Dastkar Andhra's Annual Cotton exhibition in Chennai

THE UNSKILLED VENKATASWAMY

The UNSKILLED VENKATASWAMY

Down to Earth, April 30, 2009
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/full6.asp?foldername=20090430&filename=news&sec_id=50&sid=25

PANKAJ SEKHSARIA finds out why handloom is viable—yet neglected

(All pics by Pankaj Sekhsaria)

V Venkataswamy u/s—a small sign painted in grey beside the door of a locked house in the new weavers colony of Chinnur in the Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh. It is an image from a visit almost a decade ago, but it remains vividly etched in my mind. So does the story.

U/s stood for unskilled and this is what Venkataswamy had advertized about himself. I never met Venkataswamy, but was told he was employed as a chowkidar in the Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited—in the identity card issued by his employers he had been identified as: V Venkataswamy u/s.

He gave up the chowkidar’s job, moved to Bhilai to work as domestic help for a while and then came back to Chinnur to make a living as an autorickshaw driver.

The unskilled Venkataswamy was in fact one of the finest weavers of cotton handlooms in the entire region.


Why did Venkataswamy give up weaving? How did he get the u/s label? Why did he accept it? Did he not believe weaving needed skill? What kind of a system do we have that turns a craftsperson into a daily wage earner and then brands him u/s?

Naturally coloured red-cotton (Erra patti) and hill-cotton (Konda patti), traditional varieties of cotton grown and used in the Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh

A VIABLE INDUSTRY

Certain basic facts might help explain the continued and vital relevance of this industry to the country and place the unskilled story in context. Andhra Pradesh is a good case in point. Not only is the state known for some of the most famous handloom traditions like the khadi of Ponduru, the silks of Pochampalli and the handloom sarees of Mangalgiri and Gadwal, it also provides employment to nearly 200,000 families across the state and generates an annual output of more than Rs 1,000 crore. A large number of families are also involved in activities that are considered ancillary but critical to the handloom production cycle.

Most pre-loom processes, particularly in the khadi making process are done by women. The women of Ponduru (Srikakulam district) are extremely skilled spinners are can generate very fine yarn of counts upto 120 which is usually used for producing muslins

Weaver at the loom, Aidugullapally village, Krishna district. The handloom weaving process is one in which there is no consumption of fossil fuel energy in the entire process of fabric production

The national scenario is not very different—an estimated 12 million families are employed in the handloom sector that produces nearly 13 per cent of the nation’s textiles. It is a livelihood that is rooted in the local context of the weaver, is completely in control of the weaving family, involves high degree of skill and precision and is one of the most environment friendly and economically viable activities, whose carbon emission, for instance, is virtually nil.

That the handloom industry has not got the kind of understanding and support it deserves from the State, from society as a whole as also from the consumer, is well known. What is perhaps less known is in the past few years there have been a number of promising initiatives that connect the weaver with the rapidly changing realities of urban markets and design sensibilities that are constantly evolving. There is a whole basket of such new attempts—larger ones like the entrepreneurship based business models of Fabindia and Anokhi; non-governmental initiatives like those of Urmul in Rajasthan and Dastkar Andhra in Andhra Pradesh and smaller, localized ventures like the Charkha Weavers co-operative run by dalit women in Karnataka’s Shimoga district. Hundreds of other weavers co-operatives work well across the country and there is also a growing interest in the international market. These initiatives prove that the concern over the viability of handlooms is misplaced.


The NEW WEAVERS OF KOLLURU

The group of young weavers from Kolluru village in a training workshop organized by Dastkar Andhra in their village in Adilabad district

The point was driven home to me recently when I visited the small village of Kolluru in Adilabad district. Eight youngsters here have recently taken up weaving as part of an initiative of the non-profit Dastkar Andhra. Talking to those enthusiastic youngsters revealed that all stories need not be like that of Venkataswamy’s. Like a large number of young men in rural India today, these eight had no permanent jobs earlier. What they managed at best was 15 days of agriculture labour work a month.

