiated to enrol members in the institution’s advanced residential programme in weaving and business management. After several months of correspondence, the first batch of two artisans from Ladakh was admitted to the programme.
At the time, the school primarily catered to Maheshwar’s weaving community. Training at the institution introduced the Ladakh artisans to modern design methodologies, including reading weave graphs for design innovation. Prior to the programme, the cooperative’s pashmina and yak wool artisans largely produced plain and twill shawls.
The exposure to advanced weaving techniques, design development and business management laid the foundation for the evolution of Looms of Ladakh’s contemporary design vocabulary. The cooperative said this transformation has been further strengthened over the years through the contributions of its design team, master weavers and technical advisor Bijan.
The cooperative also acknowledged the historic Holkar family for its continued encouragement and support throughout its journey of growth and innovation.
Today, under the leadership of Yeshwant Holkar III, The Handloom School has expanded its reach well beyond Maheshwar and is providing weaving, design and business management training to artisans from 34 states and Union Territories across India, contributing significantly to the strengthening of the country’s handloom ecosystem.
