Jawaja Durrie by Pooja Kushwaha

J D

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J D

awaja urrie

Aknowledgment

We take this opportunity to thank the National Institute of Fashion Technology to have given us this opportunity of undertaking a craft documentation project, as part of our curriculum. We would like to express gratitude and deep regards to our guide, Ms. Kavita Yadav, for her guidance and monitoring throughout the course of this project. We are forever indebted to the Onkarlal ji, president of Jawaja Weavers Association and other people of Beawar Khas for their valuable information and kind co-operation, without which this documentation would never have been possible. Our thanks and appriciation also go to our batch mates, in developing the project, and all the people who have willingly helped us out with their abilities. Lastly, we would like to thank our parents, brothers,sisters, and our friends for their constant encouragement and support.

Preface

We at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, undertake Craft Documentation, a research based module, which enables us to understand the traditional craft culture of India. These craft traditions, perfected through genrations of practice are respositories of traditional wisdom of shapes, form, technique, colors and in a larger context, a way of life. These traditions are omnipresent in India. One such land,which overflows with its tradition, is Rajasthan, because of its vibancy and its deep roots in textile traditions. Textiles have always been deeply embedded with the life, culture and tradition of every Indian. Our craft document, focuses on durries made in Beawar Khas district by Jawaja weavers association. We went about our reaserch in Beawer Khas village for ten days. It was a extensive fieldwork, which comprises of conversations, observations, learning about the craft, studing their way of life and overall trying to blend with their lifestyle to get a holistic experience. The book mainly revolves around weavers of Jawaja association - the maker and creator of not only the durries, but also the aesthetic sensibility, which they follow in their day to day life, it outsets with an introduction to the community, their etymology and moves on to talking about the people, their lifestyle, the craft, culture and the interdependency of all these aspects of their existence.

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2. 3.

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Introduction..........................................................................................................................................................10 - 19 The Jawaja Project.....................................................................................................................................11 - 13 Beawar Khas..............................................................................................................................................14 - 15 The Weavers - Then & Now.......................................................................................................................16 -17 The Alliance......................................................................................................................................................18 JWA - Jawaja Weavers Association...........................................................................................................18 - 19 Tools......................................................................................................................................................................20 - 25 Raw MaterialS Required for Durries........................................................................................................22 - 25 Process..................................................................................................................................................................26 - 45 Dyeing.......................................................................................................................................................28 - 29 Winding the Yarn.......................................................................................................................................30 - 31 Filling the Shuttle............................................................................................................................................ .32 Warping.............................................................................................................................................................33 Introduction to Handloom..........................................................................................................................34 - 39 Drafting......................................................................................................................................................40 - 41 Denting......................................................................................................................................................42 - 43 Weaving.....................................................................................................................................................44 - 45 Jawaja Durries - The Journey Since....................................................................................................................46 - 52 Extending a Helping Hand................................................................................................................................50 Government Initiative................................................................................................................................50 - 51 Bank Schemes...................................................................................................................................................51 The Market of Jawaja Durries..........................................................................................................................52 Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................................53 References....................................................................................................................................................................54

Introduction

THE JAWAJA PROJECT

The strength of a nation is its people. Majority of India’s

population resides in rural India. These are the people who have always been depended on their own indigenous resources to sustain livelihood. Today in the modernized society these indigenous skills are fast becoming out of context. If we the so called thinkers, policymakers and the visionaries in Government and non-government bodies and institutions come together and can think of ways in which these skills can be put back in present day context then we can devise means for sustenance and development for everyone. The need of the hour is to weave crafts back into the fabric of the country’s overall development. Revival of crafts is not just important from the perspective of preserving traditional knowledge and documentation of our histories but also because the whole of rural community whose lives have been entrenched in crafts stand to gain immensely by it. Therefore, it’s important to understand the context in which craft revival should be approached and what should guide the initiatives taken in the direction. Jawaja block located in district Ajmer of Rajasthan state, has been an important case study from the perspective of what design intervention for craft development should mean.

