Fashion Guru and textile revivalist Prasad Bidapa, who has been honoured with the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award this year for his contribution to fashion, sees the recognition as an opportunity to draw attention to the state’s rich textile and artisanal heritage. He believes Karnataka’s silks, cottons and traditional crafts have the potential to become global luxury products, provided they receive sustained government support. In a conversation with us, he discusses the need to revive traditional weaving, build brands around local crafts and place Karnataka’s textiles on international fashion runways.
You do not have to hold their hands for 20 years. Because it ultimately becomes a profit-and-loss question, you cannot expect the private sector to shoulder this responsibility entirely. Because we are the cradle of silk, karnataka, more than almost any other state, has the potential to do this.
Without government support, it is very difficult to change that. Even initiatives such as Swadesh , backed by the Ambanis, address only a small percentage of India’s artisanal community. If the government takes textiles seriously, it can transform the lives of a significant section of the population. Textiles are not just about spinning and weaving. The industry encompasses cotton farming, silk rearing, processing, printing, dyeing, retail and much more. Imagine the scale of employment and economic activity it can generate. I hope it opens doors and encourages the government to listen to the programmes and projects we have developed for silk revival, Dharwad cotton and other wonderful textile traditions. Why can’t we create globally recognised products using Karnataka’s traditional textiles and crafts? There is nothing particularly difficult about it. We need the right support. The government can invest in making weavers and artisans into brands, improving their livelihoods and giving their products a global platform. Support them for three or four years, help them build a strong foundation, and they can take it forward themselves. If you travel along the silk route through Ramanagara, Channapatna, Srirangapatna and Mandya, you see very little of the activity that should be happening. These places should be buzzing. The government needs to take up the revival of the sector on a war footing, working with the textile and tourism departments. For instance, we could have created a tourism experience around the silk route, attracting Japanese visitors in particular. Groups of hundreds could travel from Bengaluru to Mysuru, experiencing how silk is reared, spun and woven. The Japanese love these textiles. Such an initiative could become a significant tourism attraction. For me, this award is representative. It is not about me; it is about the entire sector receiving recognition. I hope the government will now take up the cause with greater urgency, listen to the projects being developed across the country and help transform this wonderful sector into a global sensation.
Mulberry silk from Karnataka has reached every other part of the country, but look at the state of our own silk industry today.