As is the case in most of the 545 handloom clusters in the country, almost every member of a family is involved in the process of weaving in Nuapatna. We have been able to triple household incomes in the last six years through digital interventions in the processes of designing, archiving, marketing and sales. But we had a dedicated team that did not rest till we found an apt technology to introduce in the weaving clusters. Thankfully, Microsoft came forward and supported us to integrate digital tools in creating Digikala—the project title for transforming the two ikat handloom clusters into digital handloom clusters. Osama Manzar is founder-director of Digital Empowerment Foundation and chair of Manthan and mBillionth awards.

Source: Mint February 21, 2017 19:28 UTC