State govt, NIFT join hands to reboot khadi in Bihar

The state government and NIFT-Patna have recently joined hands to rebrand the indigenous textile with a global appeal.

Bihar State Khadi Gramudyog Board, under the Department of Industries, was created post-Independence to start, encourage, assist and promote khadi and village industries.

To help them in the initiative, National Institute of Fashion Technology is now refashioning and rejuvenating this sartorial heritage for the new-age generation.

"Bihar Khadi Board and NIFT-Patna have signed an agreement to this effect and the repositioned brand, christened 'Santiti' will be officially launched tomorrow at the Bihar Pavilion of the ongoing India International Trade Fair 2015," Director, NIFT-Patna, Sanjay Shrivastava told PTI.

The nearly 10-year-old institution in the state capital has been working on several projects on Bihar since its inception, and this Santiti project is also to "contemporise Bihar khadi to meet global standards".

Samples of the newly-styled garments have been put on display at the IITF at Pragati Maidan, he said.

"The garments have been created keeping in mind the needs and aspirations of the young minds. They have been designed from the fabric produced by the weavers of Bihar, sourced through the Khadi Board. And, due care has been taken to incorporate the current trends of fashion to make the garments wearable and fashionable," Shrivastava added.

He said the primary idea is to "reboot" the khadi industry, and make the youth connect to their heritage.

"The khadi brand of Bihar had been lying dormant for all these decades, with all the shops and emporia not making much of sale of khadi-made fabrics. So, we proposed to the government to reposition and re-imagine the brand with latest designs. And, our target is not just youth in Bihar, but globally," he added.

In rebooting the brand, NIFT Patna would be playing the role of consultant for the Board for a period of three years.