HANDLOOMS

PREFACE

You haven‘t puzzled out

Any of the Weaver‘s secret:

It took Him

A mere moment

To stretch out the whole universe

On His loom.

He fashioned His loom

Out of the Earth and sky

He plied the sun and moon simultaneously

As His twin shuttle ……Kabir says,

I have smashed my loom:

Only the Weaver can mesh threads with threads....

As Shabad 36 in Raga Asa says about the weavers and their devotion for weaving and the weavers we met with were from Begampur, West Bengal. The journey and experience of the cluster was unexpectedly remarkable and fruitful. The area was nature friendly. The locality was enriched with craft, tradition and craftsmanship. It was so influential that we easily got involved in the environment.

A four day excursion and primary and secondary data is compiled in this documentation. We worked there as a group of six members to gather information and observed the weaving process. Starting from the cluster area, history, climate, study about weaving, about weavers, local

people, their living standard, culture, environment etc. is observed and mentioned in detail.

During these days we learnt the entire process of weaving, starting from the raw materials to

end product. Apart from all these we also learnt the consequences, terms and conditions,

problems they face and design developments, interventions etc.

The weavers were so polite and down to earth that it touched our heart. Their living standard was very simple and they weren‘t much concerned about it. They were devoted to their work and they do it genuinely, this behaviour of weavers inspired us and that is why we actually got to know the every aspect of their lifestyle and somewhere we found ourselves emotionally attached to them in a short span of time. We learnt the value of living, devotion for work and duty towards our respective field. The cluster journey gave us a lifetime moment. Apart from these experiences, the knowledge we gained about weaving will help us to revive the craft in present as well as future.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We the batch of 2013-2017 Textile Design students of NIFT,KOLKATA were taken to Begampur Handloom Cluster of West Bengal on 1st June 2015 to 10th June 2015 to do a diagnostic study of the working conditions of the handloom weavers as well as to know more about the craft sector and the resources and environment. The weaving zone covered by us was Begampur, Hooghly, West Bengal.

In the cluster, we interacted with several weavers, belonging to different weaving nests, each having their own set of problems and grievances regarding handloom weaving, working conditions and so on. While taking the interview, we got to know each and every details about the weavers their culture, livelihood how they work.

We would like to make a start of our documentation by some thanks giving words to our respective faculties because without their help we could not have been able to do this task. First of all we would like to thank our respected Director Ma‘am, Mrs. Binwant Kaur and our CIC Dr. Sandeep Mukherjee, without whose initiatives we would have never got a chance to visit this place. In the four day visit in Begampur, our faculty member Mr. Sandip Kumar Samanta and Mrs. Supriya Basu visited the cluster area along with us. With their help and support we completed our journey of cluster. We would like to thank our faculty and also our mentor, Mr. Ashish Debnath for his suggestion and help. Our faculty members provided us with sufficient information. We are extremely thankful to our sponsor WSC (Weavers Service Centre). The opportunity to study about handloom sarees so far away from home was provided by them. Apart from all the faculty members, we would also like show our gratitude to cluster development executive, Mr. K. Palaniyandi, Senior Supervisor of Begampur cluster Mr. Shailo Kumar Kundu, Secretary Vikas Das and all the weavers for their valuable time, patience and very kind approach. They were very cooperative and helped us in every possible way. This made us understand the weaving in a very detailed manner. All the weavers were very nice to us and made us feel like home during the visit of Begampur cluster. Last but not the least we would thank all the people of Begampur whom we met during cluster. With the help and support of above mentioned people we visited the place and got the chance to enhance our knowledge.

