May 2011

Vol 55

Chief Editor : Neeta Prasad Joint Director (Prod) : J.K. Chandra

Editor : Manogyan R. Pal Cover Design : Sadhana Saxena
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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

Rig Veda

CONTENTS
Effecting Integration for Growth Indian Crafts in the Age of Technology
Vanita Viswanath...............................................................................5 Laila Tyabji......................................................................................32
Artisanal Clusters: Towards Shodh Yatra
a Brighter Future
Motek Treadle Press: Reviving
Tamal Sarkar......................................................................................8
the old letter printing press........................................37
Socio-economic condition of Handloom
workers in India Stopping migration from villages:
N D George......................................................................................12 Challenges for the handloom sector

Promoting Occupational Health and Safety Syama Sundari.................................................................................39

Nupur Bahl.......................................................................................18
Weaving a thread of Swaraj
Development of Khadi as a Brand Mallikarjuna Iytha............................................................................43
Kumud Joshi....................................................................................22
Design Innovation in the Handloom Sector
Employment in Handloom and
Sarvamangala...................................................................................48
Handicrafts Sectors
P M Mathew.....................................................................................25 Best Practices
do you know? Weaving Dreams into reality
Integrated Coastal Zone Management....................30 Nusrat Ara........................................................................................50

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l The readers are requested to verify the claims made in the advertisements regarding career guidance books/institutions. Yojana does not own responsibility
regarding the contents of the advertisements.

YOJANA May 2011 1

 th
15 July 2011

27th June 2011 th

15 July 2011

YE-21/2011

2 YOJANA May 2011

 About the Issue

T
here is no denying the fact that India owes a lot of its cultural identity to its rich
handloom and handicrafts heritage. The colourful tapestry of bandhej, zardozi,
kanjeevaram, bomkai, or tangail, the fragrance of sandalwood being carved into
intricate products, the tinkle of metal as it takes awesomely varied forms under the
artisan’s hammer, and the multitude of carpets and durries, boxes and bags , jewellery
items and stone work may have, at some point of time in the distant past, been mere
everyday activities and common place products in any typical village in any part of the
country, but things are changing today. Our handloom and handicraft products are fast
becoming major lifestyle statements and have secured a place for India in the lives
of millions across the world. For a growing number of people at home and abroad, the
exquisiteness and exclusivity of the handmade is working as a powerful lure against
the monotony of the mass produced, opening up huge possibilities of market expansion. The sector provides
livelihood to over 130 lakh weavers and artisans, a large percentage coming from the marginalized sections of
the society. The industry is largely environment friendly and low on energy consumption, and consciousness
on these issues, as also on fair trade practices is growing fast. All this makes the sector a potentially powerful
player in the country’s economy and an important tool for the empowerment of crafts persons. The government,
NGOs and the crafts persons themselves are today working together to work out and put into practice the best
ways to unleash this potential.
There are several issues that need attention both in the form of policy intervention and ground level
implementation. There are issues of securing steady, dependable and affordable sources of finance for the artisans,
skill upgradation, bringing in new and useful technology and innovations in design. Devising and operating a
marketing mechanism that ensures fair returns to the artisans and is socially inclusive is another crucial area of
concern. This entails providing marketing intelligence, building value chains, publicity of the product, building
brand image and a lot more. Overall, the challenge is to ensure sustainable production and growth of the sector
along with empowerment of the practitioners.
The last two decades have seen a lot of positive activity in the sector, both on part of the government and
the non government organizations. To overcome the disadvantage posed by the highly dispersed nature of the
sector, there is stress on organizing artisans and weavers into clusters and cooperatives. Financial institutions,
NGOs and the government are coming forward today – not with subsidies and such other props, but with positive
action to empower the crafts persons. Thus financial, technological, design, publicity and market intelligence
inputs are all being provided with the aim of enabling the craftspersons to produce sustainably, goods that are of
high quality and in tune with popular demands, and to market the same on terms that are to their benefit. The
current issue of Yojana brings you articles from experts in the field who discuss issues crucial to the handloom
and handicrafts sector in India. q