Craft development projects, whether by government or non-governmental agencies, usually focus on providing a package of inputs and services to bring about economic and environmental improvement. However, instead of improving people’s confidence in themselves, such projects generally make them more dependent on outside agencies. In 1975 late Prof Ravi J Mathai supported by Indian council of Social Science Research, New Delhi, started a project in the backward block of Jawaja in Ajmer district of Rajasthan. The experiment started with the aim to discover how rural development when focussed on the village communities can enable the people to use their own resources to develop their own opportunities. One of the basic aims of the Jawaja experiment was that the interveners would work towards making themselves dispensable by developing the target groups’ self-management capability. Prof Mathai had a clear vision that all those who intervened in the crafts sector should eventually withdraw if those who got the benefit of structured inputs were to learn to stand on their own feet. He called it the ‘principle of dispensability of the interventionists’. The experiment ran for decades and became hugely successful and offered many lessons as to what should be the agenda of development of craft in a community. The experiment commenced with two groups of villagers - weavers and leather workers besides including other activities like development of non-formal education and integration of rural development through non- formal education. The focus of this document is to understand the present-day status of the weavers’ community of Beawer Khas.

ajasthan

India

jmer

Rajasthan

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The village of Beawar Khas is part of the 225 villages which comprise the Jawaja block. It is situated 7 km away from sub-district headquarter Beawar and 60 km away from district headquarter Ajmer. It is situated in the midst of a drought-prone region. Drought occurs at least once in two-three years; often with no rainfall for as many as three years successively. The total arable land is only two fifth of the total available land. the rest being rocky and hilly. The undulating hilly terrain bereft of green cover is severely eroded. There has been widespread quarrying of marble stones, mica, and precious stones like agate which has aggravated the barrenness further. There are about 595 houses in Beawar Khas village with a population is 3093 as per Sensex 2011. Out of this, 51.2 % are males whereas the females population is 48.8 %. The number of occupied individual of Beawar Khas village is 1323 however 1770 are non-working. And out of 1323 working people 251 persons are completely dependent on farming. Literacy rate in Beawar Khas village is 59% with 71% literacy ratio in males while female literacy ratio is 47%. 14

THE WEAVERS - THEN AND NOW Although there were few craft traditions known from this area, there was a community of weavers with several people knowledgeable about of spinning and weaving, few had looms too. These looms were used to make woollen shawls, odhnis, and other locally worn textiles woven by the village ‘bunkar’, or weaver. They made these products for either personal use or as barter. The weaver community faced harsh discrimination from the villagers. They were not allowed to use village well or enter houses of the higher castes and were relegated onto the margins of the village community. Being in debt was a constant challenge as due to extreme poverty they relied on easy supply of credit and from local money lenders and shopkeepers. The Jawaja experiment made them self-reliant. Prior to the program the weavers were either independent weavers or weavers who worked under master weavers. The independent weavers had their own looms and purchased raw material with their own money. They mostly produced cotton cloth for the villagers or sell the cloth to merchants in Beawar town. The cloth produced was “dhawani’- for ghaghra and ‘chadder’- for dhoti. As per a NID documentation on the Jawaja experiment wriiten by R. Goswami and Helena Perheentupa, there were about five 16

independent weavers in Beawar Khas and four in Delwara. The other group, one employed by master weaver, were paid fixed labour as per the length of material produce. The raw material cost and selling of the cloth is the master Weaver’s responsibility. The master weaver’s family helped in making bobbins, warps and dying the yarn. Iits been documented that there were about four weavers under the master weaver and all were from village Delwara. In 1976 the government of India launched a handloom development scheme to develop social status of people in the sector. Modus operandi varied from state to state, In Rajhasthan they adopted three villages- Beawar Khas, Kabra and Delwara. Capital investment was made in setting up these centres which had modified looms and raw material was distributed by a representative tie ups with manufacturers were made for quality control. Weavers were paid per piece and were free to sell their products to anyone. This scheme failed miserably and has virtually stopped. Probably the factory like approach to the craft challenged the autonomy of the weavers.

As 58 years Gopiram one of the oldest surviving member of the weavers’ association today, commented in his interaction“a weaver is only dependent on his hands, he is the master of his destiny and till the time he has his hands he can survive and support his family in whatever circumstances…” The Jawaja experiment lead to the formation of a weaver’s alliance which works like a cooperative but where every member was his own master. Under the association the weavers worked like a democratic alliance, where each member is works for himself while being attached with the association. Gopiram ji with his wife 17

JWA - JAWAJA WEAVERS ASSOCIATIONS

THE ALLIANCE Artisan Alliance of Jawaja - AAJ was formed as part of the ‘Rural University’ project conceived by Prof Ravi Matthai of which the Jawaja experiment was a part. The artisans at Jawaja were the catalysts for ‘The Rural University’ experiment in education for self-reliance. They emulated the very basic principle of the ‘rural University’ which was that sharing of knowledge, learnings and resources within a community is essential for a community to become self -sufficient and self-reliant. Artisans Alliance of Jawaja (AAJ) comprise of a JLA (Jawaja Leather Association) and JWA (Jawaja Weavers Association). AAJ works as a marketing agency, building entrepreneurship capacities that can give artisans greater control over the marketing process. AAJ and its two Associations is managed by the artisans themselves through a democratic system of governance that is linked to its history. 18