“I used to work on fields, spraying pesticide,” said 21-year-old Sampath, who is part of this group of new weavers. “The monthly income was never more than Rs 2,000. After I have taken up weaving, my income has gone up to Rs 3,000.” This is far less strenuous compared to labouring on fields or construction sites,” added Sampath’s colleague Bhaskar.” Putting up a loom requires Rs 10,000. The nature of the profession is such that more family members can join and boost income. “We feel proud,” Sampath said, “when we wear what we have woven and see others wearing our fabric.”

The choice before India is evident. More Venkataswamys of Chinnur? Or more Bhaskars and Sampaths of Kolluru? Does the question need be asked even?

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Pankaj Sekhsaria is a journalist and photographer. His first photographic exhibition on Andhra Pradesh’s cotton handloom industry was held in 2008

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Andhra cotton handloom exhibition in Delhi

Dastkar Andhra's annual cotton handloom exhibition in Pune

Weaving a success story

Weaving a success story
D.V.L. Padma Priya
http://www.hindu.com/2009/01/12/stories/2009011251040200.htm

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Eight youths from the weaver community, employed in odd jobs, find a viable vocation after training in weaving and dyeing

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New skills: Youths from Kolluru village in Adilabad district attending a design workshop.

HYDERABAD: It was a skill that literally ran in their blood. But it was an opportunity that was missing for a good 20 years. For these eight rural youth from Kolluru village in Adilabad District, weaving might not have been a natural livelihood choice, but it surely paved a way out of their poverty.

For D. Bhaskar, A. Suresh, D. Damodar, D. Mahesh, D. Chandrashekar, D. Sampath. V. Nagesh and R. Srinivas, the wheel of fortune turned in their favour when they were identified by Dastkar Andhra (DA), a city-based NGO. Aged between 20 and 24, the eight hailing from the weaver community were living in abject poverty. Many had dropped out of school and had been employed in odd jobs.

Motivation

Their condition was brought to the notice of DA in 2006 when an older group of weavers in nearby Chennur informed them. A year’s training in weaving and dyeing, and the youth were all set to weave their own fortunes. “They were quick in grasping what was taught,” says V. Dharmender, in-charge, DA Production & Design, DA. Apart from appointing a master weaver to train them, DA also paid them a monthly stipend of Rs.1,000. “What motivated us to take up weaving was the fact that we didn’t have to work under anybody,” says D. Chandrasekhar.

Even after graduation, D. Sampath, a former teacher at a government school, finds weaving a sustainable livelihood optionHere to participate in a DA design workshop, they swear by their new found profession. Now named ‘Individual Weavers Co-operative Society’ as a group, they now earn anything between Rs. 6,000 to Rs. 9,000 individually per month.

“They are very confident now and have even paid back their bank loans,” says Ravinder of DA. He said they were identifying similar youngsters from backward regions of Andhra Pradesh. “As long as they are interested in learning weaving, DA is ready to assist them,” he says.”

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Also see

http://daaram.blogspot.com/

http://www.dastkarandhra.org/

http://pankaj-atcrossroads.blogspot.com/2008/10/plight-of-indias-unskilled-weavers.html

Dastkar Andhra's Sankranti sale of handlooms in Hyderabad

Dastkar Andhra Exhibition and Sale in Mumbai

Handloom photo exhibition in Pune

Andhra handloom exhib in Pune

Andhra handlooms exhibition in Kolkata

Khadi through the lens

Khadi through the lens

nxg, The Hindu, 14/08/08

IMAGES

Pankaj Sekhsaria’s visual essay on handlooms shows you how eco-friendly the product really is. MADHUMITHA SRINIVASAN

