The story of Tharu Community Cluster ~ WWF India

I nd u s t r y Internship Document June - July 2017 Internship carried out at World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF-India) Priya Jyoti, Master of Design Space, Sem-III

National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi

World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF-India)

This document is dedicated to the Tharu women weavers of Gabraula, Palia, Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh

acknowledgement I would like to thank Mrs. Vishaish Uppal, Director at Sustainable Livelihoods & Governance for giving me an opportunity to learn during the Internship project at WWF-India, Delhi. Her valuable guidance and support was a great source of inspiration and hence enabled me to complete the task.

I would also like to thank Ms. Sakshi Kakar, Senior Programme Officer for her unvarying assistance and encouragement.

A heartful thanks to Mr. Umesh K Bhasin for building my knowledge about clients and the product range for their inhouse Nature Shop.

I would also like to express my gratitude to all the Tharu cluster women, their sincerely, patience, hard work and cooperation that enabled me to complete the task.

I would also like to thank my mentor Dr. Varsha Gupta for her valuable guidance and support during the course of internship without whose support and guidance this internship would’nt have been possible.

06 | ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

D URR I E ’ S

by Tharu Community

PROJECT BRIEF • Developing designs for durries for Tharu women in Gabraula.

• Assisting the women to standardise designs and make durries accordingly.

• Study the whole process chain and develop a costing and a standardised system for production.

Tharu women in their traditional clothes

45 | ABOUT THE THARU COMMUNITY

ABOUT tHARU COMMUNITY ORIGIN - The Tharu is the largest and oldest ethnic group of the Terai region (southern plains along the length of Nepalese foothills), living in villages near jungles in regions that were isolated over the millennium, allowing them to develop a unique culture.

A series of invasions by the other races,from north India across the border and from hills and mountains of Nepal, eroded the influence of the indigenous Tharus. In 1854 Jung Bahadur, the first Rana prime minister of Nepal, developed the Mulki Ain, a codification of Nepal’s indigenous legal system which divided society into a system of castes. The Tharus were placed at next to the bottom(lowest touchable,above untouchables) of the social hierarchy. Their land was taken away, disrupting their community and displacing the people. In the 1950s, World Health Organisation helped the Nepalese government eradicate malaria in the Terai region. This resulted in immigration of people from other areas to claim the fertile land, making many Tharus virtual slaves of the new landowners and developing the kamaiya system of bonding generations of Tharus families to labour.

Lifestyle - Because the Tharu lived in isolation in malarial swamps until the recent use of DDT, they developed a style of decorating the walls, rice containers and other objects in their environment. The Tharu women transform outer walls and verandahs of their homes into colorful paintings said to be dedicated to Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of prosperity and fertility. Its a matriarchal society and there is a rigid class hierarchy in the tribe.

Womens often have tattooed arms that indicate a superiority of birth.

Language - Tharu speak variants of Urdu and Awadhi and even Hindi.

Religion - The Tharu are adherents of Hinduism, but also held Islamic, Animist and Buddhist beliefs..

Traditional Tharu worship various gods in the form of animals such as dogs, crow, ox and cows. Every village has their own deity, commonly known as Bhuinyar.

46 | ABOUT THE THARU COMMUNITY

Womens often have tattooed arms that indicate a superiority of birth

A woman carrying out daily chore, There is a rigid class hierarchy in the tribe, that is shown through the jewellery they adorn.

47 | ABOUT THE THARU COMMUNITY

Rice wine being prepared. Known locally as jand, the wine is made of rice cakes that are left to ferment with herbs found only in the jungle.

A woman uses broom sticks tied together to brush her hair the traditional way.

48 | ABOUT THE THARU COMMUNITY

Women weaving the durrie

METHODOLOGY & TYPOLOGY The study was undertaken at the Gabraula village of Palia Kalan in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh.

The primary data was collected from artisans through personal interview, observation. Participatory and nonparticipant type of research methods were used . The source of secondary data was government websites , existing WWF-India reports and internet.

• Perception of structured schedule was used as an instrument for gathering information.

• Conduction of interview of artisans at WWF-INDIA cluster shed constructed under the Core Support Programme supported by Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.

• Analysis of the information.

• Design Development & Training.

• Location : Gabraula village of Palia Kalan in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh • Products : Basic stripe durries and their color variations.

