With the establishment of flourishing textile mills, affluent and enterprising people began to settle down in the city, who were naturally jewellery buyers. Curiously, the recent stampede happened on the Elphinstone Road side of the FOB connecting Parel and Elphinstone Road stations, while Elphinstone Road has two accesses to two FOBs and two to the ROB. Just as suburban rail services were extended up to Borivali, then Virar and now Dahanu on the WR; and Thane, Kalyan, then Karjat and Kasara, and now Khopoli on the CR mainline, the Harbour line has expanded across the Thane Creek, reaching Thane in the north and Panvel towards the south in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).The city also began to take shape according to the needs of its burgeoning population.

The stairway where the stampede took place is located at the western end of the only connector FOB leading to the exit point on the road directed towards the north.(Sudhir Badami is a transportation analyst). This apathy was so great that even after offices replaced mills and the stations started seeing a manifold rise in footfalls, their facilities remained almost unchanged.The Mumbai Suburban Rail Network is operated by two Divisional Railways — the Western Railway (WR) and the Central Railway (CR), formerly known as the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway (BB&CI) and the Grand Indian Peninsular (GIP) Railway.With our commitments to contain global warming and climate change, travelling rapidly on the ground is definitely better than travelling by air.These chawls, generally located in close proximity to mills, were situated in Dadar, Parel, Chinchpokli, Byculla and Mahalaxmi, and workers generally walked to their respective mills, while using the railway or trams to commute farther distances.In this context, one has to view the stampede of September 29.

However, so long as such mega projects keep getting implemented, the upgradation of existing infrastructure is likely to be overlooked. Today, platforms are nearly 300-m long and many of these stations have access to one foot overbridge (FOB). All China mechanical stretch fabric Suppliers these stations, which were catering to six coach trains, were increased to accommodate 12-coach rakes over time and there has hardly been investment in facilities matching the growth, other than lengthening the platforms. The long-term measures are essentially to reduce usage of the suburban railway system to design capacity so as to totally eliminate the current annual casualty figures. Therefore, it is ill advised to proceed with priority when the state of current infrastructure has such a dismal safety record. However, employability in MCGM is still very strong and hence commuting is also considerable. The mill areas have probably grown merely 20 per cent of their potential.In this context, owing to the fact that the bullet train will connect Mumbai and Ahmedabad in two to three hours, we can look forward to a rise in economic activity. Historically, the BB&CI and GIP were set up to transport exportable produce to Bombay Harbour and cotton to textile mills.The plan to get a bullet train from Japan should be dropped entirely and deferred until we establish our own technologies. The workforce of the textile mills, which came from interior Maharashtra and the Konkan, resided in housing tenements called chawls. For example, providing two additional FOBs on Parel station.Over the years, stations were added on the lines, and a diversionary line serving the dock areas known as the Harbour Line was established.Certain short-term measures, if taken on a war footing, can prevent such tragedies. Naturally, the commuter density on these two stairways must have been so high that one person slipping could prove disastrous. Thus, due to railways and the state government’s prolonged neglect, commuting facilities have been inadequate and thereby unsafe.The second stairway at the same end is directed towards south. Long-term measures are also to augment facilities for commuters to reach platforms. Mumbai-Ahmedabad is the first phase of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. The apathy of the "ruling class" towards the workforce and the latter’s tendency to walk to work resulted in Mahalaxmi, Lower Parel, Elphinstone Road, Chinchpokli, Parel stations not developing proportionally to the increase in their usage and the population.

