After Tirupati laddu & Madurai malli, now Naga shawl in line for GI tag

The Indian Chamber of Commerce has filed an application seeking registration of traditional Naga shawls made in Nagaland with the Geographical Registry of India for Geographical Indication (GI).

The Geographical Indication (GI) marks out a designated product of a definite geographical territory and is used to identify agricultural, natural or manufactured goods originating from the territory.

The registration would confer legal protection to the Naga shawls in India and the world over.

The government grants the GI when a product is distinctively linked to a region and has been handed down traditionally. It ensures legal protection for the product besides improving the export of these products.

The government has taken up several measures for promoting the products registered under GI scheme and one of them includes setting up of District Industries Centre (DIC).

The main objective of DIC is to provide assistance under one roof to the entrepreneurs and the centre located in Kohima is working in this direction by assisting the entrepreneurs who are engaged in the manufacturing Naga shawls.

"The Naga shawls had become so important that the government has already recognised them for registration as a GI. It's a Naga indigenous handloom product. Since government has already thinking of approving GI for Naga shawls, DIC is in touch with the entrepreneurs to produce more products of our own indigenous land like Naga shawls," said Bendangliba, GM, DIC.

The DIC ties up with deserving entrepreneurs and encourages then to come to DIC to know the activities of the centre. Once GI comes through, the Naga shawls would have more weightage and hold its place of pride.

Hundreds of Naga women would benefit from the schemes of DIC and work towards mass production in future. All this would add to financial prosperity of the region.

Naga women in the villages have been weaving these exquisite shawls since decades and Pelebeinuo Sech�, a local, is one of them.

"I learnt weaving in 1970. Since childhood, I loved the weaving so I used to observe people who wove. Now, I don't buy much of stuffs from outside, but weave for my personal use. We sell our products, and the money we get is utilized for education and other family requirements. From a young age, we teach children to make belts and new designs," said Pelebeinuo Sech�.

The weaving of Naga shawls has been a way of life for the Naga women, especially in the villages.

This age-old practice of shawl weaving has been traditionally handed over from generation to generation and the usage of shawls is literally there from the 'cradle to the grave.' It is a part of every celebration.