The segment of AAJ that makes the textile products comprises of the weavers calling themselves Jawaja Weavers Association or JWA. The weavers become members of JWA by giving a membership fees. The process of raw material procurement and dyeing of raw material, packaging of finished goods, storage and dispatch are responsibilities of the associations done. These responsibilities are shared by the members. All the decision making and problem solving is done co-operatively and each member is a stakeholder. The association also inducts first generation users and trains them. This is where the strength of the program lies, which is why it has stood the test of time and why most of the initiatives taken almost 40 year ago are still relevant today. The IIM team along with NID team worked and multitude of factors to make the weaver community economically independent and equipped them with the knowledge and skills to do so. They taught the weavers• how to buy yarn and how much stock to keep; • the dyeing of both cotton and wool yarn; • weaving the new wool and cotton carpets; • the economics of raw material mixes; • doing their own costing and accounting; • setting aside money to repay a bank loan; • providing for maintenance and depreciation; • learning the value of maintaining the quality of their product; and repairing and assembling their looms.

All most all the processes and tools defined then are continued till date. Even the costing chart that was created by the NID team is the same that is used till date by the weavers. The designs that were developed by the NID team are still selling today. Today products the weavers make are mainly durries but they are also innovating at their own end by trying new things like mats, cushion covers, caps etc. though none have been very successful and durries remain there no one selling item. But the good thing is they are thinking and trying. They are constantly seeking inputs from the design community to upgrade their designs to bring a sense of freshness to their product. The beauty of the weaves they make is from the very fact that they are all hand woven and hand spun. In the pages that follow, there is a more detailed account of how they make their products, all the different types of weaves and all their various designs. 19

Onkarlal ji - President of Jawaja Association

Tools

RAW MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR DURRIE Yarn: Various kinds of yarn like cotton, wool, and chenille can be used to make a durrie on the fly shuttle pit loom. These yarns come in various specifications and are chosen as per the design requirement. For weaving handloom durries, mainly cotton yarn is used for the warp and cotton yarn or wool for the weft, as per the requirement of the design. 1. Cotton Yarn: The cotton yarn may be classified in two ways; first based on count i.e., Medium Counts and Coarse Counts. 2. Woolen Yarn: Both Hand spun and Mill spun yarn is used by the Jawaja weavers. The hand spun yarn is not of superior quality and does not make good colours. The mill spun yarn is evenly spun and gives better finish. 3. Jute Twine: In low quality products jute twine forms the weft and is also used to make the lower portion of the carpet, which touches the ground and acts as medium to stand the pressure on it. It is supplied by the local dealers who get it from outside. 22

Bobbin

TOOLS USED FOR WINDING THE YARN Charkha

Charkha: A charkha is used for making rolls or bundles of yarn. This device is used to transfer the yarn from creels to bobbins. There are two types of ‘charkas’ used in the Jawaja Block. One is the improved ‘charkha’, where the cycle wheel is used in place of the wooden frame work. Because of the bigger wheel, the working on the improved charkha is faster but many weavers still used the second type, which is the oldCreel: the hank of the cotton is loosened by spreading it around the knees in the sitting posture, and the yarn is transferred to the tool called ‘creel’. The local name for it in the Jawaja Block is ‘Padla’. It is made of wood. Bobbins: These are wooden reels that contain the untangled yarn from the charkha. These reels are sent to the warping machine for making the log.

Creel 23

Bobbin Stand 24

Shuttle

Bobbin Stand: The bobbin stand is used to hold multiple bobbins for warping the threads in warping machine.

Warping Machine

Shuttle: The shuttle is made of seasoned timber, the weight of the shuttle depending on its size and the kind of timber used. The usual weight is 350-400 gms. For finer weaving, shuttles of small weight are used. The local term for shuttle is ‘Katla’, often known as the flying shuttle. For making the shuttle a hollow is made in the middle of a piece of wood, about 13-15” long, with tapering ends.at one end of this hollow space, a screw is fixed for holding the weft pin and at the other end there is an opening called the eye, known as ‘Manka’ through which the weft yarn passes. Warping Machine: The tana or warping machine is made of two basic parts: a big octagonal horizontal cylinder that rotates on its axis and a vertical frame on which several thread rolls can be attached.