• Tools : Cotton yarn for the warp and weft, scissors, measuring tape, charkha for reeling, locally fabricated pitlooms, jackard loom.

• Major Strength : The keenness of women and new generation to learn and develop new designs.

• Major Problems : Skill level of the artisans, products are not standardized, color combinations (whatever yarn remains and does not follow any specific colour combination and hence few daris are not upto standard and sell the least), Stipulated number of looms available in the village, production cannot be escalated beyond a certain level, location of the women group is remote and transport facilities are poor, More number of women are there from other villages in the group rather from the same village.

The work is carried out by women artisans as an economic activity in a shed constructed by WWF-India under the Core Support Programme supported by Department of Science & Technology, Government of India.

The group is informally headed by a cluster leader - Arti Rana. Generally a piece rate system is used which depends on design patterns, time required in each durrie. Tharus have traditional skills of weaving which has been upgraded into cotton durrie weaving. Women are mainly paid on per durrie basis by the cluster leader.

There is intense competition among producers due to low margin. From 2007 onward, the intervention of self help groups that organised training camps for skilled up gradation and design development resulted in improvement of financial conditions in this cluster. WWF India has supported the women weavers of tharu tribal community to augment their income through setting up an environment friendly enterprise of making durries. t has facilitated the weavers by providing trainings and market linkage support that has helped in enhancing their livelihoods as well.

50 | METHODOLOGY & TYPOLOGY

THARU HATHKARGHA GHARELU UDYOG Self Help Group of women producing the durries.

BACKGROUND

Durrie rugs are ancient flat-weave rugs with origins in India. Durrie designs vary regionally across India on the basis of loom design, raw materials, skills of the weavers, tools and the techniques used. This thick cotton drapery makes a sizable cottage industry in India.

Tharus are a tribal community residing in the northern buffer of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, located in the terai region of Uttar Pradesh. Tharus have traditional skills of weaving which has been upgraded into cotton durrie weaving.

WWF India has supported the women weavers of tharu tribal community to augment their income through setting up an environment friendly enterprise of making durries by constructing shed under the Core Support Programme supported by Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. It has facilitated the weavers by providing trainings and market linkage support that has helped in enhancing their livelihoods as well.

THARU HATHKARGHA GHARELU UDYOG is the name of the Self Help Group of women producing the durries.

The group comprises of 10-12 skilled and semi-skilled women working together with the pitlooms to produce durries.

52 | BACKGROUND

PROCESS

of Durrie making

Each thread is handwoven precisely with lot of patience and hardwork

PROCESS OF DURRIE WEAVING Procurement of the yARN : Appropriate ply and variety of cotton yarn required for warp and weft is procured from dealers.

Setting UP OF PITLOOM : The supports of the pitloom are set into the floor at a distance of 3 feet by 4.5 feet, facing a pit that is dug 3 feet deep. The weaver operates the pedals with her legs which are placed inside the pit. The frame of the loom is made of bamboo. The rotating frame ( Belan ) is set onto the support of the pitloom 2 feet above the ground. This is done for the weaver to maintain a good distance between her legs and the weaving surface.

The ground absorbs the tension and speed while weaving and makes the durrie more breathable.

Setting of Warp : As per the required width of the durrie, black warp yarn of appropriate thickness is set onto the pitloom. The warp has two layers that pass through a horizontal metallic frame called the reed. The reed keeps the yarn straight and equidistant from each other. Setting the warp yarn onto the pitloom is a tedious job and requires two women.

Preparation of weft YARN : As per the design of the durrie, yarn of appropriate color and ply is spun onto the spindle through charkha. This process is called reeling. It is done to tighten the thread and free it from tangles.

This loaded spindle is later used while weaving.

Weaving Process : As per the design of the durrie, the women manoeuvres the loom with their feet placed in the pit and weave the warp and weft yarns to form a durrie as per the design. They constantly beat the weft yarns to settle it tightly into the warp. Once the weft threads are tightly beaten between the warp, the weaver exchanges the upper and the lower layers of the warp. This locks the weft between the two layers of warp, providing more strength and durability to the durrie. Time taken to make the durrie depends upon the size and design complexity.

Finishing : The women finishes the ends of the durrie by knotting the leftover ends. Scissors are used for cutting the protruding knots, weft threads, etc.