YOJANA May 2011 3

 YE-10/2011

4 YOJANA May 2011

Handlooms-Handicrafts
Effecting Integration for Growth
Government
programs need to
be more creatively
designed to
accommodate the
various players,
various stages of
growth of handicraft
enterprises, and the
various subsectors
that have their own
value chain dynamics
The author is the Chief Executive Officer of Udyogini, an organization that works to promote poor women as
entrepreneurs.
YOJANA May 2011 5
ndian
I handicrafts are
rich in diversity and
spread all over the
country both in rural
and urban areas. Though it is
considered a cottage industry, it has
evolved as one of the major revenue
generators over the years. There has
been consistent growth of 15% over
the last few years and the industry
has evolved as a major contributor
for exports and thus, for foreign
revenue generation. Since most of
the manufacturing units are located
in rural and small towns, handicraft
industry is a major source of income
for rural communities, employing
over six million artisans who are
mainly poor and majority of them
are women. Additionally, with
a growing middle class that has
spread beyond the four metros, there
is market potential for handicrafts
in smaller towns in a way not seen
before, especially with the spread
of retail.
Analysis
Vanita Viswanath
Handicrafts are complex in terms
of products and market segments.
In textiles and clothing, there is
a more seamless movement of
product lines and designs among the
segments than before. Products and
designs that used to be considered
‘boutique’ are now seen in retail.
This provides a market opportunity
for artisans to be employed, despite
the challenges posed by machines
duplicating the designs and use of
cheaper fabric. There is a greater
thrust for social consciousness and
fair trade and these have become
worldwide movements. There is a
focus on sustainable consumption,
social protection, environmental
standards and occupational health
and safety. These concepts and
terms were rarely used a few years
ago. Certifications have also become
available to assist in branding and
socially conscious advertising. The
challenge is to widen these benefits
to the large number of artisans who
are outside the formal sector.
 Much of the work in handicrafts
remains dispersed and informalized,
mainly in the rural areas. This is
both an advantage and a curse.
For women it is an advantage
because it enables them to work
out of their homes thus providing
much needed employment to
those who would otherwise not
be employed. It is a curse because
the dispersed nature of production
increases costs of developing an
efficient value chain for production
and marketing. The value chains
are long and relationships along
the chain are non-transparent.
Margin calculations are ad hoc
and exploitative with artisans not
receiving returns commensurate
with their skill or labor. There are
no standard or average markups
in many cases. Every transaction
is a different transaction wherein
each transacting party attempts
to gain the maximum share. The
mark up on lower quality, lower
priced goods is low and markups on
higher quality, higher priced goods
are high.
The key challenge was, and
remains integration across the range
of requirements for sustainable
production and growth. The
integration requirements become
m ore complex with greater
differentiation in markets, products,
and skills to take advantage of the
more creative ways that exist to build
the value chains. With emphasis on
bringing the welfare benefits to the
informal sector workers, this is an
added dimension to integration
for artisans. The key players in
developing the backward linkages
are the smaller entrepreneurs
who have traditionally served the
artisans and the NGOs, along with
6 YOJANA May 2011
the member-based organizations
that they have helped to develop.
The key player in financing this
sector to enable this integration is
the government. The key players
in the forward links in the chain
(retailers, exporters) have expanded
with the market but they are still
evolving in their understanding
of fair and progressive practices
in sustainable production and
consumption, including artisan
employment and income generation.
The issues relating to these players
are discussed below.
The handicraft sector thrives
on the dynamism of small-
scale agents, entrepreneurs and
enterprises. Though the specifics
vary in different sub-sectors of
handicrafts, entry and exit barriers
are probably the lowest at the stage
of the village agent or thekedar. In
the hand embroidery subsector in
Western Rajasthan, for example,
since the money investment is
not huge for a thekedar, quitting
the sector is relatively easy if
business does not go as planned.
On the other hand, a referral from
a relative and very small capital to
pay off one to two months wages
is all that is required to enter
the sector and become a small
thekedar. While such thekedars
are at the lowest rung of the value
chain, they perform an important
service of enabling employment
for the artisans. Many thekedars are
from artisan families themselves
and also poor and not educated.
However, lack of accessible,
graduated financial support, as
well as business skills consistent
with accessing upscale and diverse
markets, prevents thekedars from
getting into manufacturing where
the real value addition happens
and the margins are the highest.
This is hampering handicrafts from
realizing their true potential and
growing formally and with greater
transparency and accountability all
along the value chain.
NGOs have for long supported
the artisan sector and done
pioneering work to build up
membership-based organizations
of artisans such as cooperatives
and producer companies. But
financial and capacity gaps in both