Hook 25

Hook: The hook is used to take warp thread out from the heddle eye.

Process

DYEING Dyeing Colour selection for dyeing the unbleached cotton threads depends on the colours present on the design. The first step of the dyeing process involves ‘scouring’. Sourcing includes getting yarns for warp/weft, arrangement of a loom and other required tools. The hanks locally known as ‘atti’ are first put in boiling water. Earlier, turkey red oil was mixed in the water for giving the yarn distinctive colour. Dyeing is a time-consuming process; the yarn is stocked in the form of loose bundles knotted at the centre. These are put in a tank (usually a rectangular container of size 5 x 4 x 4 ft.). the yarn is soaked in a solution of castor oil and sodium hydrosulphide to wet thoroughly. The dye bath is brought to slow boil and the dye, caustic soda, and more sodium hydrosulphide is added. The yarn is dipped into the solution and rotated to ensure even dye penetration. Synthetic dyes are purchased for the process from Beawar. They are of three types: Direct Colours; Sulphur Colours; Acid Colours. Direct Colours: The yarn is first soaked in the water and then transferred to the hot water bath in which the colour is dissolved. After dyeing, the yarn is washed in cold water. Sulphur Colours: The colours of this group are dissolved in the boiling water with two other ingredients - Sodium sulphide and soda ash. The yarn is dyed in this solution and the colours of this group are faster than direct dyes. Acid Colours: They are used for woollen yarn. The colour is dissolved in hot water and the yarn hanks are put in for dyeing. After about 15mins Sulphuric Acid is put in the dye bath and the yarn is taken out and washed with cold water. 28

Dyeing of unbleached cotton threads 29

Drying of dyed threads

1. Empty creel

WINDING THE YARN Winding/Spinning is done on a charkha or traditional spinning wheel. The operation of transferring yarn from the hanks to bobbins is known as winding. The dyed yarn or white yarn is stretched round the creel and the winders draw a thread from the stretched hank attached to the bobbin. The bobbin is then placed on the spindle, which is given revolving motion by a rotation of the wheel. Thus, the yarn is passed from the hanks to the bobbins. The operation is locally known as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Kandi Bharnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Then a smaller bobbin is filled by three big bobbins, one thread from each bobbin is taken to form three ply yarn, then these small bobbins are inserted into the shuttle for weaving.

2. Yarn stretched around the creel 30

3. Drawing thread from the stretched hank to the bobbin

5. Thread is transfered to small bobbin to make 3 ply yarn 31

4. Process of filling bobbin goes on, untill all bobbins are filled

6. 3 ply yarn is filled in small bobbin

7. Filled bobbins

FILLING OF SHUTTLE After filling threads in the small bobbin, the bobbin is inserted in the shuttle. A small metal wire-like structure of shuttle opens and the bobbin is inserted in the metal wire then the metal wire comes to its previous position with the bobbin. On opposite end of the metal wire in the shuttle, there is a small hole given through which bobbin thread passes. It helps in maintaining the stability of the bobbin in the shuttle. 32

WARPING

Warp log

Warpping Machine 33

Warping is a very important process in weaving and depends on the swiftness of the weaver. This process is locally termed as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Tana Bananaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The weaver prepares the log with the warp, to be used by the weaver to make the durrie. For this purpose, he uses a tana or warping machine. A tana machine is a much larger version of the charkha principle. The thread rolls or bobbins are put on the vertical frame of the warping machine. This is a movable frame that resembles an abacus. The length of the warp bobbins generally ranges from 40 meters to 55 meters, depending on the convenience of the individual weavers. The ends of the thread are taken from the rolls, passed through another, smaller, grid-like frame with vertical metal wires that guides the thread, and are wound on the big wooden cylinder of the machine. This process starts from one end of the big octagonal cylinder and goes on till the entire cylinder is covered with yarn. The warp-drum is given a clockwise rotary motion by the warper and the drum is rotated till the required length of the warp is obtained. The length of the warp can easily be determined from the number of times the drum has rotated and since the circumference of the drum is known.

INTRODUCTION TO THE HANDLOOM

The fly shuttle loom is a better version of its primitive predecessor, the throw shuttle loom. The output per day in the fly shuttle loom is 4 to 5 yards of cloth. The different parts may be described as follows:

The slay is made of seasoned teak wood. The size of the slay depends on the width of the cloth to be woven, and therefore there are different width size. Normally the slay is of 40 to 50 inches in length. In the Jawaja Block it is called ‘Hatha’.

