UN body shows a global dream to weavers

A planned sensitisation programme to be held at Khambhat in Anand District for traditional weavers next week is part of a rising trend where communities apply for UN-recognised patents that is increasingly being seen as a powerful marketing tool,even in the international market.

Next Monday,a host of organisations are likely to sit down with weavers,most of them women,who weave Panetar and Gharchola sarees.

The organisations that will take part in the programme are the Ahmedabad Textile Industry’s Research Association (ATIRA),the Indian Merchants Chamber (IMC),Mumbai,the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) India,and Khambhat Weavers’ Association,Khambhat.

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The meeting will seek to inform the women how they and their produce too can achieve the fame Darjeeling Tea or Kanchipuram Silk have come to attain and how to apply for and obtain a Geographical Indication.

A Geographical Indication,or GI,is a community patent recognised by the World Trade Organisation that assures artisans,weavers and craftsmen Intellectual Property Rights over their produce. Communities can claim compensation if their trademark is infringed upon or duplicated,and the offender is liable to a non-bailable three-year prison term.

At the same time,it allows them to have a logo,which in turn makes it easier for them to market their products,as it the case with Mysore Silk or Coorg Orange. A GI guarantees that,with UN recognition,a community produce is listed as a brand internationally. According to the Geographical Indications Registry of India,120 GIs have been granted to various communities since April 2004. Of these,four are from Gujarat,but these have been registered in just the last two years.

The registered GIs from the state are Sankheda Furniture,Agates of Cambay,Kutch Embroidery and Tangaliya Shawl.

According to R M Sankar,the principal scientific officer at the (ATIRA),an application for the Kutch Shawl is pending for registry (which normally takes a year) and sensitization programmes for four others have already been conducted and applications would be submitted soon.

Sankar,who has been involved in such programmes for two years,said the spurt in the number of GI applications in the state is partly due to better awareness among such communities.

Gujarat saw its first GI five years ago when the Central Government framed laws for GI registry,a “lull” Sankar blamed on vested interests of traders and middlemen who would naturally be nudged out by the community’s control over IPR.

Another point of concern was that the communities,who are largely illiterate,were wary of a programme that involved registration and dealing with government agencies.

However,even India as a whole has a long way to go. While it has 120 GIs so far,EU countries like France or Italy have an estimated 5,000 GIs each.