Question

write an article on the topic Handloom-a dying art

Answer 1

Tucked away 20 kilometres from Mandya city in Karnataka, one sails through rustic roads between sugarcane fields and natural ponds to arrive at Kodiyala, a tiny weaver’s village, with a strong and deep-rooted royal connection. The Maharajas of Mysore were loyal clients of its weavers, whose ancestry traces back to the Padmashali community from the interiors of Andhra Pradesh. Skilled émigrés toiled for three centuries to put the village on the map. Kodiyala remained a major exporter of pure silk fabric and handloom weaves for several decades, serving as a money-launder to the government of Karnataka.

Being next to agriculture, the Handloom industry supported many economically weaker sections of the society. It has been reported that roughly 20% of the national garment production comes from Karnataka, valued at around Rs. 8,000 Crore. According to the third census, conducted by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) in 2008, there were approximately 40,000 handlooms in Karnataka, out of which roughly 34,500 were working looms and rest were idle, compared against the strong 76,605 handlooms in the state from 1995-96 census. Clearly, there is a decline in the handloom weaving sector.
Shantamma, a 61-year-old weaver narrates, “My father was a handloom weaver too. The demand for handloom fabric was much higher three decades ago. The entire village depended on it. But things have changed in the past decade.” Induction of the powerloom has changed the fate of this bucolic village forever.
“The powerlooms have ruined our lives,” says a middle aged weaver, who earns a meager Rs. 400 a week. He adds, “Although, there is still a low-cut demand for handloom products, it has definitely reduced. Customers prefer machine-made fabrics, neglecting the quality and tradition of handloom.

Several handloom weavers share the distress and lack of appreciation for their skills. “It would take 3-5 days to produce a single silk saree using conventional methods, while the same can be done in a day using powerlooms.” says Sankarappa, a middle aged weaver, employed at a powerloom unit. He adds, “I can make about 2-3 sarees per day on the machines.” Except for a few old-timers, this handloom weaving village has extended its arms to technology and its residents have updated their skillset in mass production. Powerlooms have definitely made lives of these weavers easier as it offers accuracy, efficiency and speed; but it also has taken away the essence of traditional fabric manufacturing

Several initiatives have been undertaken by the government of Karnataka to uphold the heritage of handloom in the state. “In my 40 years of training experience, I have seen it all. The trend has definitely changed in the past decade. The powerlooms have taken over the reigns now,” recollects Sridhar, the instructor at the State facilitated Centre of training for handloom at Kodiyala. Currently, 5 participants have been engaged in the 6-month long training program. A dozen of obsolete and unused handloom machines have taken refuge at the Centre, a certain graveyard sorts.

Amid the pool of powerloom users, a few weavers like Shantamma still continue to use conventional methods to produce silk fabric. An art, which flourished during the period of the Maharajas, has come to near extinction at the hands of modern machineries. After all, machines cannot replace the craftsmanship of a weaver, whose heart and soul blend to form intricate designs, beautiful patterns and perfected fabrics. Ultimately, when age old art and artistry are placed at the mercy of contemporary inventions



In 2014, the Textile Ministry of India took a stand to retain the existing definition of ‘handloom’ as ‘any loom other than power loom’ after it was recommended to review with an aim to achieve better productivity and reduce manual intervention. The weavers have sighed relief to the decision, but not to the current status of the handloom weaving industry.



Several optimistic ways exist to revive this age-old art, a sole profession to several. The handloom weaving industry should reflect our rich cultural heritage, and at the same time imbibe modern fabric design practices and incorporate varied popular business models to accelerate overall economic and growth structure. It should serve the rich and the poor alike. An art dies, if its artisans fail to thrive. The industry should don a new commercial disguise, to multiply the chances of survival, to address the needs and demands of the new era.