Frame: The size of the frame depends on the size of the slay and beams. Grooves are provided on both side bars of the frame to adjust the slay up or down as required. The frame is made up of wood and it is kept in position with a wooden batten fixed on its top and bottom.

Side-bar or Side-Frame: There are wooden bars fixed on both sides of the slay. These side-bars are known as ‘Ghodi’. These bars add to the strength of the slay and the top rest of the slay rests on these side-bars to which it is fixed by iron screws (nuts and bolts).

Slay: The fly-shuttle slay is a major improvement in this loom. Shuttle race with the shuttle box at each end has been provided to improve the slay. There is also an arrangement for holding the reed and keeping the warp ends in a proper position. A little pull to this type of slay beats the weft smoothly, swiftly, and uniformly. Thus, the inherent defects of the throw shuttle slay are removed here. One precaution however is, the slay must be straight and the shuttle race must be as smooth as possible.

Top-bar or Slay Top-rest: This is a wooden beam fixed horizontally on top of the slay. It holds the side bars in place. It is parallel to the slay and the entire body of the slay is suspended from two iron pins projecting from the ends of the top bar. This arrangement provides easy motion to the slay.

Frame

Side-bar or Side-Frame 35

Slay

Top-bar or Slay Top-rest

Shuttle Box: Known locally as ‘Peti’, the shuttle-box is a wooden box of a specific size, placed on each of the two ends of the slay. Its function being able to provide a place of momentary rest for the shuttle as it races from one end to the other with the blow of the ‘picker’. The normal size of these boxes is 19” *1 ½*2 ½, but it varies according to the size of the shuttle, the consideration being that the box should be big enough to hold the shuttle. Picker: The picker is a cube of the Sisam wood, fixed in each of the shuttle box. Instead of the wood, leather too sometimes is used for the picker. The picker has two holes and a leather strap is tied to it. The strap relates to the picking cord which is tied to the top of the slay. A pull at the picking cord makes the shuttle fly from one box to the other. The local term for the picker is ‘Pikkas’. Beams: There are generally two beams in each loom. The wearer’s beam, locally known as ‘Toor’ or also known as the cloth roller, is fixed just in front of the weaver’s seat. The warper’s beam is fixed at the other extreme of the loom. Seasoned teak wood is used for making both the beams. They are either round or hexagonal. 36

The length of the beam depends on the width of the cloth to be woven and is generally equal to the width of the frame. The beams must be carefully fixed to the frame so that there is no play and the beam is able to rotate on its axis. Beam Winding Rods: The weaver’s beam and the warper’s beam must roll the former for winding the woven cloth, and the latter to release the warp threads. For this purpose, a small rod is fixed at the right extreme of the weaver’s beam, in the hole provided in the beam, the rod serving as the handle to roll the beam. Heald: The indigenous heald consists of a series of twine loops, each passing a warp thread and fastened to wooden sticks. There is also a modern one, which is made of iron strings having eyes in the centre. This modern arrangement reduces the strain on warp threads too. The Healds are placed just after the reed. The wrap threads are passed through them, going to the reed. With the motion given to the healds by alternate pressure and release of the treadles, they move up and down creating a passage known as ‘shed’. It is through this shed that the shuttle is plied.

Shuttle Box

Beams 37

Picker

Beam winding rods

Heald

Treadles: There are different number of wooden pedals beneath the frame of the loom, connected to the healds. Pressure is applied to each of these alternatively like pressing the accelerator of a motor car. The attachment so works, to divide the warp threads into two parts, thus forming the shed mentioned earlier from which the shuttle passes.

cally on the weaver’s beamat the same time releasing the warp threads. There are thus two advantages, time saving and production of more even textured durrie. The latter is made possible because in case of the take-up motion attachment, the picks are regulated automatically by giving motion to the wheels of the attachment by the slay.

Reed: Called ‘Kangi’ by the Jawaja weavers, is the most essential part of the loom, without which weaving is not possible as it separates the warp threads and keeps them at equal and desired distance from each other. Beating up the weft threads, it serves as the guide for the shuttle also. It looks like a big comb. The reed consists of a series of parallel strips which are secured at their ends by a cotton cord between the dents and round two semi-circular wooden bars. The reed is made up of wooden bars and iron wires which are rust proof. The number also indicates the quality of the weaving because on the interval the strips depends the density of the fabric to be woven. A higher number of reed is for finer weaving and the smaller number for coarse weaving cloth. Frequent lubrication is necessary for smooth passage of the threads and for ensuring longer life of the reed.

