Entering the Saliyar gothra theruvu (street) at Balaramapuram, the faint tack-tack of looms directs us to a building where in an ill-lit, dusty room Omana is toiling away at a puliyilakara mundu . Only one woman is present to give Omana company. “Three others — a woman and two men — also come here to weave. Today, they aren’t well,” clarifies Omana. Of the eight pit-looms in the unit, three are silent, covered by a patina of dust and strands of cobwebs, the weavers long gone.
Omana, 67, starts work at 8 a.m., up to 4 p.m. In this time, she finishes weaving one mundu that fetches her ₹150. “Our wages are very low. Earlier, I used to weave two mundu a day, but now I can manage only one. At times, I do not come because my legs ache from constantly tapping the loom.”
Omana started weaving young, when she was all of 14. Today, at the age of 67, she lives alone, her children married. “I have to pay ₹2,000 a month as rent, as I gave away my land and house for my daughter’s wedding. Now, I have to work. Besides, what am I going to do sitting at home,” she asks. Her only relief is a widow’s pension of ₹600 and a monthly weaver’s pension of ₹1,100.
Decline in pit-looms
Sidharthan has been running a weaving unit at Villikulam, declared a tourist village by the government, for the past 35 years. Over this period, the number of pit-looms he owned has come down by half.
“I don’t think we will hear the sound of the looms beyond another five years,” he says with a laugh, though he is anything but jesting.
It is not difficult to see why. Only five men are at work at his unit now, none under the age of 50. “They are working for a pittance. The wages of the weavers are supposed to be increased by 10% every year under an agreement with the owners and the unions, but this is yet to be given this year. Even if we want to increase the wages, traders will not bear the increase in burden. Mundu weavers still get a bonus of 25%, but those weaving saris get up to 34%.”
Sidharthan points to a building that has only walls, no roof. Inside, there is a thick growth of tapioca plants. “This was where I’d planned to set up more looms, but that won’t happen. I’ve already brought down another building.”
He too has looms that are non-functional, as the number of weavers is dwindling. The work is back-breaking and the rewards little. A. Sivanandan Panicker, he says, has been at work only for a month since he fell ill around Onam last year. “None of the weavers want their children to take up weaving. Why should they if one can earn twice as much doing other jobs? This generation of weavers will most likely be the last,” says Sidharthan.
Madhu remembers a time when weaving was one of the most prestigious vocations and they managed not only to meet their expenses but even squirrel away a decent amount as savings.
“It took us 7-8 years to perfect weaving. And because we started quite young, we never received any education. Today, we have ensured that our children receive education.” To add to the woes of the handloom industry, the market is flooded with powerloom products that pass off for original neriyathu .
Low quality products
Saliyar street, the nerve centre of the trade at Balaramapuram, is crowded with buyers looking for the latest fashions and designs in handloom products. But what they get is low-quality products, and at times most burn a big hole in their purses to make their purchases. Says Sunil Kumar, a shop owner, “A handloom sari that is processed and manufactured here will cost at least ₹1,500. But look at the saris draped on the mannequins in shop fronts. These are unoriginal powerloom products. Would anyone hang out authentic expensive saris outside?"
A Balaramapuram neriyathu sari, mundu , or a set-mundu combination has to go through a lot of processes before it is ready, and hence, the cost, he says, and points out that these days, few people use unakku paavu (warp yarn) for weaving. Agrees Sidharthan, “If we use unakku paavu , we can weave only 25 mundu using it. The paavu we use will last for 120 mundu.”
Says Satheesh Kumar, State secretary of the Handloom Protection Forum, “Consumers are being hoodwinked as they do not know to distinguish between original handloom and powerloom products. But then, neither do the Ministers in charge or the officials concerned. Parties in power have no policy towards keeping traditional crafts alive.”
Cheap substitutes
Only 2% of the products reaching the market are original handloom, he estimates.
“Nowadays, what is used is silica fibre brought from abroad and plastic thread. Onam markets are flooded with clothes made of such cheap fibre.” Even the showrooms of weavers’ cooperatives under the government have stock that is made using cloth from abroad, he alleges.
Duplicate kasavu (golden zari) and saris with prints are what are flying off the shelves, he says. “We do not have technology for such saris. Nor do we have weavers trained in this. Our looms are very small and do not allow for many designs,” Mr. Satheesh Kumar says.
Failure to change with the times and turn to value-addition is yet another problem that has deepened the crisis in the sector. Not enough efforts are being made to look beyond saris and set-mundu to innovate and roll out value-added products, especially lifestyle products that marry tradition with fashion, he says.
Cluster development
Cluster development programme was implemented to boost the fortunes of the handloom sector across the country. Under it, a few societies come together as a cluster and are given a grant so as to purchase new looms, give a fillip to dyeing units, train weavers, and rope in fashion technology and design students to develop value-added products. “Years after the programme was launched, how many such products can we see in the markets?
“What do we have to show for the crores of rupees spent on this?" Mr. Satheesh Kumar asks.
GI tag violation
Despite the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the Balaramapuram saris and mundus , violation is rampant.
“It has to be verified if the so-called Balaramapuram saris and mundu are indeed woven here,” he says. There has been little change in the condition of weavers, he points out.
“They need to be paid more. Efforts should also be made to prevent dumping of cheap clothing from abroad. Once that is controlled, domestic production of good quality clothes will increase.”
Enforcement measures
Lack of enforcement measures too poses a hurdle. There is mechanism in place to crack down on power loom products that pass off for handloom. Funds are allocated for this.
But nothing happens. He also alleges misuse of the handloom mark. “The mark is bought by the sackful and stuck on power loom products. No inspections are made by officials to verify if these are handloom.”
Yet, all is not lost. Mr. Satheesh Kumar's forum, for instance, exports a host of products such as bedsheets, curtains, yoga mats, mattresses, footwear, and garments after treating them in Ayurveda herbs.
Discerning customers also provide a glimmer of hope. “A few come to us asking for authentic Balaramapuram handloom, and nothing else,” says Mr. Sunil Kumar, but that is small solace in an otherwise dismal scenario. What the future has in store for the Balaramapuram handloom, only time will tell.
