Lockdown woes: Handloom weaver tells her tale of misery

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The pandemic and lockdown crippled the handloom sector which was already reeling under a lack of government aid and fewer customers. For a year, production has been halted completely.

Unsold inventory is piled up at various handloom societies and industries. Many weavers don’t have enough to feed their families or buy them medicines. 

“I have been a weaver for more than 20 years.With no tourists at Kovalam, the Arts and Crafts Village is closed now. Before the lockdown, I was able to earn at least Rs 800 a day. June used to be busy with orders of school uniforms. But this year, with no sales, inventory is lying unused and getting damaged everywhere,” says Radhika B S, a handloom weaver at the Kovalam Arts and Craft Village. 

Radhika’s husband Suresh T, a construction worker, is also out of work due to the lockdown, adding to their miseries. “With no work, it has become difficult for us to send our daughters to college. They are both pursuing graduation,” says Radhika.

Lockdown diaries

Our state has been reeling under lockdown for weeks now. The government and police department may have their reasons for closing doors on many people’s lives and livelihoods, but that doesn’t make the trouble go away. Everyday, in this space, TNIE zooms into the life of one of us, beaten down by the pandemic-induced restrictions. Want us to tell a story? Write to the editor on kochicityeditor@gmail.com