The attachment consists of three indented cast iron wheels -two placed one over the other on one side of the frame which is tied by the thread to side bar. These are connected to the third wheel on the inner side of the frame which gives them motion and these in turn rotate the weaver’s beam. The attachment is placed on the right-hand side of the frame.

Take Up Motion Attachment: It is an improvement over the winding roads and helps to wind up the woven durrie automati38

During our Durrie Craft Cluster visit to Beawar Khas, we were fortunate to get first-hand information and visitation to theweavers’ respective home, who are associated with the craft. The first weaver who we visited is the President of the Jawaja Weavers’ Association, Mr. Onkar Lal. The products the weavers make are mainly Floor Mats or Carpets, Yoga Mats, Prayer Mats, Bed Covers, Shawls, Cushion Covers. The beauty of the weaves they make are from the very fact that they are all hand woven and hand spun.

Treadles

The looms were placed either in one of the rooms inside the house or at the ‘angan’ outside the house, with a kuccha roof covering. There is no sitting arrangement made and they usually stand and work on the loom. Also, at two houses; Mr. Phapu Lal’s and Pusa Ram’s, we noticed that the lighting required to work on the loom was insufficient, which causes strain on the eyes and most of these people complained of weak eye sight at an early age. Also, during the weaving process fibregets wasted during the denting of the yarn which could be utilised for toy or pillow stuffing, instead of going into the waste bin. 39

Reed

Few Ergonomic interventions could be suggested for efficient working and better productivity of the weavers since they work on the looms for long hours. Provision of proper lighting, chair of appropriate height to comfortably sit during the Drafting process, could enhance their work efficiency and productivity.

DRAFTING The term for drafting in Jawaja Block is ‘Sarai Karna’. The purpose of this process is to keep the warp threads parallel to one another and to divide them into sheds while the weaving is done. The warp threads are drawn through the eyes of the heald, with the help of a needle or a wire hook specially made for the purpose. This is one of the most time consuming and tedious task as the weaver as to pass every warp thread through the eye of the heald wire, therefore this activity needs a lot of time for its completion. The weaver has no proper sitting place in handloom during drafting, at many places that were visited. Onkar Lal ji who has two looms had proper sitting place to carry this work, whereas the loom at Phapu Lal ji and Kahna Ram ji’s had very little space for loom placement and the person can just stand to perform the task, with poor lighting which causes strain in eyes and standing for long hours (6 to 7 hours at a stretch) causes fatigue.

Threads are separated by a nylon thread to keep warp thread parellel

Hook for drawing threads from heddle eye 40

1. Hook is inserted in heddle eye

2. Warp thread is inserted in the loop of the hook

3. Warp thread is taken out through the heddle eye from hook

4. Similarly, all threads are taken out through the heddle eye

DENTING This is a process of drawing warp-ends through the dents of the reed. For this purpose, two people are required. One for picking up the threads in twos and in succession, and the other for drawing them through the reed. With the help of the hook the process is repeated till all the warp ends pass through the reed. This process is locally known as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Tar Bharnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Warp threads are passing through the dent of the reed 42

Ramlal ji is drawing threads from the dent of the reed 43

WEAVING Three primary motion governs the art of weaving viz., the shedding motion, the picking motion, and the beating motion. In shedding motion the treadle, a lever worked by the foot imparting motion to the machine, is depressed by the foot which results in the opening in the warp threads. The opening is known as Shed. The picking motion is in propelling the shuttle by giving an oblong pull to the handle. This results in a push to the shuttle in the shuttle box and this lets it run across the opening to the other side. The beating motion is in beating up the weft thread by drawing the slay forward. The efficiency of the weaver lies in being able to coordinate these three motions rhythmically. 44

1. Shedding Motion

2. Picking Motion 45

3. Beating Motion

Jawaja Durries â&#x20AC;&#x201C;

The Journey Since 46

When Prof Ravi J. Mathai started the Jawaja project, the con-

dition of the weaver in the community was very different from what it is today. They faced fierce caste system and bias from the community. A weaver at that time was not allowed to enter in the house of higher caste. Today forty years since the beginning of the program things have changed drastically. Where weaving earlier was, a traditional work done by generations after generations of weavers, today first generation weavers have also adopted the craft for the economic stability it provides. Prof Ravi’s vision of ‘dispensability of the interventionist’ has seen its implementation in the Jawaja project. However, it’s time to go back and provide fresh lease of life to the revived craft. Forty years have passed and the inputs from IIM and NID teams have stood well to the test of time, but the dwindling numbers of weavers is indicative of need for renewal of skills or learning of new ones, which enable them to once again realign themselves to the new realities of the ever-evolving world around them. The world in the last few years have grown exponentially in varied dimensions with technology development leading from the front, whereas the growth of the craft has been more linear. We talked to the weavers of Beaver Khas to better understand them, their community and where their craft stands now.

