Assam Start-up Wins National Handloom Award for Silk Innovation

Guwahati: President Droupadi Murmu handed a National Handloom Award to Marvella Associates on National Handloom Day. The Assam-based start-up took home the honor in the venture category. Co-founders Pakumoni Das and Jugal Bharali accepted the prize, which stands as one of 22 national awards issued to recognize excellence in the sector. These included 19 National Handloom Awards and three Sant Kabir Handloom Awards for achievements in design, weaving, marketing, and innovation.

The company operates out of Sualkuchi, a town famous for its centuries of silk production. They created a Soil-to-Silk model that tracks every step of the craft. It starts with growing host plants and rearing eri and muga silkworms, then moves through cocoon production, yarn reeling, dyeing, weaving, and final finishing. Officials note that the awards honor the ability to mix traditional skills with new approaches. The start-up uses the model to teach students about the region's heritage and the communities that keep it alive.

Marvella aims to build a self-sustaining economy for Assamese villages through local agriculture, music, rituals, and herbs. This latest victory follows a 2025 craft award from the Ministry of Tourism. The firm says its goal is to create a space that connects production to rural lives. The venture explains its mission as, “developing a self-sustaining Assamese village economy built around traditional practices.” These awards fall under the Handloom Marketing Assistance component of the National Handloom Development Programme.