the artisan organizations and NGOs
have prevented them from helping
to widen the scope and scale of
artisan products and employment.
The level of integration required to
enable this (from product design,
input supplies, business process,
finance and marketing not to
mention persistent community
intermediation to ensure quality
and timeliness) even for smaller
numbers of artisans to get enhanced
incomes, is daunting for such
institutions. The focus on weeding
out the thekedars who are not fair
wage providers, building capacity
among artisans themselves to
do a variety of tasks for artisan
enterprises beyond production
such as marketing and technical
assistance as well as on building
member organizations to ensure
their ownership and control, has
motivated a few NGOs in India to
develop such integration internally.
They have created value chains
that build on existing resources
and skills to develop products and
take them to the market. However,
such examples are few and not all
of them are able to scale up.
The opening up of the retail
sector, which has created a
diversified market for a variety
of products at various price
points, offers an opportunity for
individual entrepreneurs as well
as institutions representing and
working for artisans for enhancing
employment and accommodating
artisans with varying skill levels.
These opportunities have not,
however, been matched with a
business and supply capacity. The
retail sector requires an organized
and well-controlled supply chain
and the lack of integration capabilty
mentioned earlier is hampering
traditional and new artisans from
taking advantage of the market
opportunities. The inefficiencies
persist in large measure and the
withdrawal of orders from the market
due to delays in supply and quality
inconsistencies severely hinders
growth and sustained motivation to
comply with market requirements.
Though the informalization along
most value chains helps local
entrepreneurs (thekedars and small
manufacturers) to manage the
asymmetries in the handicrafts
sector, it shortchanges artisans
expecting regular employment and
steady income.
Service institutions in the non-
profit space are now emerging to
do the integration and provide
turnkey services combining at
least skill development, design
and marketing to artisan member
organizations and NGOs. Some
of them have used e-commerce
marketing platforms for artisan
products. Finance, however, is
generally not included in this group
of services, for the unfortunate
reason that it remains difficult to
access despite so much focus and
funding going into microfinance
YOJANA May 2011 7
and the financial institutions,
government and non-government.
While this is a market opportunity
for service organizations to take
advantage of the growth of the
handicrafts sector, the impact
of this integration to push up
artisan incomes and employment
consistently is likely to be limited
without finance being integrated
into the package. Advice and
linkages to social protection are
also not services generally included
in this package offered by service
institutions for artisans.
Additionally, the vast number
of local entrepreneurs, especially
those operating as thekedars, is,
however, not the primary clientele
of these integrated services despite
the value they have created for
artisan employment. They are less
able to effect integration than the
NGOs and artisan organizations
because they are viewed with
suspicion. Their capacity to survive
and ability to maneuver in the
informal economy needs to receive
greater attention and they need to
be enabled to channel these skills to
strengthen, standardize and sustain
the supply and services at relevant
points in the chain. Downstream
are the firms of exporters and
retailers most of whom deal with
artisans at “arms length” and
respond better to regulations that
will directly impact their profits
(such as those related to use of
chemical dyes and discharge of
effluents) than to calls for better
margins for artisans. They are
organized in their own associations
and interest formations which are
well knit to promote their interests
but have not yet progressed to
consistently engage with artisans
or artisan associations or NGOs
working with them in a sensitive
and effective manner.
The financial support for
d e v e l o p i n g m o r e o rg a n i z e d
value chains in rural areas in the
aspects of skill improvement,
design and product development,
infrastructure, business capacity,
market exposure, and working
capital provision are not effectively
consolidated in government
schemes or disbursed sensitively or
flexibly to improve chain viability,
artisan incomes and welfare as well
as their empowerment for market
negotiations. There are also aspects
that are either not covered or
inadequate, such as transportation.
Government schemes are actually
quite expensive (in terms of human
resources and logistics) for artisan-
support institutions/NGOs to
service/execute in rural areas.
They invariably require flexible
donor (often foreign) financing to
fund the real costs of executing
government schemes to reach them
to the artisans, especially during
the start-up and strengthening
phase of developing the chain,
including for working capital.
Such donor financing is now
shrinking for growth countries
like India. How this will impact
NGO support to the handicraft
sector is still to be known but it is
clear that integration for growth
is an imperative that only the
government can finance on the scale
required. Government programs
need to be more creatively designed
to accommodate the various
players, various stages of growth
of handicraft enterprises, and the
various subsectors that have their
own value chain dynamics. q
(E-mail:vanitaviswanath@udyogini.org)
Handloom-Handicrafts
Analysis

