Traditional hand work, which rely mainly on orders from abroad, have become the latest victims of the global economic downturn, as workshops being shut down, businesses going bust, and workers losing jobs. In many villages the collapse of these crafts has become intertwined with the life of local people....

Turkey has inherited a rich culture from the past. The Central Anatolian plateau is considered one of the cradles of civilization. Here the Hattis, Hittites, Phrygians, Galatians, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks and Ottomans established their rule. For ten millenia of history, the people of Anatolia have reflected these cultures in their art...

The global slow down is having a positive effect, at least on one industry in the heart of South India. This is one town where all businesses say: we are hiring. Welcome to the much-vaunted silk cluster in Kancheepuram, which has witnessed a huge exodus of its weavers, lured away with better salaries by multinational companies such as Hyundai, Nokia and Saint-Gobain that have factories in the Sriperumbudur belt near Chennai....

To uplift the handloom industry, Government has introduced many schemes. Fibre2fashion highlights the Government Schemes and its effectiveness. Government Schemes for the upliftment of the Handlooms Industry The Ministry of Textiles announced the following five Schemes in the 11th Five year plan by merging the different Schemes of 10th Five year plan ...

The handloom Industry is the largest industry in terms of employment, but in monetary terms it may not be having such importance. 38 lakh handlooms giving employment to about 65 lakh families; but contributing only 13% of our Textile production. When considering the foreign exchange earnings, it has considerable clout over other sectors of the industry...

The fastest growing woody plant on this planet is bamboo. It grows one third faster than the fastest growing tree. Some species can grow up to 1 meter per day. Bamboo is just grass, but it varies in height from dwarf, one foot (30 cm) plants to giant timber bamboos that can grow to over 100 feet (30 m). It grows in many different climates, from jungles to high on mountainsides....