Fifty seven year old Onkarlal ji is one of the senior most weaver and also the president of the weaver’s association and comes from a generation of weavers. He grew up watching his father weave and learned the craft with him. In 1969 when his father expired and the onus of providing for the family came to him, he started doing odd jobs along with his studies. He also took out time to work under his father’s friend Pusaram Ramzan , also a weaver by profession. Onkarlal ji belonged to the batch of weavers that were part of the IIM, NID initiative. In 1975 when the Jawaja project started he was in grade X, he started weaving full time in 1976 and hasn’t looked back since. His education has helped him immensely in being proactive and managing the associations work in an intelligent organised way. In spite of being busy, he takes time out twice a week to manage the associations work, which involves sourcing raw material, receiving orders, storage and packaging of finished goods and shipping of the same. He also coordinates and organises for the artisans to attend various exhibition and shows across the country. However, the post of president does not create a hierarchical structure within the association, it’s more of a recognition of capabilities of a person within the weavers association which can help all the members, and the job responsibilities are shared by all through mutual understanding. Onkarlal ji takes a token amount as expense towards commutation, which is applicable for all members who spend time in packaging etc. The association has isolated the next potential president after Onkarlal ji, and he is being groomed already.

being proactive and managing the associations work in an intelligent organised way. In spite of being busy, he takes time out twice a week to manage the associations work, which involves sourcing raw material, receiving orders, storage and packaging of finished goods and shipping of the same. He also coordinates and organises for the artisans to attend various exhibition and shows across the country. However, the post of president does not create a hierarchical structure within the association, it’s more of a recognition of capabilities of a person within the weavers association which can help all the members, and the job responsibilities are shared by all through mutual understanding. Onkarlal ji takes a token amount as expense towards commutation, which is applicable for all members who spend time in packaging etc. The association has isolated the next potential president after Onkarlal ji, and he is being groomed already. Onkarlal Ji has three sons and a daughter. None of his sons are pursuing weaving, though all of them are well versed with the craft. They have all got formal education and are working in cities in varying capacities. In the weaver’s community, the role of the women in craft has been to provide backhand support. They convert the yarn into spools and prepare the shuttles for the craftsmen to use. Traditionally weaving per se has been a man’s job. Onkarlalji is proudly changing the norm by teaching his granddaughter to weave, maybe the next generation of weavers would be females. Gopiramji is another chip of the old block. He is fifty-eight years of age and has been a weaver for as long as he remembers. His father and grandfather were also weavers. They used to weave on 49

‘gaddha loom’, a loom placed in a dugout space, so that the frame and posts of the loom could be imbedded in the four walls created by the dugout space. At that time, they were making heavy coarse ‘chaddars’ that were used by villagers in multiple ways- to protect themselves from desert dust storms, as covers in night, as tents for shade etc. He too adopted the new ways and methods advocated by the Jawaja project team and started making durries. His three sons Shivkumar aged 35, Phapulal aged 30 and Kanharam aged 25 are all members of weaver association. All of them have tried their hands at something else before turning to weaving. Onkarlal ji and Gopiram ji and his sons together are responsible for about 60% of the associations produce. Other people like 45 years old Pusaram Kantiwal, 40-year-old Ramlal and 50-year-old Maangilal do not come from family of weavers. They learned the work from the association and have been working as weavers since. This in itself is indication that the lot of the weavers has moved up in the social strata of the local community. Improved economic status has a lot to do with it. However, the decrease in numbers of the weavers is a concern area which should be addressed timely. I992 the no of weavers documented were 22, (Goswami & Perheenathupa, 1992) in 2017 they are 10. A detailed research needs to be undertaken to understand what’s the cause of this steady decline in nos. Despite having the right ingredients, a conducive environment and a successful model, what is the reason that the weaver community is shrinking.