The railway system has a casualty figure touching 3,500 per annum. It will definitely help increase employability of Indians. The diamond and jewellery industry established in Surat and Vadodara expanded, as did textile mills, which were already in place at Ahmedabad. There are situations when north-bound and south-bound trains on the CR and WR discharge people at Parel and Elphinstone Road almost simultaneously. The city’s growth began to mirror that of its textile industry. Such a dense commuter flow may not be there at all the suburban stations, but "a tragedy waiting to happen" exists at practically every railway station during the three-and-a-half-hour peak period every day. Though the population in the MCGM has attained low growth rate, the MMR is rapidly increasing population-wise. The MMR has an area nearly ten times that of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM). The situation at Parel station in particular has been referred to as a "tragedy waiting to happen" in many reminders by the people to the powers that be

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We want to continue to serve the MSMEs on the whole and we’re focusing on executing exports of multiple products in order to set an example for various industries that will ease the businesses around the nation regarding the possibility of their product to be globally tradable. On top of it, the SME needs to be intelligently cost-effective, which requires on point awareness of the prevailing prices to play at the best margins. However, the opportunities are huge out there and in recent times, the ways to make global trade easy and mitigate trade risks have increased as well. Further, the total value of Yarn, Fabrics and Made-ups exports of the country stood at US$ 14.In the future, India’s apparel exports are expected to increase considerably.

Platforms such as Connect2India help SME with global visibility and our platform value also increases the trust in the SMEs capabilities to deliver. It processes billions of rows of data to come up with useful trade insights and intelligence for specific products, even at the lowest 8 digit HS Code level.Organic apparels have great potential as well and their exports have been slowly but steadily increasing. We believe, the first movers today will be the big ones tomorrow. To be really able to grow your business globally, there is a need for making your product, your brand a global brand, which also means, ‘Branded-exports’. Thanks to our advanced analytics-based integrated trade platform we continuously monitor the global markets for opportunities for our customers and prospective customers.06 per cent and we believe SMEs would contribute a large part of it. Global trading is perceived to be complex by SMEs, discouraging a huge number of businesses from going global.Talk to us about your initiatives in order to increase textiles and apparels export from India?We are taking a holistic approach. A company with none or bad digital footprint is less likely to be considered as the potential supplier. Only 1% of the SMEs in India participate in global trade. Overseas buyers in this sector are generally sceptical to work with SMEs and first-time exporters, but with Connect2India as a conduit, they are now happy to work with this segment.