http://www.go-nxg.com/?p=1833

You always knew Khadi was what Gandhi wore and that the spinning wheel’s got something to do with it. But did you know that the Khadi industry is second only to agriculture in terms of the livelihood it provides people. “In Andhra Pradesh alone, there are some 200,000 weavers involved with it. And Khadi provides employment by way of allied activities too… there’s the pre and post-production also,” says Pankaj Sekhsaria, in town recently to display his photos on the Khadi production process “Weaving Stories in Light, Shade and Colour”, at the Lalit Kala Akademi. It wasn’t just another photo exhibition because the photos were printed on handloom fabric. “A visual essay on cotton handlooms” is how he described it. And so it was. Starting with the separation of the cotton from the seed right up to the point where the fabric threads are treated to hold colour and ready for production, the photographs are all there for you to see and comprehend.

All hand made

Every step involves human effort and no machines are involved. “The tool that the woman is using to separate the cotton from the seed is actually the jaw bone of a fish, the teeth of which are well suited for the purpose,” Pankaj enlightens you with regard to a photograph. Also Khadi is, in fact, the most eco-friendly fabric. “It does not add to the carbon count, as it is produced using only manpower unlike synthetic fabrics,” he reveals. Now there’s at least one industry that does not add to the already weighty problem of global warming.

The fact that Khadi is produced using pure man-power explains its expensive price tag. “It is expensive. But when you can spend Rs. 1500 on a pair of Levis why not spend a few hundreds less on a Khadi shirt that’s safe on your skin as well,” is Pankaj’s argument. Well, there’s no countering that. He feels youngsters should be made aware of the fabric and they should start patronising it. This the first time that Pankaj has held the photography exhibition on a large, stand-alone scale. At Chennai, it was displayed alongside the Dastkar Andhra Marketing Association’s annual exhibition-cum-sale of handloom saris, dress material, dupattas, furnishings in a variety of textures and colours from across Andhra Pradesh.

(Pankaj: There is a small clarification here that is important. The statistics mentioned in the article above actually are about the 'cotton handloom' industry and not particularly about 'khadi'. It is the handloom industry that is 2nd largest employer after agriculture and supports tens of thousands of families)

Weaving Stories - Photo exhibition in Chennai

Weaving Stories
In
Light Shade and Colour

by
Pankaj Sekhsaria

A visual essay on cotton handlooms
Printed on handwoven cotton fabric

Venue
Lalit Kala Akademi
Greame's Road
Chennai - 6

Dates
August 6 - 10

Time
10.30 am to 8 pm

Dastkar Andhra cotton handlooms sale in Chennai

daram 1st Anniversary

Also see
http://pankaj-atcrossroads.blogspot.com/2007/06/daram.html

A photo exhibition on handlooms in Bangalore

The journey from the cotton field to the handloom fabric is one of Andhra Pradesh’s most well known – the journey of many journeys: from fields to spinning wheels, from the white of cotton to nature’s blues, greys and yellows; many yarns to one elaborate warp, the warp that then makes it to the loom.
The skylight falls on the loom as the shuttle moves across in rhythmic continuity. The eyes focus, the foot moves and then the hand; thread by single cotton thread, the weft merges effortlessly with the warp – two identities dissolve magically into a third and a skilled old master might also add the extra weft for that intricate jamdani.
Craft, technology, tradition, family, livelihood…Weaving is all this and much more.

Come join us in this journey!
***
DASTKAR ANDHRA
presents

WEAVING STORIES
in
Light, Shade and Colour
By
Pankaj Sekhsaria
A visual essay on the cotton handloom fabric
Printed on hand woven fabric
***
Chitrakala Parishat, Bangalore
May 3-6, 2008

Dastkar Andhra Exhib in Mumbai

Dastkar Andhra in Ahmedabad

Handloom exhib in Chennai - Dastkar Andhra Marketing Association

DAMA

Dastkar Andhra Marketing Association

invites you

to

An exhibition of exquisite

Handloom fabrics, dupattas and sarees

including

Natural dyed fabrics

in

Khadi and Kalamkari prints

Also introducing a range of furnishings.