Extending a helping hand The Indian government, the private sector and non-profits are each involved in the Indian crafts sector but their roles have evolved in silos, with little specialization and much duplication. Since independence, the Indian government has created a number of institutions, schemes and welfare programs for the crafts sector. However, on a policy level there has been no concerted and cohesive effort to address the challenges faced by the crafts ecosystem. Similarly, the private sector has contributed to uplifting artisans through different market-led efforts made by retail chains, high end-fashion designers and a relatively more recent wave of social businesses. Government initiatives The Jawaja Durie artisans benefit from various government policies. Government efforts have channelled an estimated Rs 752 crore into the crafts sector during the 12th Five Year Plan (20122016). A number of institutions such as the Council for the Advancement of Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Action and Rural Technology (CAPART), the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) have been involved in funding and implementing development work for artisans through different schemes. 51

Government has launched various welfare schemes like the Rajiv Gandhi Shilpi Swasthya Bima Yojana and the JanshreeBima Yojana for Handicrafts Artisans, under which artisans in the age group of 18-60 receive health and life insurance in association with the Life Insurance Corporation of India for themselves and three dependents, provide some social security. Government has also helped them provide market linkages and one of the most applauded initiative being the Dilli Haat an openair crafts bazaar in the national capital modelled on a traditional village market where artisans from around the country can rent space and display their wares for two weeks at a time. Set up in cooperation with Dastkar Haat Samiti, a non-profit organization that works with artisans across the country, Dilli Haat has provided artisans with much-needed market linkages and access to consumers. Government has also introduced some capacity building efforts such as the artisan credit card scheme and the Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hast Shilp Vikas Yojana scheme are generally led by the Development Commissioner of Handicrafts. Efforts include skills development, technological intervention, design and marketing support and reviving languishing crafts. The Development Commissioner for Handlooms runs Weavers Centres in many parts of the country along with the National Centre for Textile Design to provide market-based design input for handloom weavers.

Bank Schemes Apart from the government policies the Jawaja Durie artisans also benefit from various bank schemes. The Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) provides artisans, craftsmen and weavers, easy access to credit from the organized banking sector. CGTMSE provides guarantee to its registered Member Lending Institutions (MLIs) against the loans/credit facilities up to Rs.100 lakh extended by them without taking any collateral security and/or third party guarantee to a new or existing units in the MSE sector, including units in manufacturing and service sectors. As on March 31, 2014 (cumulatively), 14,19,807 guarantees for an amount of Rs. 70,026 crore have been approved by CGTMSE. No separate data maintained for loans given to artisans, craftsmen and weavers without collateral security. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has formulated â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Swarozgar Credit Card Schemeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in the year 2003. The scheme aims at providing adequate and timely credit i.e., working capital/or block capital for both to small artisans, handloom weavers from the banking system in a flexible, hassle free and cost effective manner. The facility also includes a reasonable component for consumption needs. Beneficiaries under the scheme are automatically covered under the group insurance scheme and the premium is shared by the bank and the borrower equally. 52

The market for Jawaja Durries Currently Jawaja Durries enjoy a healthy retail partnership with Fabindia retail chain and also an online retail partnership with Gaatha. AAJ has successfully managed to create exclusivity and an identity for both Jawaja Leather and Jawaja Durries. Though Jawaja leather is a comparatively better known cousin with their own website in place, the JWA are also trying hard to catch up. Their website is currently underway and they are trying very hard to create new channels of business. They are a constant exhibit in NID convocations and have managed to create new ties with Dastakaar team as well. Dastakaar also supports the weavers’ association with design ideas. We were told that Priya from Dastkaar had stayed with them for a period of ten days and developed new color palettes and design patterns from the existing repertoire of materials and patterns to create a fresh new look. The weavers had already started retailing some of these designs at the various exhibitions they travel too and were getting good response from them. When we visited them Phaphulal was developing a sample from these new designs to show to a prospective new client. Onkarlal ji informed us of an interesting initiative that he had 53

happened to take, ‘One Village’ a US based online retail firm had once placed an order with the JWA during the time when NID was helping them market their products. Post that they lost touch with the company. Onkarlal ji recently asked his internet savvy older son (a teacher at Jaipur) to search ‘One Village’ and write a mail to them. Result – they got a repeat order of the same pattern that they had done for them earlier. These kinds of incidents highlight a distinct need to empower the craftsmen to use technology to his advantage so that he can reach out to more markets, use technology to seek knowledge of prevalent trends and tastes of the urban population.

Conclusion

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The weavers are bright, they are thinking, and they have the drive.â&#x20AC;? The Jawaja experiment trained them in skills that have lasted so long, but the context of the modern world is once again changing and shifting shape, this emerging world need some additional set of skills to be built on the previous ones. Weather its reviewing of production techniques to increase efficiency or ergonomic intervention with tools to enhance productivity or new set of skills to enable better adaptation to the world around, we need to identify it and find mechanisms to implement the solutions to capture the dwindling numbers of the weavers, before the 10 dwindle into nothingness.

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