Handloom weaving craft on verge of extinction

KENDRAPARA: Considered to be among the oldest professions, the handloom weavers’ trade has declined by almost 70 per cent within three decades in the coastal district of Kendrapara and its nearby areas.The advent of machineries such as powerlooms and other modern textile machines coupled with slipshod attitude of the authorities has made the age-old weaving craft rapidly lose its importance.
“Three decades back, around 4,000 weaver families of Kuseapala, Dihasahi, Haripur, Korua, Keutagada and other weaver-dominated villages of the district used to weave dhotis, lungis, saris and ‘gamuchas.’ Today, only 800 families have been eking out their livelihood by weaving.”

“In my father’s day, around 150 families of Kuseapala Gram Panchayat were doing weaving works. Now, only 30 families  weave. There are already lots of very good weavers in many villages and it frightens me to think that this ancient industry could disappear from the district altogether”, said Tapan Sahoo (67),  a weaver of Kuseapala.Tapan says he does not want his three sons and five grand-children to become weavers.

“Large number of youths of the weaver community have left the profession as it requires hard labour with little income in return. It is only the elders of the community who are keeping this profession alive because they feel that no one from their community will be able to continue in this trade. It is only the most needy amongst the youth who are adopting the profession and that too temporarily”, said Prasanta Sahoo (55), a weaver of Kuseapala village.

The centuries-old art of weaving is dying a slow death because weavers are unable to make ends meet thanks to the slipshod attitude of the 70-year old Kuseapala Weavers Society and officials.
“Weavers’ society was established in Kuseapala in 1947 by noted freedom fighter Haladhar Das. Three decades back, 520 weavers were members of the society. Now, only 110 are the members and most of them are inactive. It is the duty of the weavers’ society of our area to help us by providing weaving materials and financial help. But thanks to the negligence on the part of the officials, many weavers were forced to leave their traditional occupation,” alleged Biswanath Behera of Kuseapala.

That sentiment is shared by many in this village of weavers who are considering leaving their profession and finding work in the cities. Purnachandra Sahoo (48) of Kuseapala village, an expert weaver, now works as a daily wager.“My husband Purnachandra Sahoo used to earn around `10,000 by weaving lungis, saris and dhotis each month. But he was forced to work as a daily wager after the society refused to help him. Now, I sometimes weave lungis in our loom in a mud-walled thatched house,” said Sabita  Sahoo, while weaving a lungi in her house.

Contacted, Gobinda Chandra Jena, the Inspector of Textiles, said, “The weavers’ society in Kuseapala village is not functioning properly. We will revive the defunct society soon by replacing the present president and secretary of the society. The Government granted `59 lakh two years back to establish a handloom cluster in the weaver-dominated Dihasahi of the district. The cluster will help the weavers of the district.”