Our handloom is threatened with extinction. Govt must act

India has been home to a variety of arts and crafts which have won it a coveted place in the cultural heritage of the world. Handloom is one of the most exquisite textile traditions of India, and weaving was once the largest income generating activity in the country. The weavers’ craft is threatened with extinction by power looms which offer a cheaper and faster way to produce the same goods; it can take the weaver weeks to create what the machines can produce in a day. Moreover machine products have a more sophisticated finish. As a result, many weavers’ clusters across the country are languishing.

Weaving in India dates to 500 B.C. and flourished during the Mughal period from the early 16th to mid-18th centuries. For centuries India was a hub for the silk trade. It is tragic that what was once an abiding symbol of India’s glorious cultural legacy has left many of its tradition bearers in a state of penury. It is time for the government, businesses and entrepreneurs to infuse new economic oxygen before these traditions become extinct. Ironically, the most authentic connoisseurs of Indian arts and crafts are foreigners who are genuinely interested in patronising them so that they withstand the onslaught of the changing state of affairs.

While the origin of handicrafts is rooted in history, we have to link their future with the dual realities of culture and economy as they are not just the interpreters of India’s art but are also valuable earners of foreign exchange. They evoke the myths, legends and history of the people.

The traditional Indian saris have been abiding allies in women’s attire: The patchwork riot of intricately hand-woven coloured silk for winter, the shimmering brocades for a big wedding and the pastel chiffons made for important occasions. It is a challenge today to use traditional skills, techniques, resources and personal creativity and imagination without retarding the creative process involved. The shimmering threads twisted on rickety frame of sticks and string, takes months to emerge into a complete sari. The weavers are too poor to invest in power looms, and too naive to bypass the exploitative middlemen and build links with the market. According to an estimate, most weavers don’t get five per cent of the price tag of the goods they produce. Middlemen take away a huge chunk.

Handloom is an important sector in our country, employing over 6.5 million families. The industry is expected to employ 17.8 million by 2022. Indian handicraft is also witnessing huge demand in domestic as well as international markets, with exports alone amounting to $3.5 billion in fiscal 2017.

One of the earliest acts of the new government in India after the country attained freedom was to set up a national board for the identification of and development of crafts. It was natural that the ideal master-craftsmanship with its emphasis on quality and excellence should be reinstituted. In place of the warm patronage of dynastic rulers, and the sustenance provided by the guild, the new state regime had to step into the void. Competition from the power looms in the late 1950s further hastened the end to their already precarious livelihood. Realising the predicament faced by the weavers in the post-Independence period, the All India Handicrafts Board stepped in to provide a buffer to the weavers. In 1965, the board instituted national awards to craftsmen. They were a public recognition of talent, skill and above all, the creativity of these flag bearers of a hoary tradition.

The reason for the present local cooperative being in bad shape is the poor working conditions. Poor wages have led to dwindling of the original strength of enrolled weavers. Only those unable to find work elsewhere continue to remain here. The guilds need to follow in the footsteps of Sholapur, where handloom weavers have kept abreast with newer innovative designs and diversification on an extensive scale. The designs and quality of wall hangings, and bedspreads unprogressive centres like Sholapur in Maharashtra are unsurpassed, and the handlooms are selling faster than corresponding mill-made products.

Weavers have traditionally been organised into communities that have sustained their art and skill by preserving their traditional knowledge through oral traditions. Their craft is both an artistic tradition and a source of income and livelihood. The weavers and the workers who engage in this art are traditionally skilled and have been doing the same work for generations; it is a matter of culture and pride for them.

One-fourth of the total cloth production in the country is from the handloom sector. In terms of employment, it ranks next to the agricultural industry. India is one of the few countries that still have a significant sector which employs artisans who weave for a living and produce almost 40 per cent of the cloth in the country. Handloom production is also eco-friendly, has a small carbon footprint and is easy to install and operate. If it is revived and made lucrative, it would lead to a slowdown in rural migration. Also, 75 per cent of workers are women, and 47 per cent are from below poverty line (BPL) families.

The artisan is not only a repository of a knowledge system that was sustainable but is also an active participant in its recreation. To celebrate a craftsman’s perception of design, one must view some of our indigenous craft tradition which has evolved through an instinctive knowledge of the functional needs of a community. While the artisan continues with his craft, marketing remains a paramount problem. Though several crafts have been saved from near extinction, the grouping of artisan communities into modern-day guilds or cooperative societies has helped only in a limited way — it has just turned despair into a sense of hope.

A plan for the promotion of a craft can yield concrete results only if it is a sincere exercise in which the craftsmen remain the key focus. However, more often than not, such efforts are generally short term. They provide only a cosmetic treatment and are a mere band-aid, the critical issues air brushed. Indian crafts have suffered primarily because of a lack of a visionary approach from the cultural administrators. An equally important issue is the preservation of the dignity of the craftsmen. It is no wonder that the population of craftsmen is dwindling. Official surveys published by development commissioner (handlooms) report that the number of weaver families reduced from 124 lakhs in the 1970s to 64 lakhs in 1995, and further down to 44 lakhs in 2011.

The problems range from high raw material cost to the slow process of weaving that increases the price of the cloth produced by the handloom as compared to the power loom. It is very difficult for the buyer to distinguish between a machine-made and hand-made product in the absence of an authentication mark. According to a report, 70 per cent of the fabrics sold as handloom are actually made on power looms. The government owes it to the country’s hoary traditions to protect the handloom sector, cut back on taxes in it and save the endangered artisans and hand-weavers from power-looms and marauding market forces.

A women craftsmen, a moulder of icons was once asked from whom she learnt her knowledge. She replied “from time as the most ancient, the parampara. We are the holders of sight and skill. We carry it in our wombs”.

The writer is a well-known banker, author and Islamic researcher. He can be reached at moinqazi123@gmail.com