VENUE

C.P.Ramaswamy Iyer Foundation,

Exhibition Hall (mini - I),

1, Eldams Road,

Chennai – 600 018.

DATE

23^rd to 27^th August 2007

(Thursday to Monday)

Time: 10:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Fabric at the DAMA exhib and sale in Pune, January 2007 (Pic: Pankaj Sekhsaria)

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REVITALISING RURAL INDUSTRY

Dastkar Andhra invites you to share the rich cultural offerings from the cotton handlooms of Andhra. We are working in the sector for more than a decade and recognize its immense potential to contribute for re-energizing the rural livelihoods. The relevance of handlooms in promoting the rich aesthetic of our tradition is evident in the growing demand for handlooms across the nation. Our marketing association works with handloom co-operatives and independent weaver groups from the different districts of Andhra. Our design studio works with weavers, textile designers, and dyers to create a vibrant new identity for the handlooms.

In Ponduru (Pic: Pankaj Sekhsaria)

The breadth of the industry is large and it remains the second largest employer after agriculture in the nation. Andhra Pradesh proudly claims a prominent place in the industry with two lakh weavers and several thousands engaged in ancillary activities. The difficulties in the agriculture sector are reaching crisis proportions throwing out of gear the lives of not only farmers but also landless labour engaged in farming. They are ending up as migrant labour in the cities across the nation living in appalling conditions. This has prompted us to offer weaving as an alternative in drought prone areas and bring in non-traditional weavers into the activity. The advantages of working with handlooms are manifold and in consonance with the contemporary demands for conserving energy, and environment friendly production. Operating a handloom does not require power and by using minimum natural resources it can produce the fabric. The additional advantage for the nation’s economy is the low capital investment (setting up a loom costs around Rs.10, 000) and new employment opportunities in the rural sector.

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The product line of cotton handlooms

from

Dastkar Andhra Marketing Association

Welcome the monsoon with a range of vibrantly coloured co-ordinated fabrics, dupattas, sarees and a selection of furnishings in pure hand loomed cotton.

Border fabrics, dupattas, sarees, tie & dye, striped dress material, 100’s count shirting, gadi check shirting, lungies, towels, bedspreads, kuppadam dhothies, handkerchiefs from coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh.

Khadi natural dyed kuppadam border fabric, sarees, dupattas with mugha thread and cotton thread from Ponduru and Singupuram in Srikakulam District.

In Ponduru (Pic: Pankaj Sekhsaria)

Fine checks, stripes, plain fabrics, dupattas, shirting, furnishings and bedspreads from Rajavolu, Battiprolu, Ilavaram, Kanagala, Cherukupally, Phanidam in Guntur District.

Ikat furnishing fabrics, dress material, dupattas, sarees from Vellanki and Velwarthy in Nalgonda District.

Ikat, Koyalagudem, Nalgonda district (Pic: Pankaj Sekhsaria)

Traditional vat indigo and natural coloured plain, stripes, and checks and textured fabrics from Chennuru in Adilabad District.

Furnishing and shirting from Karimnagar and other districts in Telangana district.

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DAMA Exhibition, Pune, January 2007 (Pic: Pankaj Sekhsaria)
DAMA Exhibition, Pune, January 2007 (Pic: Pankaj Sekhsaria)

dāram - 2

dāram

dāram - the store

Dastkar Andhra's new retail initiative

Handloom Garments & Furnishings and other handcrafted products

At Naik's Estate, ICICI Bank Lane, Adjacent to Airport Lane,

Begumpet, Hyderabad

Tel: 91 40 27764843; Email: dastkarandhra@gmail.com

11am - 8 pm

Sunday's Closed

THE INAUGURATION - 10th June

Chief Guest, Nandita Das inaugurating the store

Lighting the lamp

At the inauguration - A full house

An evening with Kabir - A recital by Sagari Ramdas

BUT, BEFORE IT ALL
putting it together...