Preserving our Handloom Heritage

India was once known for exporting fine handloom fabrics with beautiful designs to several countries until the British disrupted the sector during the colonial period by introducing machine-made yarn and forced the weavers to discard their age-old practice. This disruptive move left most of the weavers jobless during that time and the handloom weaving tradition, which was once a source of livelihood for millions of people as well as symbolises the rich cultural heritage, began to die a slow death. Mahatma Gandhi initiated the Swadeshi movement in the early 19th century to revive the handloom weaving tradition and to help the weavers but the sector never regained its glorious past. National Handloom Day is observed every year on August 7 to honour the handloom-weaving community and recognise their contributions to the economy of the country as well as acknowledge them for keeping the tradition alive. The occasion holds significance as it still plays a key role in the economy, providing employment to lakhs of people, especially in the rural parts of the country and particularly women. However, the decline in export over the years, as per the Handloom Export Promotion Council, indicates that just instilling pride in the craftsmanship in the name of carrying the handloom heritage forward, without looking into the economic aspect of the weavers, won’t help in the long-run. It is a fact that the advent of machines and power looms has pushed the Indian handloom industry to the edge and many weavers are struggling to make ends meet. The lack of financial viability could force even the existing skilled weavers to give up the art, and this is a serious threat that needs to be addressed. There is a need to make a renewed effort towards increasing the weavers’ income by educating them about the government schemes available, enhance their marketing knowledge and removing supply chain hurdles.

[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]

The sector is bound to erode in the absence of a strong support system. This has been witnessed among the weaving community in Nagaland too. The loin loom weaving practised by the Nagas, which is passed down from generation to generation, is slowly losing out to power looms. It has become economically unviable to weave Naga cultural attires like shawls, mekhalas (sarong/wrap-around), scarfs, etc., with intricate traditional patterns and designs, using a loin loom, because of the labour involved and the fluctuating prices of materials. This is one of the main reasons for the decline in the number of loin loom weavers in the state. No wonder the local markets are flooded with machine-made Naga attires, and those sourced from outside the state, with cheaper price tags. For the rural community and many enthusiasts, loin loom weaving will continue to hold a special place. Some Naga women organisations also have been doing a great job in keeping the tradition alive by passing on the skills to young people. However, to ensure sustenance and bridge the profit gap, it is necessary to help weavers avail several government schemes like National Handloom Development Programme, Comprehensive Handloom Cluster Development Scheme, Yarn Supply Scheme, Handloom Weavers Comprehensive Welfare Scheme, etc. Just creating awareness may not be enough, as the rural population may not be familiar with the procedure to avail schemes and many may hesitate to go to nearest towns to apply for it. They need assistance at least for a while before they can stand on their own feet. In the meantime, technology should be embraced in order to produce enough quantity to meet the market demand. Of course not at the cost of killing the age-old loin loom weaving tradition.