H is for ... Hank ... n ... Host

 

All this month I am writing about the beauty of Indian handlooms, a quick but captivating dive into the saree specifically, a garment worn by Indians for five millennia. Come with me into the elegant, complex and utterly fascinating world of fibre and yarn, of skills and techniques of dyeing and printing and embroidery, traditions unchanged for centuries. Of sumptuous finished fabrics that not only make a fashion statement, but also constitute our cultural heritage and political identity.

H is for Hurdles

...of which there are many that the handlooms face. 

Incidentally, Indian handlooms comprise a humongous range - from carpet and rugs woven in Kashmir to the humble checked 'Gamchha' (lit 'body-wipe') in Bengal and Odisha, often seen slung over working class men's shoulders as they go about their work in fields and towns. From the highly refined 'woven-wind' fabrics for the elite to the coarsest ones for humdrum, everyday needs,  employing a huge range of fibres - every possible ply in wool, silk, linen, cotton and jute as well as some manmade ones. Obviously, the range of challenges faced is also equally as broad - sourcing hanks of yarn to marketing the finished goods, there are a plethora of issues, and each regional handloom sector has its own particular set of challenges. These must be understood at the local levels and solutions must be fine tuned to suit individual regional/cluster requirements.

The latest Handloom Census conducted in 2019-20 highlights these broad issues :

1. The Central government budget allocations for the handloom sector has fluctuated in the last decade. The allocation dropped overall to INR 200 crores in 2022-23 from INR 493.50 crores in 2013-14. Less than halved!

2. The market is fragmented and procurement of raw materials - hanks to dyes to finishing products, is not always smooth or easy. Cost of fibre is of particular concern. Awareness of government support schemes is poor among most weavers. Delays in realisation of amounts is also an issue.

3. Credit, working capital, a whole host of financial issues. Some weavers get caught in a debt trap because banks do not consider them creditworthy so they are forced to borrow from unscrupulous loan sharks. (Read more here) 

4. Market access is a weakness, though some weavers are making use of online platforms to try and gain entry to newer markets. 

5. Erosion and/or loss of traditional skills. Handloom weaving skills have been passed on generationally for centuries. However, due to relatively poorer financial remuneration, the sons and daughters of traditional weaving communities are turning to other professions.

6. Competition from mass produced cheaper powerloom copies. The truth is that these will always be available at much lower price points than handlooms. Some attempts to protect handlooms have been made through the Handlooms Reservation Act 1985 and GI tags. 

7. Consumer awareness about the uniqueness and exclusivity of the handlooms is low. The generation that grew up with handlooms is dying, the newer generations are not fully aware of the heritage values or history.

Read more here and here. 

I'm hopeful though. Ethnic wear is enjoying a resurgence and Indian handlooms are being seen on Western as well as Indian catwalks. Large corporates have entered the handloom market, among them the Tata's with their brand Taneira. I'm particularly happy about that, because they entered the Indian watch and jewellery markets in the 90s and completely transformed the whole market ecosystem. What's not to say they won't do the same with handlooms? 

And here is a video that highlights the history of some key handlooms from various parts of India:

 

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Did you know that the Elephant (Hathi in Hindi/Bengali) is an Indian traditional motif in both woven, printed and embroidered textiles?  It is a symbol of strength with gentleness, grace, majesty, royalty, intelligence, long memory and worshipped as an earthly representation of Lord Ganesha of the Hindu pantheon. 

Image Source

Thank you for reading. And happy A-Zing to you if you are participating in the challenge. 

A-Z Challenge 2025