CONTENT

1) PREFACE 2) ACKNOWLEGEMENT 3) INTRODUCTION 1 - HANDLOOMS 2-9 - CLUSTERS 10 - HANDLOOM PRODUCTS OF INDIA 11-12 - HANDLOOM PRODUCTS OF WEST BENGAL 13-14 4) BEGAMPUR 15-18 - LOCATION 19 - DEMOGRAPHICS 19 - ECONOMICS 20 - TRANSPORT 20 - MAP 21 - ENVIRONMENT 22-26 5) BEGAMPUR HANDLOOM CLUSTER 27-28 - HISTORICAL EVIDENCE 29-30 - BEGAMPUR HANDLOOM PRODUCTS 30 6) TECHNIQUES & METHODS 31-35 - PRE-LOOM PROCESSES 36-44 - LOOM 45-46 - POST-LOOM PROCESSES 47 7) DESIGN DIRECTORY 48-53 8) MARKET - MARKET STRUCTURE 54 - MARKET LINKAGES 55 9) ARTISAN PROFILE 56-68 10) MARKET SURVEY 69-71 11) ORGANISATIONS INVOLVED IN DEVELOPMENT OF BEGAMPUR CLUSTER 72-75 12) SWOT ANALYSIS 76-77 13) DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 78-82 - SUGGESTIONS 83 14) CONCLUSION 84 15) ANNEXURE - REFERENCE (BIBLIOGRAPHY, WEBSITES VISITED) 85 - LOCAL TERMINOLOGY 86 - QUESTIONNAIRE FORMAT 87-94 - PROFILE OF INSTITUTION/ORGANISATION/NGOs 95-96

INTRODUCTION

Even as machines take over more and more aspects of our lives, there are parts of India which continue to stay rooted to tradition and engage in crafts that form an indispensible part of the very essence of the country. The crafts of India started centuries ago as a form of expression of cultural and religious beliefs and are unparalleled in beauty, richness and diversity. They all started due to some sort of necessity and the onus of creating them was handed down from one generation to the next. The following are some of the popular kinds of crafts in India like pottery, paper handicraft, wood handicrafts etc. Weaving or Embroidery Handicrafts-Weaving mainly refers to the process of cloth production by two thread sets known as weft and warp crossed with each other. This traditional form of handicraft is mostly found in the states of West Bengal, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Today, the crafts have been mostly limited to rural communities. Some of them have undergone huge transformations by means of modern design inputs and help extended by the government who has declared many of these communities as clusters, NGOs and sometimes designers who use these techniques in their collections, helping in their growth and recognition. However, as people turn more and more to Western designs and clothing, some of these crafts have taken a hit. People who have been involved in them for years are starting to switch to other professions because of financial constraints.

FIGURE: 3.1- A HANDLOOM The handloom industry has been one of the oldest industries of India. Although the industry was reduced to ashes during the colonial rule but it got tremendous boost up after the independence during the planning era. The industry today provides employment to about 10 million people and contributes over 23 percent of the total cloth production of the century. The production of handloom has increased from 5,085 million square meters in 1990-91 to 10,381 million square meters in 1997-98, exhibiting more than two-times increase during the last seven years. The number of handlooms is estimated to be about 38 lakhs. The handloom industry is widely distributed in the country, mostly concentrated in small towns and rural areas. The handloom sector plays a very important role in the country‘s economy. It is one of the largest economic activities providing direct employment to over 65 lakh persons engaged in weaving and allied activities

As a result of effective government intervention through financial assistance and implementation of various development and welfare schemes, this sector has been able to withstand competition from the power loom and mill sectors.

This sector contributes nearly 90 percent of the total cloth produced in the country and also adds substantially to export earnings. Handloom is unparalleled in its flexibility and versatility, permitting experimentation and encouraging innovations. The strength of handloom lies in the introducing innovative designs, which cannot be replicated by the power loom sector.

Thus, handloom forms a part of the heritage of India and exemplifies the richness and diversity of our country and the artistry of the weavers. FIGURE: 3.2- A WEAVER

Indian hand woven fabrics have been known since time immemorial. Poets of the Mughal durbar likened our muslin to Baft Hawa (woven air), Abe rawan (running water) and Shabnam (morning dew). A tale runs that emperor Aurangzeb had a fit of rage when he one day saw his daughter princess Zeb-un-Nissa clad in almost nothing. On being severely rebuked, the princess explained that she had not one but seven jamahs (dresses) on her body. Such was the fineness of the hand woven fabrics.

FIGURE: 3.3- MAHATMA GANDHI STARTED MAKING CLOTHES ON CHARKHA IN THE TIME OF BRITISH.

