In a story that embodies tradition and innovation, Bhojrajbhai Damjibhai, a differently abled Mashroo weaving artisan from Gadhshisha, Kutch, has been conferred the prestigious National Handloom Award 2025 for reviving the rare Bharasai Mashroo design, a 400-year-old floral motif once thought lost to time. The award was presented on the 11th National Handloom Day (7 August 2025) at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, by Union Textiles Minister Shri Giriraj Singh; Minister of State for Textiles, Government of India, Shri Pabitra Margherita, and senior officials from the Ministry of Textiles, in the presence of Smt. Kangana Ranaut, Member of the Lok Sabha.
Bhojrajbhai learnt Mashroo weaving from his father, Damjibhai, who integrated the craft into Khadi production in Kutch. Stricken by polio in childhood and later entrusted with the care of his younger brother, who is also differently abled, Bhojrajbhai’s life was shaped as much by resilience as by the rhythmic clatter of the loom.
When Mashroo weaving faced near extinction in the 1990s due to mass-produced power loom imitations, Bhojrajbhai refused to let the art die. Without corporate backing, he sought out markets independently, trained young men and women in his village, and provided them with work and equipment, turning his home into both a workshop and a school for heritage preservation. Even a battle with cancer could not keep him from the loom.
In 2023, the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), under its flagship project supported by HSBC, ‘Handmade in India’, to spearhead Mashroo’s revival. Bhojrajbhai was enrolled as a beneficiary, receiving advanced design development training, exposure to innovative yarn options, and access to new design layouts. In May 2025, recognising his painstaking work in resurrecting the Bharasai Mashroo design, Bhojrajbhai approached EDII for help in applying for the National Handloom Award. EDII’s project team worked closely with him to conceptualise a thematic sample product and compile a compelling application.
Bhojrajbhai said, “Winning this award is a proud moment not just for me, but for every Mashroo weaver who has worked to keep this tradition alive. With EDII’s support, I was able to revive a design close to my heart and take our craft to the national stage.”
With champions like Bhojrajbhai and institutions like EDII bridging tradition with opportunity, the threads of India’s textile heritage are not just preserved; they are woven into the fabric of the nation’s future.