Labelling/Packaging : A paper label which has the name of the women SHG, THARU HATHKARGHA GHARELU UDYOG is stapled on the durries. After being labelled appropriately by the women. The durries are packed in sacks of 50kg each, that are either stored or transported depending upon the time of the delivery.

STORAGE : A storage room as indicated in the layout can easily accommodate 2000 daris. The durries are stored in sacks to keep away from dust.

Transportation : The transportation system is a two tier process which requires the daris to be transported via bus/train from • Gabraula to Palia • Palia to the destination ( Delhi, Bareilly, Lucknow etc. ) 56 | PROCESS OF DURRIE WEAVING

Women weaving the durrie

PRODUCTION PROCESS

SETTING OF THE LOOM

PREPARING THE THREAD

FINISHING

WEAVING THE DESIGN

LABELLING

STORAGE

TRANSPORTATION

58 | PRODUCTION PROCESS

DISPLAY AREA

COURTYARD TRUNK

RACK

STORE ROOM

DURRIES STACKED ON FLOOR

WORK SPACE

PRODUCTION SETUP LAYOUT

PITLOOM

ENTRANCE

JACKARD LOOM WINDOW DOOR

59 | PRODUCTION SETUP & CAPACITY

PRODUCTION SETUP & CAPACITY The production setup is a shed with a tin roof consisting of a 1) working space that has the loom setup, 2) a store room for keeping raw materials and the durries and 3) a display room for finished durries.

The working space has a total of 12 looms, arranged next to each other as shown in the diagram. There are 9 pitlooms and all the women have the knowledge of its functioning. The maximum weaving width that can be acheived on these pitlooms is 50 inches. All pit looms are in a good working condition.

The number of jackard looms are 3 with 2 modern looms and 1 modified loom.

However, only two women can use the jackard loom. There are 3 jackard cards for the looms. Maximum weaving width achieved on jackard loom is also 50 inches.

Store room has a capacity of storing 2000 durries.

Number of women weaving durries

12

Number of working days

20

Total square feet weaved per day by a single woman

Two durries of 2’ by 2’ = 4 + 4 sq.ft. = 8sq.ft. or One durrie each of 2’ by 2’ and 2’ by 3’ = 4 + 6 sq.ft. = 10 sq.ft. or One durrie of 6’ by 2’ = 12 sq.ft.

Total square feet weaved per day by 12 women

( 8 x 12 ) = 96 sq.ft. of 2’ by 2’ durrie ( 10 x 12 ) = 120sq.ft. of 2’ by 2’ and 2’ by 3’ durrie ( 12 x 12 ) = 144 sq.ft. of 6’ by 2’ durrie

Total durries weaved per day by 12 women

24 durries of 2’ by 2’ 12 durries of 2’ by 2’ & 12 durries of 2’ by 3’ 12 durries of 6’ by 2’

Total durries weaved per month by 12 women

24 x 20 = 480 durries of 2’ by 2’ 24 x 20 = 480 durries of 2’ by 2’ and 2’ by 3’ 12 x 20 = 240 durries of 6’ by 2’

( Total durries weaved per day by 12 women x 20 working days )

Total square feet weaved by 12 women per month ( Total square feet weaved per day by 12 women x 20 working days )

96 x 20 = 1920 sq.ft. of 2’ by 2’ 120 x 20 = 2400 sq.ft. of 2’ by 2’ and 2’ by 3’ 144 x 20 = 2880 sq.ft. of 6’ by 2’ 60 | PRODUCTION SETUP & CAPACITY

These were few designs developed prior to the visit.

The group worked on simle stripe patterns, keeping that in mind designs were translated later as per the artisans ease.

61 | DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

Design Development These were the final designs that were madeby the artisans, dimensions and slight variations were made at the sampling stage.

62 | DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

When fingers weave a magic and the colors draw smiles.

Durrie Designs by the Tharu Community

65 | PRODUCTION SHEET

qaå hqkr`a `relU £Ûog

PRODUCTION SHEET

S.No.