Total exports of textiles and apparel are expected to touch US$ 82 billion by 2021 with CAGR of 12.India is one of the worlds largest producers of Jute, raw cotton, cotton yarn, silk, synthetic fibre and cellulosic fibre etc.Our integrated trade platform helps an SME to enter the market.How can the garment industry SMEs, take advantage of your platform?We are an end-to-end platform for global trade; our solution can help garment industry SMEs from getting ready for exports to finding target markets and trade counterparts to actually arranging and executing an order and turning those into repeat and recurring orders. With the increase in market awareness, this segment is expected to pick up quickly and grow in a big way. In the current age, global consumers have become nature and health conscious and looking to move away from traditional, chemical products. We also highlight these SMEs on our platform, thereby giving them direct global visibility. The SMEs in this segment are nylon stretch already globally competitive, we just need to make them globally aware and globally visible and partner with them for end-to-end export. In conversation with Pawan Gupta, Founder, Connect2India, who are currently working to onboard more textiles, apparel, garments and customised products exporters as they feel that it’s a huge global opportunity. An SME could be part of an export initiative in the non-branded, contract and branded exports. The Indian textile and apparel products, including cotton, silk and denim are highly popular worldwide, along with many other products. for the destination country. We are continuously using our extensive networks to get in touch with SMEs in the said sectors and talking to them about the massive opportunities that are available in the markets for them.What are the sectors you’re currently focusing on?The sector Connect2India truly focuses on as a mission is the entirety of the MSME segment. Having a good global presence and global visibility is one of the key pre-requisites of going global.A good percentage of our current clients are in Agro and Textiles and Apparels sector.Non-branded exports are more like commodity export where there is no differentiation of positioning. We know for a fact, that the market for textiles and garments is going to grow in the future, presenting a massive opportunity for Indian manufacturers and merchants. This combined with demographics; highly skilled workforce in this sector and friendly export policies, the potential to increase our export of this sector is immense. It’s good for a quick start and probably a good short term solution but it’s not sustainable and definitely not strategic.At the moment, we are focusing on Agro, textile and apparels, handicrafts, FMCG, Chemical and Polymers and Metal and Alloys etc.The first step is to bridge the knowledge and information gap and make these SMEs globally aware. While the government has been working towards enabling exports, there has to be a change in the mentality of the SMEs as well.Indian organic products have always been a preference by the global markets and there is definitely a huge market out there for organic apparels.What are the opportunities in the textile and apparel sector for Indian SMEs to export?India is one of the largest exporters of textile and apparel products in the world, with USD 37. All of these are available on our platform.74 Billion exports in the year 2017-18.33 billion during 2017-18.It is important for an SME to choose the right market and invest its resources intelligently.How vital you think is ‘Global Branding’ for SMEs in global business?I would say, extreme! As I said earlier, if you don’t have an adequate online footprint, you won’t even be considered by new buyers.After this, the SME needs to be export ready and be equipped with proper guidance and tools to communicate and arrange orders globally.. These companies are ensuring fair supply chain and we are trying to promote the export of apparel companies directly buying raw materials from these cooperatives. More importantly, non-branded exports are only a part of business growth. In addition, with our advanced date sciences and Machine Learning Algorithms, we are able to make extremely accurate predictive analysis that helps the exporters in making the right decisions regarding market entry at the right time, country selection, trade counterpart selection etc. with Latin America and Africa also building up as significant markets for our products.Exporting in this sector is challenging for SMEs because of the number of steps involved but with our integrated trade platform, worldwide network and our trade experts, we are making it easy and effective for SMEs.For industries such as Apparels, Garments and Textiles, the scope of branded exports and global business expansions are huge, people are continuously looking to find ‘their brand’ of apparel & garments, a brand that would be relatively unique for them and suit them in style, and this is a global, upcoming phenomenon. Taking advantage of our talented, multi-channel marketing team, we plan on using our social media reach to spread information about the global market opportunities for the textile and garment industry.The SMEs needs to be aware of export duty, import duties in target countries, incentive and drawback schemes, real-time freight rates, standard and specifications requirements, compliance requirements etc. The main markets for Indian textile and apparel exports are US, European Union, Parts of Asia, Middle East etc.To enable and empower an SME, it is important for the SME to know its potential global markets, which can be done through trade intelligence in the current, digital age. We are enabling SMEs to go global and go big, we’re opening a market that is multiple folds of their current potential market and the chances of realising that potential is immense. Secondly, a business should have an adequate global presence to be considered or attract global buyers. The industry is getting bigger and better each year and India is currently one of the most preferred sourcing destinations for garments, textiles, accessories and finish. This also enables the platform to help in recurring orders and better terms based on our network and our relationship with the overseas buyers. India’s share in the global trade of textiles and apparels is around 5 per cent. There are companies in India which provide even the farm level traceability for their organic apparel products. though we have customers from other industry sectors as well.This is also a sector where huge numbers of SMEs are involved.We are also working at the grass root level by working with companies who are wholly (100%) owned by smallholder farmers’ (through their cluster level cooperatives).How are you driving root-level change in this sector?We’re making SMEs global enterprises, that are a root level change according to us.What is the process of enabling and empowering these SMEs to start exporting?To enable SMEs, especially in the said industries, the process needs to begin from the root levels. Additionally, the execution of orders is the most important aspect of ensuring safer trade. Selecting the right payment terms, incoterms, logistics partners, service providers, financial body, T&Cs plays a vital role

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"Musiri is well known for good quality cotton, predominantly used for saree," says Naushad who explains how he epicycles the traditional materials. But over a period of time, it has lost its place in textile list," says Karishma whose label Ka-Sha along with Craftmark has given a modern twist to this traditional piece of fabric thats mainly used for saree or dress.. But now, designers and entrepreneurs are looking to showcase fabrics and weaves that are an intrinsic part of India’s heritage, thereby encouraging sustainability. It is but obvious for the fabric to be expensive. In its seventh year, the upcoming edition of Lakme Fashion Week will celebrate such indigenous crafts and artisans through a series of curated shows that seeks collaboration between skilled artisans and innovative designers from around the country.But, how viable is our sustainable fashion market? Experts believe that fashion is no longer just about trends and innovative designs, it is also a means to encourage dialogue on sustainable choices. But it is so interesting that I have increased the weight of the fabric in khadi, done a cut shuttle where I have done a colour contrast. It moves through multiple hands and not a machine," she stresses. Inspired by the Chausat Yogini Temple, the 64 tantric female deities of Odisha, designer Gunjun Jain’s Yogini collection celebrates womanhood representing varied expressions of modern-day Yoginis through handwoven sarees styled in experimental drapes teamed with workwear blouses.

