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E-mailThe condition of weavers all across the country is not much different from farmers. Unfortunately, weavers were also forced to commit suicide like farmers. Andhra Pradesh, Bhadohi & Varanasi of Uttar Pradesh registered several cases of suicide in past. Varanasi is supposed to be a key weavers’ hub but their pathetic condition could be imagined from the fact that several weavers are forced to take to begging. After, opening of Indian markets for hand-loom products of China, Bangladesh and Pakistan, Indian weavers are burdened not only with debts but with very tough competition. They are unable to compete with the cheap imported products of these countries. 
Given the poor condition of Indian weavers who have been known for supplying colourful and fanciful hand-loom dresses to the world, Union Textile Minister Shankar Singh Vaghela had announced that the weavers would be exempted from repaying their loans and the Government would make budgetary allocation of nearly Rs 2200 crore for this. But the Government’s interim budget, tabled in Parliament, did not have any such provision. This indifferent attitude of the Government evoked a deep sense of resentment among the weavers. With no policy support from the Government, weavers are increasingly driven to desperation and death.
India is known for its hand-woven clothes and other material for centuries. Uttar Pradesh (Bhadohi & Varanasi), West Bengal, Bihar (Bhagalpur) Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra , Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh , Haryana (Panipat), Punjab(Amritsar), Himanchal Pradesh and J& K have been famous for hand-woven clothes and carpets (kalins). These states were centers for exports for hand-loom clothes and other hand-woven material. Uttar Pradesh’s Bhadohi recorded nearly 75 per cent exports of all hand-woven products, but in the last six months orders amounting to crores of rupees were scrapped. Similar situation was with Varanasi’s famous silk saree and Bhagalpuri silk.
Though, Shankar Singh Vaghela gave clear indication in the last budget that weavers’ loans would be waived it could not be fulfilled even in the 2009-10 interim budget even. While the Minister has his own ideas but the Government and the bureaucracy work in different directions on crucial matters like the weavers’ uplift. There is a slim chance of any Government relief coming in the way as the session ends on February 26th. While the weavers’ hands are busy in skillfully weaving their way to earn for their daily bread, their fallen faces and disappointed looks have only robbed the cloth of its shine.
RSS 
Middlemen are merely making their own profits.
Yes, the plight of weavers and all other indigenous artisans in our country is very bad. Earlier, there was no dearth of patrons who encouraged these artisans to let loose their creativity and hence the skills were passed on through generations. But, now our own people do not care to use these traditionally made products. They are lured by the hype and glare of various brands and their products. Not just youngsters, but even elders, prefer wearing clothes that are made of synthetic fibre and machine made. They do not care whether the cloth is suitable for our climate. They have the money courtesy the MNCs - now even that is in the docks - with the current recession.
Our weavers can be helped to revive their skills and our traditions by using our traditonal cloth designed as modern apparel. We have an evergrowing number of designers - they can use their creativity to make use of the handwoven material for everyday use.
The raw material - cotton - is also a critical cause for concern. The low and declining yield of this crop has driven many farmers to suicide. Research and various studies have pointed to the new variety of seeds as the culprit. These seeds have been marketed by global firms. The farmers cannot use the harvest as seed for the next crop. He is forced to buy the seed fresh for every crop cycle. This is creating an unnecesary burden, for which he has to borrow loans and thus is ensnared into the vicious debt trap.
Normal traditional mode of farming would have been sustainable. If only we can get back to that method with necessary inputs and interventions by the government, these people can be helped from further deterioration.
Kalyani
Very good observations..thanx..
But question arises here is that, what can the government do now? In the short term, it can subsidise inputsand buy the agricultural produce and the weavers’ products. But from the
long-term perspective, it raises some basic questions about the
socio-economic development the country has embarked upon.
The government has implemented many policies specifically intended to help the poor. But how effective these policies have been and how many people they reach is nevertheless a matter for debate.Because there is not the political will.
Eventhough we are out of the British era, we need to exercise caution while casting our vote if our rural economy needs to improve. Our political system is so corrupt that an educated person does not even want to be a part of it.
A govt. formed by selfless, educated people, willing to work for the upliftment of the poor, is the crying need of the hour.
Eventhough we are out of the British era, we need to exercise caution while casting our vote if our rural economy needs to improve. Our political system is so corrupt that an educated person does not even want to be a part of it.
A govt. formed by selfless, educated people, willing to work for the upliftment of the poor, is the crying need of the hour.
At a time when they should be going to school, weavers’ children are helping their parents to make ends meet. Since able-bodied adults are mostly busy with loom work, and elderly people are unable to perform fine work due to failing eye sight, children are roped in for making new wefts by joining threads to a piece from the old weave.
Unless the Government bring in more subsidy and remove middlemen, it will be further challenging to uplift this poor community.
needs to push handlooms. There is need to create demand within the
country.
Hand loom saris produced by our artist weavers in cotton and silk are very elegant to wear and safety even to the modern women of India in summer.
However, we switched over to polyethylene fibers and their blends for want of easiness in production in textile mills. Increased production of all these synthetic fabrics has taken to the destruction of hand loom industry.
To alleviate the sufferings of these weavers, there is a need to create awareness about the goodness of such cotton and silk saris and sustained efforts to market these hand loom dress materials for churidhars, skirts and blouses.
All educated girls and employed women will naturally be inclined towards these cotton and silks as they have soft corner to the poor weaver-women in villages toiling in this cottage industry.
There should be a ban on the power loom made cloths (certified illegally as hand loom made and) proposed for exports.Only the genuine hand loom dress materials should be encouraged for exports.
The encouragement and support must come from the people who wish to make their brothers and sisters to make a decent living in the villages.
Creating awareness among the earning youth and bringing modernity in the hand loom cloths may be good marketing ideas.
Let the Governments at the center and the state take serious initiative in this direction also.
handlooms. First, by subsidising handloom production and also by creating
a market for it. Reviving and sustaining local markets is very important.
Second, reviving old and extinct designs and textures would really help. Third, the scattered groups ofhandloom weavers across the country need to be mobilised to address commonproblems. With appropriate efforts handlooms can be
revived and sustained in India.
Indian handwoven material is so incredibly beautiful, but if the material is used for saris only, it’s limited in its scope. As Kalyani Rampilla suggested, if designers started using the material with more western oriented designs, and marketed it to the west., I’m sure many people would buy.
is sustaining the lower- quality handlooms at the lower end of the market.
People who normally go in for handloom saris at the lower end of the
market are moving to the cheaper ones that are also easily maintainable,
from the powerlooms and the mills. That is the real problem. This trend
needs to be reversed. But I do not know how one can do it.
It seems bizarre that our modern and intelligent economist have not yet succeeded to get rid of the difference between rich and poor.