LOOM TO BE USED - HANDLOOM SIZE OF DARI cOkor drI - pWr kI drI - $ebl `avk - be@sa¡@ drI - yoga drI - drI -

PRODUCT IMAGE 2ˊ 3ˊ 6ˊ 6ˊ 6ˊ 3ˊ

x x x x x x

2ˊ 2ˊ 1.5ˊ 2ˊ 3ˊ 4ˊ

COLOR 1 COLOR 2

NUMBER OF DURRIES

YARN SWATCH & COLOR 1 YARN SWATCH & COLOR 2 drI 3ˊ x 4ˊ

$ebl `avk 6ˊ x 1.5ˊ

be@sa¡@ drI 6ˊ x 2ˊ

yoga drI 6ˊ x 3ˊ

TANA / WARP QTY. ( KG)

250 g

300 g

300 g

300 g

BANA / WEFT QTY. ( KG) YARN 1 QTY. ( KG) YARN 2

500 g

600 g

700 g

750 g

500 g

600 g

700 g

750 g

WWF - India Üara smiqRRt Ek smudaiyk AajIivka phl

66 | PRODUCTION SHEET

PRODUCTION DRAWING 2ˊ

6ˊ

YARN COLOR 1

YARN COLOR 2

SIZES

6ˊ x 1.5ˊ | 6ˊ x 2ˊ | 6ˊ x 3ˊ | 3ˊ x 4ˊ

YARN COLOR 1 YARN COLOR 2 68 | PRODUCTION DRAWING

69 | DESIGN OUTCOMES

LOOM USED - 4 SHAFT PITLOOM

70 | DESIGN OUTCOMES

71 | DESIGN OUTCOMES

72 | DESIGN OUTCOMES

COLOR COMBINATIONS ASSISTANCE CHART

73 | COLOR COMBINATION ASSISTANCE CHART

r'g s'yog magRdixRka

qaå hqkr`a `relU £Ûog mu:y r'g

tejý ivprIt r'g mel ke ilE

drIyo

hLke ivprIt r'g mel ke ilE

ke ilE mank Aayam h®'

2ˊ x 2ˊ - cOkor drI | 3ˊ x 2ˊ - pWr kI drI | 6ˊ x 1.5ˊ - $ebl `avk | 6ˊ x 2ˊ - be@sa¡@ drI | 6ˊ x 3ˊ - yoga drI | 3ˊ x 4ˊ, 6ˊ x 4ˊ - drI

WWF INDIA Üara smiqRRt Ek smudaiyk AajIivka phl

RECOMMENDED SIZES FOR THE DESIGNS

75 | RECOMMENDED SIZES

DESIGN

SQUARE MAT

FOOT MAT

POOJA MAT

TABLE RUNNER

BEDSIDE RUNNER

YOGA MAT

2’ by 2’

3’ by 2’

3’ by 4’

6’ by 1.5’

6’ by 2’

6’ by 3’

RECOMMENDED COLORS FOR THE DESIGNS

77 | RECOMMENDED COLORS

DESIGN

COLOR COMBINATION

OTHER SUGGESTIONS

Main Color ( Dharti ) Motif color ( Tikki )

Main Color ( Dharti ) Motif color ( Tikki )

3 ply thread for Motif ( 2 + 1 ) - 2ply of motif color & 1ply of main color

Main Color ( Dharti ) Motif color ( Tikki )

Main Color ( Dharti ) Motif color ( Tikki )

3 ply thread for Motif ( 2 + 1 ) - 2ply of motif color & 1ply of main color

Main Color ( Dharti ) Motif color ( Tikki )

Main Color ( Dharti ) Motif color ( Tikki ) Main Color ( Dharti ) Motif color ( Tikki )

Main Color ( Dharti ) Motif color ( Tikki )

Main Color ( Dharti ) Motif color ( Tikki )

Color 1 Color 2

Main Color ( Dharti ) color 1 color 2

3 ply thread for Motif ( 2 + 1 ) - 2ply of motif color & 1ply of main color

3 ply thread for color 2 ( 2 + 1 ) - 2ply of color 2 & 1ply of color 1 for all combinations

COSTING PLAN FOR DURRIES The costs here have been put randomly for non-disclosure purpose

79 | COSTING

PLAIN AND STRIPE DURRIE DESIGN

SQUARE MAT

FOOT MAT

POOJA MAT

TABLE RUNNER

BEDSIDE RUNNER

YOGA MAT

2’ by 2’

3’ by 2’

3’ by 4’

6’ by 1.5’

6’ by 2’

6’ by 3’

