By Dr B K Behera
Handloom is a beautiful fabric and special in the sense no two fabrics can be alike. Of course, the output depends on the skill, expertise and efficacy of the weaver. Apart from all these professional attributes, it is believed that the final fabric produced by hand weaving is also a reflection of the weaver’s moods; the cover and texture of the fabric reasonably depend on the state of mind of the weaver. Therefore, each piece is unique in itself, which is still an unexplored fact. On a critical analysis of the inherent strengths of handlooms, because of manual operations, several combinations are possible in handloom weaving both in terms of intricate design and amazing functionality which may be very difficult to achieve by using advanced technologies. The utility performance of hand woven fabrics such as drape, texture, strength, wrinkle resistance, and bulk property can be ingeniously manipulated through appropriate designs, exclusive style and pattern, counts and twists of yarns, thread density, type of weave, type of fashion and process employed in printing.
The advantages of handloom fabrics for their soft feel, comfortable to wear and durability is mainly due to the human handling of the yarn in the weaving process wherein the yarns and fabrics are much less stressed and damaged. Hand woven cloths are also known for its breathability and hand feel as compared to mill made cloths. Since hand woven fabrics are bulkier, they allow more air penetration making them cooler, softer and more absorbent. These inherent characteristics keep body cooler in summer and warm in winter. Handlooms are ideally suited for clothes with multi-coloured designs, particularly in weft direction. One such example is Kani Jamawar shawl of Kashmir in which more than one hundred weft colours are being used and they need to be changed very frequently during weaving which is practically impossible in modern electronic weft selection mechanism. Extra weft insertion to produce intricate design is another example of weaver skill which is being practised in several traditional designs.
India has so much to offer, it might just take you by surprise. From the array of delicacies to the interesting customs, traditions and festivals we celebrate, every State has its own cultural identity and an essential part of that is the attire of the people. You will come to know that not just the outfits, but even the fabric used to make them are unique to each state of India. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, every region has its own handloom techniques that are used to weave many unique fabrics. The Apatani of Arunachal Pradesh, the Muga silk Mekhela chador of Assam, the Bhagalpuri silk sarees of Bihar, the Kosa silk saree of Chhattisgarh, the Kunbi of Goa, the Bandhani of Gujarat, the Panja durries of Haryana, the Kullu shawls of Himachal, the Kuchai silk weave of Jharkhand, the Mysore silk of Karnataka, the Kasavu of Kerala,the Chanderi of Madhya Pradesh, the Paithani of Maharashtra, the Phanek costume of Manipur, the highly textured Eri silk of Meghalaya, the Puan of Mizoram, the Naga shawls of Nagaland, the gorgeous Ikat saree of Odisha, the Phulkari of Punjab, the Shisha embroidery of Rajasthan, the Lepcha of Sikkim, the Kanjeevaram silk saree of Tamilnadu, the Pochampally Ikat of Telangana, the Pachra of Tripura etc. are a huge list to realise the true diversity of colour, motif, design and basic raw material being used in different regions.
The most important assets we have are abundant natural fibres and trained weavers in almost all states. Despite all these, there are several issues of concern in this sector. To name few of them are lack of modernization of the age old process, inadequate research and development inputs, lack of data base as regard to product specification and product quality, unexploited export market, complete absence of technical input to weavers, introduction of technical textiles in hand loom sector, yarn quality and yarn preparation input for high quality weaving, lack of product diversification etc. A change has to be brought about in the weaver’s outlook. They must be oriented through some grass root level extension/exposure programme towards betterment of their skills, knowledge and technology in order to ensure quality of product, improved efficiencies and enhanced productivity levels.
Introduction of branding of the handloom product is another important measure that would increase the marketability of their products. A handloom research centre should be set up at the national level to undertake research on demand patterns, designs, weaving technology, raw materials, etc. The above measures, if implemented properly, will certainly benefit the industry. The Indian handloom industry will have a great future if it gets better organised and adapts to changes. The centre of excellence (COE) would inherently improve the process flow and enrich the product line in the entire supply chain of Hand loom industry. This can improve the export market of the traditional Handloom sector other than providing huge employment opportunities. The motivation also lies in our quest to preserve our heritage and at the same time to introduce modern developments so as to enrich the livelihood of poor rural population. This centre of excellence can drive innovations in the Handloom sector which is so important in its survival. This is also very much in line with the “Make in India” initiative by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India.
The author believes that it is an appropriate time to set up a self-sustainable COE in Handloom sector. The development of Handloom would be a boost for the traditional sector and would also continue to re-establish our creative skills in the field of textiles including Technical textiles. It is worth to note that traditional shuttle weaving has now re-entered in fabric manufacturing to produce specialty textiles for technical applications. The centre would focus to widen the present shrinking horizon of hand loom industry by introducing traditional design concept in some of the mass consumption items to increase the volume and make handloom broad base industry. A significant effort should be made to introduce some of the technical textiles in this sector. This has been a sector, where we have a huge amount of knowledge and expertise. Handloom has been flowing in the blood of the weavers in India. The trend has now been to mix old designs with new techniques and create original products.
Handloom weaving is an art that involves persistence besides tremendous skill and effort. There is such spectacular craftsmanship involved in fabrics woven all across India.
The author Dr B K Behera is Professor, Department of Textile and Fibre Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
PIB release
