North East — Centre of creativity in Handloom
Handloom is the second Largest Employment generation sector after agriculture. Handloom has been a traditional occupation for women who produce clothes for family members. It is also a source of livelihood, especially in industrially backward States like north-eastern region (NE region) of India. A similarity in the north-east region is that weaving is practiced by all tribal groups mainly in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and in Assam. Interestingly, Women are the real heroes as they are responsible for weaving, unlike the rest of India, where men predominated the weaving profession.
The North-east region is doubtlessly a hub of handloom and handicraft in India. There are lots of unidentified crafts in the north-east part. People of the north-east rich cultural heritage that makes the region all the more exceptional. Crafted goods and magic weaves are not only made for their own use but are also a means of livelihood for numerous artisans scattered all over the region. These precious traditional skills need preservation and promotion to stand against tides of changing times.
According to Handloom census of India, In North East, 61 percent of people are Handloom Worker Household and it has also increased from 44.3 percent to 63.5 percent to full-time weavers in 2010. Out of a total of 23.7 lakh looms in the country, the NE region has more than 50 percent Looms which are generally operated manually. We can say that half of the total workforce in handloom belongs to the North East region. On top of this, NE has the highest Handloom household, 80.2% which indicates that the majority in NE region work as independent weavers and less hired by big producers or merchant. They purchase raw materials, make clothes and sell the finished products in the market.
Weaving is a traditional occupation for a broad range of social groups in the NE region. In the case of the NE region, 99 percent of the handloom weavers are women (Handloom Census 2010). Because it is easy to earn money, staying at home. As weaving for NE is a traditional occupation no formal training is required. They could combine the dual roles of weaving and household chores.
North East Loom is unique than other regions?
North East the region has a different style of Weaving from the other Indian States. The “Loin- Loom”, one of the oldest devices for weaving cloth is used in NE as opposed to the throw-shuttle, Pit looms in Assam and in the Southern states of India. Loin Loom is made from bamboo with simple construction and easy to use. It neither has permanent fixtures nor heavy frames which makes it portable. Greatest advantage that lion loom is offering unlimited scope for designing. This loom is also similar to Looms in Mexico, Peru, Guatemala where it is known as the ‘backstrap Loom’. Different types of natural fibers like cotton, Muga, Tussar, and Eri Silk are indigenous to north-east India.
The sarees of north-east is a blend of hill tribal textiles and fabrics that mostly originated in eastern India. The north-east region of India is famous for the Moirangfee Saree which is woven as fine cotton fabric. The weavers and designers of this region create detailed patterns to make the sarees extraordinary of north-east Indian creations. The geometric patterns woven into this saree are often associated with the Bodo and Garo tribes of western Assam and Meghalaya. The sarees of Northeast India with tribal designs tend to be abstract and geometric with depictions of natural objects like flowers. leaves, and animals in highly stylized forms. The sarees of this region are intricately designed with kalga pattern. Life-like depictions of animals and plants are common in the patterning style of the sarees. Assam is the only area in South Asia where rhinoceros are woven into its sarees as decorative motifs.
Although NE has the highest weavers and skills there is low productivity in this region. Why?
In NE Region handloom workers work on an average 140 days, other States in India work for 245 days in a year. The reason behind that is in this region handloom production is dominated by domestic production and also on a part-time basis. The region also has the highest proportion of idle looms in the country. As almost half of the weavers worked in domestic production and therefore, there is low productivity. Hence contribution from handlooms to household income remains marginal. Half of NE weavers generally produce one meter per day. Although, the weavers support the family by supplying clothes which are used by family members for daily wear, festivals, and ceremonies.
The low productivity of handlooms is because of the orthodox nature of work pattern, obsolete or old technology, improper management and, oligopoly market structure. For the growth of handlooms sector, the impediments have to be addressed with government support and mobilization of weavers to change their attitude towards more productivity. Weavers need to upgrade their skill and technology levels to face the changing market structure. Due to marketing problems, weavers sometimes prefer to work under merchant weaver despite getting low wages. The earnings from handloom are also used in household expenditure, hence cannot invest in weaving business. Though financial institutions are ready to give loans, weavers hesitate to take loans, as they are not certain about their income. Other problems are lack of adequate stalls in the market and lack of quality control.
North East region has lots of undeveloped unique skills; we just need to employ this talent in good ways to make artisans independent and sustainable. The government initiated schemes are hopeful to reach to the right beneficiaries which will give a huge opportunity for raising the socio-economic status of the North-Eastern women.
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