250 g = Rs. 40

250 g = Rs. 40

300 g = Rs. 48

300 g = Rs. 48

300 g = Rs. 48

900 g = Rs. 72

1000 g = Rs. 80

1200 g = Rs. 96

1400 g = Rs. 112

1500 g = Rs. 120

Rs. 96

Rs. 112

Rs. 120

Rs. 144

Rs. 160

Rs. 168

Rs. 32

Rs. 48

Rs. 96

Rs. 72

Rs. 114

Rs. 144

Rs. 128

Rs. 160

Rs. 216

Rs. 216

Rs. 274

Rs. 312

Rs. 0.5

Rs. 0.5

Rs. 0.5

Rs. 0.5

Rs. 0.5

Rs. 0.5

Rs. 0.1

Rs. 0.115

Rs. 0.125

Rs. 0.15

Rs. 0.17

Rs. 0.18

TRAVEL COST ( 5% )

Rs. 6.43

Rs. 8.03

Rs. 10.83

Rs. 10.83

Rs. 13.73

Rs. 15.63

TOTAL

Rs. 135.03

Rs. 168.64

Rs. 227.45

Rs. 227.48

Rs. 288.4

Rs. 328.3

Rs. 137.73

Rs. 172.01

Rs. 231.99

Rs. 232.02

Rs. 294.17

Rs. 334.86

Rs. 138

Rs. 172

Rs. 232

Rs. 294

Rs. 335

DARIE SIZE

QUANTITY OF MATERIAL USED TANA / WARP 160/kg BANA / WEFT 80/kg

Per sq. feet rate Rs. 8/sq.ft.

TOTAL

200 g = Rs. 32 800 g = Rs. 64

Labeling cost

Rs1/ Label PACKING COST Rs 0.1 / 1kg

after Miscellaneous ( 2% )

TOTAL

Rs. 232

OTHER WORKS

PROJECT BRIEF • Poster, Banner, Bag & Standie for - NATIONAL CONSULTATION on SDG’s - WORKSHOP ON SDG 14

WORKSHOP ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 14 : LIFE BELOW WATER Effective and Inclusive Management of Marine and Coastal Ecosystems to Promote Human Wellbeing and Sustainable Development.

WORKSHOP ON SDG 14

81 | OTHER GRAPHIC WORK

NATIONAL CONSULTATION on SDG’s Standie displayed at United Nations headquarters, New York

LAPEL PINS

Designing lapel pins for endangered species for the nature shop.

83 | LAPEL PIN DESIGN

INDIAN TURTLE

The Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus), also known as Iranian cheetah is a Critically Endangered cheetah subspecies surviving today only in Iran. The Asiatic cheetah has a buff- to light fawn-coloured fur that is paler on the sides, on the front of the muzzle, below the eyes and inner legs.

Small black spots are arranged in lines on the head and nape, but irregularly scattered on body, legs, paws and tail.

The tail tip has black stripes.

ASIATIC CHEETAH 85 | LAPEL PINS

The Indian roller is distributed across Asia, from Iraq and United Arab Emirates in south-western Asia through the Indian Subcontinent, including Sri Lanka, Lakshadweep islands and Maldive Islands into Southeast Asia. Its main habitat includes cultivated areas, thin forest and grassland.

26–27 cm long | Characterised by - blue crown and vent.

INDIAN roller

The Indian leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) is a leopard subspecies widely distributed on the Indian subcontinent.

The species Panthera pardus is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because populations have declined following habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching for the illegal trade of skins and body parts, and persecution due to conflict situations. The Indian leopard is one of the big cats occurring on the Indian subcontinent.

LEOPARD

88 | LAPEL PINS

LEARNING OUTCOME The Internship program was a two way interaction where I learned the functioning of the company, its organizational setup. Right from the process of research to ideation, product development to manufacturing, packaging and finally delivering the goods, the whole process involved a lot of learning.

I gained knowledge of the various aspects of production, quality control, marketing and costing criteria in contest of design, functioning of the industry :- infrastructure, organization and the communication process involved. WWF-India being a conservation organization, learning about procurement of fund was also interesting.

I have learned a lot during the course, the essence of craft and understanding of frame of mind and senses behind those intricate frames of hands that weave the durries.

Being associated with WWF-India, it has invariably generated a self-consciousness towards nature and our surroundings.

90 | LAPEL PINS