Elephant motifs on Indian handloom weaves are common. However, not many know that the significance of the motif can vary across different craft traditions. The ubiquitous elephant motif on the Maniabandha weave from Odisha, for instance, has a Buddhist lineage. Maniabandha is one of the few Indian villages where people practise both Buddhism and Hinduism. Therefore, their weaves represent a blend of Hindu and Buddhist cultures.

Handloom patrons today are eager to understand the story behind each craft they invest in. It’s not just the beauty of the product that attracts them; they want to know the story behind the craft, the motifs, and how sustainably the textiles are produced. Antaran, Tata Trusts’ craft-based livelihood programme, has introduced an IoT device that captures every detail of the weave while it is on the loom—recording the type of yarn used, the time taken to weave, and details about the weaver.

“You can even upload a video and watch the weaver working on the loom. The consumer gets to know who wove it, where, and when. There is complete authenticity,” points out Mridula Tangirala, Head (Tourism), Tata Trusts.

The IoT device is currently fitted in a few looms across weaving clusters in Odisha, with plans to replicate it in other clusters in Nagaland, Assam, and Andhra Pradesh. “We are assessing the economics of it. We can fund a few devices, but we need to determine what it would take for weavers to invest in them and how the start-up can reach a price point that benefits both ends of the market,” explains Tangirala.

Through Antaran, Tata Trusts impacts the lives of 300 weaver entrepreneurs and around 3,000 artisans. Tangirala is surprised by the positive response to the IoT device. She notes that buyers in the local weaver market of Bargarh, Odisha, were willing to pay a premium for products with traceability. “We were surprised by the enthusiastic response. Now, we are trying to determine whether having a traceability tag would fetch a premium price or drive higher sales and faster turnaround,” she adds.

The IoT device also helps preserve the story behind each weave’s design. “When weavers participate in fairs, it is difficult for them to tell their own stories. They are not always skilled in storytelling. If the product itself conveys a story, it becomes easier for them,” says Tangirala.

The Antaran Model

It is well known that handlooms struggle to find buyers, even though the handloom industry is the second-largest employer in India after agriculture. Every Indian state has a rich handloom heritage, but due to a lack of innovation and the rise of power looms, which enable large-scale manufacturing, traditional weaving has taken a backseat.

Since 2018, Tata Trusts has been working to empower handloom entrepreneurs through a grassroots entrepreneurship model. “Over the past 30-40 years, markets have become increasingly distant. Local buyers started preferring mill-made products, disrupting both market preferences and supply chains. Artisans had to purchase mill-produced yarns and rely on commercial dyers, making it harder to customise products with natural fibres—an essential feature that once added value to handwoven crafts. The artisans struggled at both ends of the value chain. Antaran is trying to rebuild this ecosystem,” explains Tangirala.

The entrepreneurship development model fosters direct connections between buyers and sellers (weavers), facilitated by Antaran. Besides linking weavers with buyers—typically ethnic wear brands such as Nalli, Kalpadruma, and iTokri—Antaran trains them to develop contemporary designs, leverage technology for scalability, and use social media for marketing. The initiative has also educated weavers on pricing strategies. “They weren’t accounting for wastage or returns. They weren’t incorporating buffers, so if something went wrong, they bore the losses,” Tangirala adds.

Weaver Akula Chandra Nandi, from the village of Maniabandha in Odisha’s Cuttack district—renowned for its colourful Khandua weave—shares his transformation. After struggling with a hand-to-mouth existence for over 30 years, he associated with Antaran in 2018. “This year, my target is to achieve ₹1.5 crore in revenue. I have 50-60 weavers working under me, each earning ₹1,400 per sari they weave. My saris, dupattas, and stoles are bought by brands like Nalli, and I now travel across India for exhibitions,” says Nandi, who now aspires to sell to international brands. With Tata Trusts’ support, he has also launched his direct-to-consumer start-up, Triratna Handlooms.

For 30-year-old homemaker-turned-entrepreneur Vekuvolo Dozo from Nagaland, the greatest moment of pride was when she started earning more than her husband. “I launched my home furnishing brand, Viko Ethnic, in 2020. I employ 13 women—college dropouts, mothers, and widows,” she proudly states.

Every weaving cluster, says Tangirala, has unique challenges, necessitating tailored interventions. Odisha, for instance, has closely knit weaving communities, unlike Assam and Nagaland, where weavers are more dispersed. “In Odisha, weavers congregate at our centre. In Assam and Nagaland, however, we travel to individual weavers' homes. Since production is smaller in these markets, a direct-to-consumer strategy is more viable. We facilitate direct or online connections for them. But in Odisha, we provide B2B links with large-scale handloom buyers like Nalli,” she explains.

Why is Antaran not considering a marketplace model like its sister concern Okhai, a CSR initiative of Tata Chemicals? While Tangirala does not rule it out, she emphasises that Antaran’s priority is grassroots entrepreneurship. “We want to create a replicable model that can be adopted by anyone working in the crafts sector. Alongside entrepreneurship, cluster development is crucial. The strength of an artisan depends on the strength of their cluster. So, we are working on a cluster rejuvenation approach. If this model is widely adopted, craft interventions will become much easier. This grassroots entrepreneurship model has not been attempted before.”

Tangirala claims that, over the last six years, craft entrepreneurs’ earnings have increased by 100%. “A weaver who once had two looms now has 50. Entrepreneurs who had an annual turnover of ₹2 lakh now earn ₹70 lakh,” she states.

Antaran Tata Trusts

How Tata Trusts' Antaran is weaving a new future for India's handloom artisans with tech and tradition