Historical Evidence

Though India was famous even in ancient times as an exporter of textile to most parts of the civilized world, few actual fabrics of the early dyed or printed cotton have survived. This is explained due to a hot, moist climate and the existence of the monsoons in India. It is not surprising therefore, that Egypt which has an exceptionally dry climate would provide evidence which India lacks. The earliest Indian fragment of cloth (before the Christian era) with a hansa (swan) design was excavated from a site near Cairo where the hot dry sand of the desert acted a preservative. Later, the very first fragment of Indian handloom was excavated from the parts of Egypt. After that, the finely woven and madder-dyed cotton fabrics and shuttles were found at some of the excavated sites of Mohenjo-Daro (Indus valley civilization). There were more excavations that speak of the golden history of Indian handloom. In fact, traditional handloom style has been one of the oldest forms. Even, the Vedic literature also has mention of Indian weaving styles. Apart from this, few examples are also seen in Buddhist era scripts about the woollen carpets. Indian floral prints, dating back to the 18th century A.D. were discovered by Sir Aural Stein in the icy waters of the Central Asia. The evidence shows that of all the arts and crafts of the India, traditional handloom textiles are probably the oldest.

FIGURE: 3.4- A CHARKHA

Prior to imperialism and colonization, all the natural fabrics (silk, cotton and jute) were hand-woven. And Khadi was among the prevalent materials at that point of time. Later on, the mechanical system created ways for the faster completion of spinning and weaving. After the introduction of machinery, the technicalities were given due care and the fineness came in a better way. This also helped the weavers, embroiders and hand-printers to create new designs. At the time of British, the export business of cotton and silk also started. This enabled the Indians to showcase the talent of their expertise in other countries also. Indian handloom created a special place for itself in India and abroad too. With so many varieties of handloom from different states, India has collected a precious wealth of innovation. After all, this has led to the emergence of India as the most richly cultured country.

Handlooms the largest cottage industry

Handlooms are an important craft product and comprise the largest cottage industry of the country. Millions of looms across the country are engaged in weaving cotton, silk and other natural fibres. There is hardly a village where weavers do not exist, each weaving out the traditional beauty of India‘s own precious heritage.

The Indian heritage

In the world of handlooms, there are Madras checks from Tamil Nadu, ikats from Andhra and Orissa, tie and dye from Gujarat and Rajasthan, brocades from Banaras, jacquards from Uttar Pradesh. Daccai from West Bengal and Phulkari from Punjab. Yet, despite this regional distinction there has been a great deal of technical and stylistic exchange. The handlooms segments in India are highly fragmented and unorganized. At the same time the sector gives India its distinct cultural identity and contributes considerably to economic activities in India. Dominant in the rural areas of the country Handloom sectors are labour-intensive as the products are usually handmade with or using simple handheld tools. The demand for handlooms in India comes from three major segments - household sector, non-household sector (institutional, industrial and technical) and export sector, and all the three segments are growing. With more than 1.2 billion people living in over 330 million households, as per census 201, the demand for Handlooms and handicraft products in India is very large and growing at a tandem with the increase in disposable income of the people. A very high proportion of young and working population is a favourable factor in influencing the domestic craft.

Key highlights of Indian handloom sector:

Handloom sector contributes nearly 11 per cent of the total cloth produced in the country and substantially contributes to the export income of the country. India is the biggest producer of jute in the world (1.67 million tons), second in silk production (23679 MT), second in cotton production (5.7 million tons) while fifth in synthetic fibre production 2012-13. India is the biggest exporter of yarn in the international market and has a share of 25 per cent in the world yarn export market; along with a share of 12 per cent in yarn and textile fibre production in the world. India has the highest capacity of loom with a share of 61 per cent in the world loom age. The average cotton spinning cost in India is lower than all countries, including china. India is the powerhouse of the silk production; only china produces more silk annually, than India. Handloom industry occupies a prominent place in decentralized industrial sector of India. Handloom is the largest unorganized economic activity in India, next to agriculture. It is scattered over the entire length and breadth of the vast country, mainly in rural and semi-urban and partly in urban environments, providing employment.

CLUSTER

A cluster is generally identified by the product (or product range) and the place where it is located. OBJECTIVES OF THE CRAFT CLUSTER PRIMARY OBJECTIVE To understand the various crafts in the craft cluster of west Bengal. Make suitable changes to it, to appeal the consumer mind set and value perception. Newer markets and lifestyles on a sustainable basis by developing value added solutions for the artisans that help them exploit market opportunities and survive stiff competition in the world‘s handicraft market. SECONDARY OBJECTIVE Understanding the problems especially related to craft being faced by the artisans. Finding out the extent to which NIFT intervention has helped the artisan. Exploring new opportunities and finding newer ways by which NIFT can extend. Thus, to be able to identify required interventions in the areas of design, technology and capabilities for inclusive and sustainable growth.