Father of Textile Industry in India: Who He Was and Why It Matters

When we talk about the father of textile industry in India, the title is most commonly given to Jamsetji Tata, who laid the foundation for modern industrial textile production in the country. Also known as the pioneer of Indian industrialization, he didn’t just start a mill—he changed how India thought about making things at scale. Before him, textiles were made in small homes or village looms. He built the first large-scale, mechanized cotton mill in Mumbai in 1874, using local cotton and local labor to compete with British imports. That mill, called the Bombay Spinning and Weaving Company, became the blueprint for every major textile hub that followed.

The textile manufacturing India, a sector that now employs over 45 million people and contributes nearly 2% to India’s GDP. Also known as the backbone of rural livelihoods, it grew because of early visionaries like Tata, who believed Indian-made goods could match global quality. Today, states like Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra carry that legacy forward. The Gujarat textile policy 2024, a modern incentive program offering subsidies, power discounts, and export support to manufacturers. Also known as the latest push to revive India’s textile dominance, mirrors the same spirit—encouraging local production, reducing reliance on imports, and creating jobs.

It’s not just about history. The same drive that pushed Tata to build mills in the 1800s is alive today in small factories turning scrap fabric into high-margin garments, in women-led cooperatives using handlooms to export globally, and in startups using AI to predict fabric demand. The father of textile industry in India didn’t just make cloth—he proved that India could build its own future through manufacturing. What you’ll find below are real stories of how that legacy lives on: from village looms to export giants, from policy changes to zero-investment startups turning old textiles into profit.