While you drape the pallu of that beautiful silk sari, have you thought of the hands behind the weave? Or as you snuggle into your pashmina shawl, warding off the Delhi chill, do you think about the eyes that envisaged the intricate designs on the shawl?
You probably haven’t.
However, a recent government decision will seriously impact both the hands and the eyes behind the beautiful weaves in handloom products; especially saris.
The Ministry of Textiles recently called a meeting to discuss the possible repeal of The Handloom (Reservation of Articles for Production) Act, 1985.
The Act currently provides protection to handloom weavers and prevents their designs from being copied by powerloom and machine-made producers.
Withdrawal of the Act may endanger an already small population of handloom weavers in the country – while also leading to a steady, but irreversible decline in handloom production in the country. This has led to considerable anger among handloom lovers in the country as well as a petition demanding that the Act not be repealed.
Repealing the Act is absolutely nonsensical. The powerloom lobby already controls 70% of textile production, in fact they even sell most powerloom designs as handmade weaves. Yes, powerloom is cheap, but handicrafts are what differentiates India from the rest of the world. This is our culture.
– Gaurav Jai Gupta, Designer, ‘Akaaro’
The petition has also garnered support from celebrities on Twitter.
Handloom weavers currently already compete with powerlooms and other machine-made products for a place in the market. Each weave in a handloom product is unique, and often a carrier of the culture of a specific region.
Handloom production in India is also vital in that it offers employment opportunities to weavers – a profession whose relevance in the market-driven, machine-produced clothing industry is threatened.
A fraught scenario this, amidst which the government proposes to repeal the Act.
The powerloom lobby, on the other hand, has argued that there is no viable market for handmade weaves and that handloom is ‘obsolete’. Allegedly, one of the members of the powerloom lobby compared handloom to a ‘firewood chula’ and argued that it is necessary to move on to ‘modern’ ways of production.
It is an analogy that has infuriated designers, handicraft admirers and weaver activists alike.
Just because we have powerlooms, to say that we don’t need handlooms is really silly. We have figures to support that the handloom market is a growing one. Huge sales and eager footfalls at exhibitions organised by Dastkar, Sanatkada, and the Crafts Councils bear witness.
– Laila Tyabji, Founder, Dastkar
But then, what is the solution? A clear demarcation between the categories of handloom and powerloom for starters. Such a distinction will also help in the designing of policies that are specific to each category of the textile industry.
Until then, the battle continues. Except that this time, it needs your help.
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