To encourage entrepreneurship among women, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi purchased a few products, including textile items, on International Women’ Day yesterday. Traditional textile products bought by Modi included a gamusa (product of Assam), a stole (Bihar), and two shawls (Tamil Nadu and Nagaland)—all handmade and unique products.
Announcing the purchases made by him, PM Modi wrote in his twitter account: “Women are playing a leading role in India’s quest to become Aatmanirbhar. On International Women’s Day, let us commit to encouraging entrepreneurship among women. Today, I bought a few products that celebrate women enterprise, creativity and India’s culture.”
“You have seen me wear the Gamusa very often. It is extremely comfortable. Today, I bought a Gamusa made by various self-help groups of Kakatipapung Development Block,” Modi wrote.
The Gamusa is made by women of different self-help groups (SHGs) of Kakatipapung Development Block under Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission (ASRLM), a government of Assam initiative for promotion of sustainable livelihood in rural areas.
ASRLM empowers rural women Self Help Groups (SHGs) with capacity building, credit linkage and market support. All products produced by the SHGs are sold under the brand name ‘ASOMI’. The word ASOMI is an amalgamation of alphabets A- Atmo SO- Sohayok, M- Mahila Gootor, I- Identity (Porichoy). ASOMI also evokes the identity of Assamese people. Buying ASOMI products encourages entrepreneurship among women SHG members and contributes to women empowerment in rural Assam.
Writing about the stole purchased by him, Modi said, “Khadi is closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi and India’s rich history. Bought a Khadi Cotton Madhubani Painted Stole. This is a top quality product and is closely associated with the creativity of our citizens.”
Madhubani painting is a traditional style of painting practiced in Mithila region of Bihar having GI status. The stole is made by the rural women SHG members of Bihar. Buying hand drawn madhubani painted stole of khadi cotton supports rural artisans in making their lives better and shows love towards handmade and traditional products.
The Prime Minister also bought two shawls. He wrote on twitter: “The exquisite hand embroidered Shawl made by artisans of the Toda Tribe of Tamil Nadu looked wonderful. I purchased one such shawl. This product is marketed by Tribes India.” He added, “India is proud of the Naga Culture, synonymous with bravery, compassion and creativity. Purchased a traditional shawl from Nagaland.”
