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Overall, production has stagnated; handlooms have closed down and unemployment soared. Increased imports of cheap textiles from China, rising input prices because of increased export of yarn and mechanization have all contributed to the decline.
Handloom weavers who make traditional items such as saris, dhotis, bed sheets and shawls have been hit the hardest. Out of the 38 million people employed in the weaving industry 12.4 million, or close to 33 percent, are concentrated in this declining part of the sector. The majority of them are low caste and extremely poor, working in small family units. More than 40 percent of weavers are women.
The Banarasi silk saris made in Varanasi have been famous for centuries for their luxurious, intricately designed cloth. These were a must have for all Indian weddings. More than 600,000 weavers live in Varanasi and nearby districts, weaving mainly for the domestic market. But since the 1990s, the silk handloom weavers who make the Banarasi saris have seen their fortunes vanish.
There are many reasons for the problems facing Varanasi silk weavers: increasing competition from power-loom weaving, changes in government protection policies, increasing prices of raw silk and shifts in market demand. But in the last five years, an increase in imports of cheaper silk fabrics from China has exacerbated the poverty of Varanasi silk weavers.
Trade liberalization is the driving force of economic globalization, pursued relentlessly by rich nations and international financial institutions at the expense of the poor of the world.
The weavers' troubles began way back in 1995-1998 when the Deve Gowda government imposed a ban on Chinese silk yarn. The idea was that Varanasi saris would only be woven from silk yarn from Bangalore. Out of habit or because of its superior quality, some weavers started smuggling Chinese yarn into the holy town. Realizing that their need for Chinese yarn would only grow, the weavers demanded an open general license.
A chronic power shortage also crippled their activity, but one of the most telling blows was delivered five years ago when the government allowed the free import of Chinese plain crepe fabrics. "This decision brought the entire business to a standstill. Now most customers prefer crepe silk to the traditional Varanasi silk because of its smooth appearance and cheaper price," explains Rajan Bahal, general secretary of Varanasi Vastra Udyog.
The flaws of Varanasi silk relating to color, texture and durability are not found in Chinese crepe since they are woven in automated looms. "With power availability and government subsidies, the Chinese can afford to sell the finished product at a lower price, giving the traditional Varanasi silk sari tough competition. Chinese silk traders brought cheap yarn to the local market and decided to replicate Varanasi silk by hiring some weavers from Varanasi," Bahal says.
The continuous tussle between the Bangalore and Karnataka silk lobbies as well as government indifference toward import policy has led to this plight.
In fact, the art of weaving these saris now faces extinction. In Mughal times both Hindu concepts and Muslim ideas were fused to create unique aesthetic designs. The weavers weave the basic texture of the sari on handlooms and power looms, both cottage industries where the entire family is usually involved. Normally one person weaves while two others work at revolving rings to roll bundles of the yarn. They create the Varanasi specialty yarn motifs.
To create these designs, the artist first draws out the entire concept on graph paper. He then creates small punch cards through which color threads are passed at different stages as the cards hang on the sides of the loom. Depending on the design, these cards are paddled in a systematic way so that the right pattern and colors are picked up during the main weaving. For a single design, hundreds of such perforated cards are required. A normal sari takes anywhere from 15 days to six months depending on the complexity of the design.
But today an estimated half a million weavers and their families in Varanasi district are looking for an alternative. Over half have been forced to take up menial jobs like pulling rickshaws. Several have opened tea stalls and paan, or betel leaf, shops. Others have closed their flourishing businesses and migrated to Bangalore and Hyderabad where they work in looms and help in dyeing and embroidery work.
"At least they are better off, but you need money to migrate and contacts too. Here we are all left to starve and die," says Bahal. Now there are nearly half a million weavers in Varanasi and 40,000 in Tanda of Ambedkar Nagar District who are still fighting for bread to eat twice a day. Cases of malnutrition and starvation are high.
Several non-governmental groups, including the People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights, Asian Human Rights Commission and Action Aid International, are organizing a People's Tribunal on the Weavers of Eastern Uttar Pradesh on Dec. 18 in Varanasi. It is hoped this action will encourage the Indian government and international authorities to understand the situation and seek a solution to revive the region's weaving industry.
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(Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi is founder of the People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights. He is a human rights activist engaged primarily in defending the rights of India's marginalized untouchable caste. ©Copyright Lenin Raghuvanshi.)
