Ahmedabad, 13 August 2025: 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. On the 11th National Handloom Day (7 August 2025) at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, Union Textiles Minister Shri Giriraj Singh, Minister of State for Textiles Shri Pabitra Margherita, and senior officials from the Ministry of Textiles presented the award 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. Polio in childhood and the responsibility of caring for his younger differently abled brother shaped Bhojrajbhai’s life as much as resilience did, along with 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.
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In 2023, the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), under its flagship project supported by HSBC, ‘Handmade in India’, to spearhead Mashroo’s revival. They enrolled Bhojrajbhai as a beneficiary, providing him with 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, India’s textile heritage not only preserves itself but also weaves into the fabric of the nation’s future.
About Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII)
Apex financial institutions—IDBI Bank Ltd., IFCI Ltd., ICICI Bank Ltd., and State Bank of India (SBI)—set up the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad, in 1983 as an autonomous and not-for-profit institute. The Government of Gujarat pledged twenty-three acres of land on which stands the majestic and sprawling EDII Campus. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India, has recognised EDII as the CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE.
About Project HandMade in India (HMI)
HandMade in India (HMI) – II, the three-year project (2024-27) is sponsored by HSBC. The project team is implementing it in Bhuj and Erode and aims to benefit over 1000 weavers and artisans by building capacity in natural dyes, engaging designers, creating market linkages, developing products, participating in exhibitions and seminars, and linking them to government schemes dedicated to the handloom sector to grow weaves, improve livelihoods, and conduct entrepreneurship sessions.
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