We have done a cut shuttle technique which was earlier used in saree borders but not anymore as it is time-consuming and is expensive. Naushad further explains that with sustainable fabric, a weaver can only make 1. "A lot of effort goes into making a fabric giving an end product so pure that it cant be replicated by a machine. "For instance, a stitch saree dress can be worn during the day or at an event.We have worked with the traditional motif but with a slightly modern twist, like polka dots but with zari and their traditional white colours," explains Karishma.Her designs will have a special focus on Odisha and will introduce hand woven khadi textures and fabrics.A weaver engaged in the work of weaving. Keeping the same quality as the base fabric, we have polyester stretch removed the borders and put gold throughout the fabric in simple checks," explains Naushad who has also done a lot of layering, trench coats, and bold jackets. From deep indigo blue to pastel mint green, Karishma has used a colour palate of eight to nine colours along with a lot of white and silver zari. The designer describes Kota Doria as a fabric with a very translucent qualy yet not fragile.From Rajasthan’s Kota Doira to Odisha’s tussar silk sarees, the stage will also be celebrating women spinners and weavers.

The idea behind the sustainable movement is to make the fashion industry more socially responsible by helping the artisans and weavers who work on traditional themes. For instance, gold plays an important role in the saree down south and is usually seen on the borders. Karishma seconds his opinion and adds that one needs to understand where the product is coming from. "We tried to re-capture the curvilinear ikats and have worked on a range of Ikat textiles known for their intricate and fine lines, almost like thin pencil drawings," says Gunjan adding that her designs also narrates the story of a 500-year-old textile tree between Odisha and South East Asia. "We don’t use the material or the fabric as it is as our aim is to have customers buy and wear it.Over the last few decades, Indian fashion designers have made their mark in the global market with their sartorial designs. It is handmade and the amount of human hours it takes is precious. "Predominantly made by women, the fabric is sheer and light in nature despite using a lot of zari work. It is not expensive because of its sustainability, but because of the process that is involved," he says. "The process is much slower, time-consuming and we work for four months on creating the fabric.5meters a day. While brands such as Indigene and THREE have collaborated with weavers from in Odisha and Bihar, designers such as Naushad Ali will present a collection of handloom trench coats, trousers, dresses and jumpsuits made by the Musiri weavers in Tiruchirappalli. The clothes have to be contextual to our functional lives and I have tried to give it more shape, forms, and technique that you wouldn’t see in this textile, inherently. Using regional traditional techniques of Ikat and Jala, the couturier has given a contemporary language to the classic temple border of ‘kumbha’ by reinterpreting it in different ways.Since 2012, there have been constant efforts in bringing to fore craftsmen and their work and the upcoming edition of the fashion week will see handwoven fabrics from Rajasthan and Odisha, intricate khadi weaves, Kanjivaram and ecological fibres. The best thing about the fabric is, you can wear it in any season," she smiles. "It’s a simple fabric but with an interesting grid pattern—that’s its trademark.Designer Karishma Shahani Khan who will be presenting the work of Kota Women Weavers Organisation from Rajasthan has picked Kota Doria - a fine fabric made of a blend of silk and cotton, to showcase her designs.From rural West Bengal, Eka by Rina Singh is presenting hand spun and woven textile using the technique of ‘Kata Makur Kaj’, as called in rural Bengal or ‘Cut Shuttle’ in layman language.This year will also see digitally driven designer-artisan collaboration with three clusters and designers. We have also used woodblock in chintz print on the fabric," says Rina whose collection also features Sojani embroidery from Kashmir on woolen dresses, khadi, and linen

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