Artisanal Clusters: Towards

a Brighter Future
Tamal Sarkar

ndia is a land of Such clusters are at times centuries

I handicrafts and
handlooms. At the end
of the tenth five year
plan, the handicrafts
sector employed 67.70 lakh
old consisting of mostly household
units utilising both home based as
also wage earners. Each such cluster
is situated within a contiguous
geographical area spanning over a
persons. Again, with about 35 few villages and/or a town and/or a
lakh handlooms, the handloom city and its surrounding areas. Each
sector provided employment to cluster faces common opportunities
There is scope for 65 lakh persons, of which, 61 per and threats.
policy intervention cent were women, and 35 per cent
India is estimated to have
belonged to scheduled castes and
for providing around 2682 handicrafts and 491
scheduled tribes. Thus handlooms
handlooms clusters. In both cases
appropriate and and handicrafts sectors are not
around10 states cover around
only employment intensive, being
sustained market second only to agriculture, but also
two-third of these clusters. Uttar
Pradesh leads both in handlooms
intelligence and have huge social importance, in
and handicrafts. Some of the other
view of the fact that they cater to
necessary supply the economically as well as socially
front ranking states include Bihar,
Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan
conditions for a weaker sections.
in handlooms; and Orissa, West
sustained growth I n t e r e s t i n g l y, a l m o s t t h e Bengal, Gujarat, Maharashtra,
entire handicrafts and handlooms Madhya Pradesh in handicrafts.
path of the artisans sector are situated in geographic The major products of handlooms
concentrations, called clusters. include saree, dress material,
The Author is Director of the Foundation for MSME Clusters, New Delhi. This article provides his personal views and
not necessarily that of the organization to which he belongs. The author was supported by his colleagues Ms Neha Kapur
and Mr Amar Singh for all background support with data, graphs etc.

