HIMANSHU GURU, OP
The traditional handloom textiles of Orissa are popular worldwide. The Sambalpuri sari, for example, thanks to its distinctive patterns, is much sought after by fashion-conscious women. The weavers, who sit at the looms and come up with the multi-hued saris in varying designs, have been recognised and awarded by governments. However, they feel that they need more than just awards and felicitations. To improve their economic situation, they want more markets, skill development training and financial support. Sunday POST sat down with a few award-winning weavers of Bargarh district to understand their problems.
Seventy-two- year old Tribikram Meher of Mahalakanta village in Bheden block of Bargarh district is a national award recipient. He was honoured for his innovative motifs in Sambalpuri handloom. “I have tried many motifs using different natural elements like flowers, sun, and different plants,” he says.
“I can create a new motif as per the need of a customer. However, we don’t get enough remuneration for customised work and so we continue to stick to old designs.”
Tribikram and his wife live with one of their sons, Sarat Meher, and his family. They help Tribikram in weaving. The elder son, who also follows the traditional family business, has shifted base to Ulunda in Subarnapur district. Another son is engaged in a different profession.
Sarat joins in the conversation. “Although my father has got national and state awards, we earn about Rs. 8,000 to 10,000 per month. You can imagine how difficult it is to manage a family including old parents with such a small income,” he says.
“I have heard weavers are entitled to some pension. If my father could be given any such pension in recognition of his creative work, it would be a great help to our family,” he adds.
Sarat continues, “My father is too old now to work. But still he eagerly works on ‘bandhas’ that we put in the cloth when weaving. We work on motifs that he has created and these designs are his big contribution.”
The Sambalpuri sari comes in different varieties such as Pasapali, Bomkai and Bapta saris, which are in high demand. Most of them have been named after their places of origin and are popularly known as Pata.
Dukhishyam Meher of Remunda village in Bargarh district is a recipient of the national merit award for weaving. He says, “These days there are many textiles which resemble Sambalpuri handloom in the market. These textiles are not handmade but are supplied from Chhattisgarh and other states. Since these are made on power looms, they can be sold at cheap rates. However, one can feel the difference between the two fabrics when one wears them. Often the sellers try to pass off the power loom item as Sambalpuri handloom. Thus, when a customer gets something similar to our product cheaper he naturally prefers it. However, this negatively affects our trade.”
Dukhishyam says that if village weavers could be supplied with raw materials at a lower price and trained in more modern technology, the problem could be resolved.
Surya Kumar Meher, a weaver belonging to Remenda village in Bargarh district, points out that many skill development programmes remain on paper only. ”In practice, we get very little training,” he says.
“In the Orissa market, Pochampalli textiles from the southern states are available. These resemble Sambalpuri handloom. The material is handloom, and not made on power looms and has most of the characteristics that our fabrics have. I have visited some of the Pochampalli weaving centres. They use machines where bulk production is possible in less time. There one person does what two persons do here because of better technology. Since all our work is manual, we can produce only four pieces of cloth at one time. If our weavers get financial assistance to buy such machines, we can also produce more cloth in less time,” he adds.
Surya has received a national merit award for weaving. He says, “My grandfather used to work on the loom. My father carried on the traditional profession and now I have taken up weaving. Along with my brother, I work on the loom to produce Sambalpuri handloom cloth with different patterns.”
Sixty-one-year old Murali Meher, a national award winner from Jhiliminda village in Bargarh district, has received the Santh Kabir award. He says the government is patronising weavers by giving awards, but more help is needed. “If the weavers are given skill development training and allowed to work on different projects from which they can learn, only then can they develop. Besides, printed machine-made fabrics are abundant in the market and customers can buy the mat at cheaper price. Our business is affected as a result. The government should come up with regulatory acts to check such practices.”
“Another problem is that our weavers lack proper training and so the size and colour quality is not properly maintained. Weavers should be trained in dyeing and tying to resolve this issue. Again, although Sambalpuri fabrics are costly, the trend of adding decorative accessories to the blouse pieces, chunris and pillow covers is not common in the Sambalpuri style. As a result, customers are not very interested in these items. Hence, weavers should be trained in these value addition aspects,” he adds.
Bichitra Meher, son of Murali Meher, says that many people are getting training in weaving from his father. Under his tutelage, twelve persons have got national awards for weaving. “This hereditary profession provides my family livelihood and I get the satisfaction of continuing the family business,” he says.
Benorita Dash, an Oriya fashion designer, who lives in Bangalore, has researched the different facets of Sambalpuri handloom. She says, “Of the many interesting elements connected to Sambalpuri handloom, ‘ikat’ is of prime importance. Ikat is a technique in which resist dye, formed by binding individual yarns with a tight wrapping, is applied in the desired pattern. The yarns are then dyed. The binding may then be altered to create a new pattern and the yarn dyed again with another pigment. Weavers repeat this process to get the elaborate, multi-coloured pattern. The binding is removed once the dyeing is done. In other resist dying techniques such as tie-dye and batik, the resist is applied to woven cloth, whereas in ikat, the resist, is applied to the yarn before it is woven into cloth. Surface design is created in the yarn rather than on the finished cloth.”
“Most ikat weavers in Orissa belong to the Meher family and the knowledge is passed down the generations. Given the rising demand for hand-woven fabric, many other communities have also entered this trade. During my visit to some villages in Orissa, I interacted with veteran weavers who have spent an entire lifetime to sustain the craft. I also found that the weaving method differs from place to place. There are different motifs and the fabrics are named after places like Sambalpuri sari and Nuapatna silk. The motifs are inspired by flowers, trees, wheels, fish and religious symbols like conch. Weaving is a family business and one loom is shared by all family members. Ikat is famous for its colour, design and motifs. According to the weavers, there are four lakh designers operating around one lakh looms in the state. However, the introduction of power looms has made products cheaper and hampered the financial prospects of handloom weavers,“ she adds.
