Designers are now seriously joining hands to promote handloom clusters across the country, help traditional arts acquire a contemporary attire and begin a new-age ethnic revolution.
Over the weekend, designer Anita Dongre met Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani to take forward her #IwearHandloom campaign on social media by collaborating with the government on chosen clusters. Dongre has been working towards elevating and providing sustained employment to Charoti village on the outskirts of Mumbai. Her cluster will be along the same lines. “We have had a very successful project at Charoti. We hope to repeat the Charoti format with handloom clusters,” said Dongre. “We are looking at starting with at least four clusters and we will identify them by next week. We will definitely take one cluster to the northeast,” she added.
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi declaring the textile sector as second to agriculture, the fraternity, which has been working in an isolated manner so long, hopes to make hand-weaves a big movement. Designer Payal Khandelwala joined in the chorus saying, “Weavers need all the support and attention we can give them. Weaving is part of our history and it makes our country so unique. We must retain a craft that makes us so special.” Craft revivalist and textile conservationist, Madhu Jain, who has been working only with natural fibres that are quintessentially Indian in ethos and execution, is delighted that the focus of the fashion industry has finally been diverted to handlooms. “I have been in this industry for 30 years and I know how difficult it is to make profits selling handloom products. There was a time when weavers’ children didn’t want to enter the profession and started migrating, but now, with the Prime Minister being the torch-bearer, I am optimistic about the future of handlooms in India,” she said.
At the moment there are only a few brands that sell handloom products, Fab India, W and Khadi Gramudyog to name a few. But looking at the attention and support that the government has been able to garner in just a span of a week, it can be said that the ancient handloom industry will boom and many more brands will come up. Celebrated designer Anavila Misra is of the opinion that it is important for us to know and respect our roots. “I think it is a good initiative to mobilise people into consciously thinking about what they are wearing and where they come from. As a country rich in textiles and weaving skills, such initiatives reinforce the value of our heritage and how we need to reinvent ourselves to keep it alive,” she said.
In our interaction with weavers from Banaras and Jharkhand, we found that there has been a sharp downfall in their livelihood because of the downward trend in exports. Shahabuddin, a weaver who hails from Bhagalpur, said, “We get only Rs 20 to 30 an hour and that too is seasonal. How is a man supposed to support his family with such meagre earningsIJ If we organise ourselves, we sure will be able to ensure better fortunes for ourselves.” Another weaver Rehman, who took to weaving after completing his graduation from Banaras, said, “This is the only business we know. My father, grand father and uncle had not given up but when I took this up, I never knew that my decision would pose a threat to my kids’ future. It has been 23 years now. I want my kids to be educated. I want them to access internet and know what others know, but I cannot afford to buy them a computer or a mobile phone. There have been policies before, none of which has helped. I hope this awareness works and improves our bottomlines on the ground.”
It is noteworthy that Ms Irani was at the Handloom Haat a few days ago, hoping to get some traction for the work of weavers. “There was media everywhere, mostly foreigners, but they just talked to her and left. They did not find the need to come and see what we had on offer. Had that happened, we would have got some people to know about us and that would have increased our sales,” said a weaver who did not wish to disclose his identity.
When we asked Rehman about the government’s initiative to expand their markets through e-commerce, he smiled and said, “What is the useIJ They say they will eliminate the middle man but it is also very difficult to survive competition in today’s world. If we list our products on the internet, will our designs remain safeIJ Someone or the other would copy it and sell the same in their big showrooms. What will we getIJ Nothing. So we need trademarks.”
He also talked about buyers’ cartels who rule the market with such command that they have no option but to sell their products to them at lower prices. “They quote the lowest price possible and sell the same to giants like Fabindia who in turn make some changes and put it up in their-air conditioned spaces. We don’t have a market. If we don’t sell it to them, our stock will only pile up and after a point of time become obsolete. I am a weaver myself and I know how difficult it is to survive. Therefore, we need an organised distribution and retail system as well.”
Publicity is one thing. But if these weavers’ inputs are not taken into consideration, handlooms will continue to struggle, only serving as accents of couture lines.