8 YOJANA May 2011

furnishings, dhoti, lungi, etc. The
2682 handicraft clusters belong to
24 product groups, covering 292
products. These include 548 textiles,
418 basketry, 298 woodwork, 251
metal ware and 203 earthenware
related handicrafts products.
Artisanal clusters face a variety
of challenges. Firstly, majority of
the clusters perform in a “market
based value chain”. Here both
the artisans and their buyers are
plenty in number and there is no
one-to-one relationship among
the buyers and artisans. Also in
many cases the artisans have got
disengaged from the buyers. This
has been a slow but steady process
over the past few decades. Firstly
mechanisation thinned and nearly
Distribution of Handloom Clusters in India
Distribution of Handicraft Clusters in India
YOJANA May 2011 9
eroded the local market of the
artisans. Their market shifted to
the urban centres. Thereafter the
changing market need at the far
away urban markets made the
existing market knowledge of the
artisans irrelevant.
As a result the sector witnessed
a natural advent of a ‘high-tech
artisan product handlers, mostly
people of urban origin, who started
providing the artisans the neo-
market intelligence and the market
as well. Thus slowly the artisans,
who have already lost their rural
roots, having lost their comparative
advantage – the market intelligence,
slowly became suppliers of low cost
labour of “artisan” products.
Several attempts have been
made in this regard by various
schematic approaches of
participation in trade fairs, buyer
seller meets, design support, etc.,
but given the sheer volume of
artisans and the time requirement
for striking business linkage, these
schemes have natural limitations.
Firstly, these are mostly restricted/
irregular attempts for an artisan.
Also, given the huge number,
there is hardly any scope to cover
all the artisans on a regular basis.
While sincere attempts are also
being made to provide the artisans
with appropriate design inputs,
but the element of continuity, that
is required to make such attempts
successful in the long run, is
naturally missing, given the huge
number and the repeated attempts
that need such coverage.
A possible solution to such
chronic challenge is to get linked
to natural market facilitator, with
a long run strategy. Here again,
a basic trouble is the absence
of a network of artisans. At an
individual level an artisan does not
provide any substantial volume
for direct linkage with the new
generation ‘informed’ buyers.
However, once grouped optimally,
artisans can get directly linked to
such informed buyers, who can
provide them with critical market
intelligence. Over time as such
relations mature and critical level
of knowledge transfers take place,
the artisan groups mature to get
linked to the market directly and
thereby move up the value chain,
now with higher knowledge level, a higher order value chain system Availability of finance will
“network based value chain”. themselves. also be a critical issue at this
This process will need some juncture. Artisans have very less
It must be stressed here that
initial development support to such linkage with private sector holding capacity and they need
go for creation of groups of will require strong handholding payment immediately on delivery
artisans and provision of initial support by independent agencies. of products. Anything less than
linkage of such groups to higher Firstly, this is the time when there that may/will cause them to shift
order value chain partners, often is need for creating systems among to alternative options. This is more
referred to as “middlemen”, an the artisan groups, which needs lot so whenever there is availability of
area still cautiously treaded by the of negotiations and understanding such alternative or the artisans are
development fraternity. However, from their side and lots of conflict operating in a multiple livelihood
in the medium and long run, this resolution exercise that emerges in scenario. Hence, tailor made
market led system will in itself this process. Also there is need to group financing mechanism will
guide the entire process of training create negotiation power among be required at this stage. Unlike
the artisans and sharing with them the artisan groups, as else, they
small and medium enterprises,
the market intelligence and thereby are often at the risk of getting raw
the household units are often not
creating their capability to shift to deals.
in a position to even buy the raw
material for producing. Hence they
Private Sector Provides Crucial Market Link to Chanderi
will need a financial product in
Hand loom based weaving in Chanderi (Madhya Pradesh) is a the form of “Order Discounting”,
centuries old activity. The cluster is known for its ethnic product wherein order is received by a
with high design value. In 2003, Chanderi had 11000 weavers legal entity (having at least an
working in 3000 looms. Around 150 odd weavers got together to account with a bank) of the artisans
create an entity – Bunkar Vibhas Sansthan (BVS). Fab India is an from a registered entity, can be
established handicraft retail outlet with branches all over India. In discounted by the bank. At the
July 2004 the core buying team of Fab India visited Chanderi to least such facility must be available
explore the possibilities of bulk purchase. After initial discussions for bill discounting. Alternatively
and assessment of BVS, Fab India decided to open its own office revolving fund may be provided
to the artisans’ group for quick
in Chanderi and also signed an MOU with BVS. The MOU with
reimbursement of wages and raw
Fab India ensured BVS an assured order of Rs. 5 million in the first
material cost to the artisans.
year with an estimated increase of Rs. 2.5 million every year. BVS
was given the responsibility of managing the production of its SHG Technology is also an important
and through them with other SHGs in the cluster. The CEO of BVS issue. At times it becomes a real
was entrusted with the responsibility of managing the entire show challenge to provide the appropriate
and simultaneously creating a system and do all conflict resolution technology that can replace routine
during this growth period. Actual sales to Fab India were estimated and yet keep the artisanal dexterity
at Rs 2.7 million in 2004 and Rs 4.24 million in 2005. The figure untouched. This is becoming a
reached an estimated value of Rs 7 million in the year 2006. A point challenge, as else, the modern
to point analysis suggested that the average wage rate for BVS generation artisans are feeling
less interested to stick around the
increased by an estimated 50 per cent from Rs 85 to Rs 128 during
tradition. Such technology changes
the period 2004 and 2006.
must be significant, should not

10 YOJANA May 2011

tamper with the critical dexterity
items, i.e. the core of the handicrafts,
and should be affordable. Thus there
is need for serious R&D, which can
lead to innovative technology.
Simultaneously there is also
need for critical infrastructure. But
true to the spirit of decentralised
home based production, there
is need for multiple critical
infrastructure as compared to high
value large infrastructure, which
may be viewed as remote when an
artisan tries to balance it out with
her family commitments.
Also in this process one needs to
take care of the poorest of the poor
artisans. While implementation,
as it happens in many cases, the
comparatively better endowed
artisans – be it in the form of
dexterity and recognition, gender
or social standing, etc. are the most
expressive and get to understand
the benefits fast. Hence as a natural
process, there is a crowding out of the
less endowed, ‘socially challenged’
and women artisans. Thus special
care needs to be taken to strike
a balance between spontaneity
of demand from the artisans and
special drive to include the weaker
sections. Else implementation may
become non-inclusive and lead to
enhanced relative poverty in this
process.
Here the role of design inputs
is also a crucial ingredient. As
mentioned earlier, the process of
mechanization and the distancing
of market from local to national
and international, has made the
artisans, who were traditionally the
design creators as design takers.
The development agencies have
responded to this problem by
providing occasional design inputs.
But this process is not programmed
to make the artisans permanent
design creators. They get new
designs, but cannot create new
ones. Hence serious and targeted
efforts need to go into creating
designers from the artisan category
and give them back their prime –
the pride of being an artisan.
Thus there is scope for
policy intervention for providing
appropriate and sustained market
intelligence and necessary supply
conditions for a sustained growth
path of the artisans. q
(E-mail : tamalsarkar3@gmail.com)

Handloom Census
The number of Handloom weavers and allied workers as per the Second Census of Handlooms of India (1995-96)
and Third Handloom Census of India (2009-10) are:

Sr. No. Census Number of Handloom Weavers and Allied Workers (in lakhs)
1 Second Census (1995-96) 65.50
2 Third Census (2009-10) 43.31

Factors identified for the decline of Handloom Sector, inter alia, include, (i) competition with mechanized sector
such as mill and powerloom Sectors, (ii) decline of handloom corporations/Apex Cooperative Societies (iii) high cost
of credit & low disbursement of credit for the handloom weavers, (iv) Choking of cooperative credit lines due to debt
over-dues and (v) marketing problems etc.

Although, the number of handloom weavers and allied workers has declined, yet improvement in various other
parameters has also been reported in 2009-10 Census over 1995-96 Census. The details are as under :
Sr. No.      Indicator 2009-10 Census 1995-96 Census
1. Man days worked per weaver per annum (days) 234 197
2. Share of full time weavers to total weavers 64% 44%
3. Share of weaver households reporting less than a metre production 46% 68%
4. Share of Idle looms 4% 10%
For the development of Handloom Sector and welfare of Handloom weavers, five Schemes are under implementation,
which are (i) Integrated Handlooms Development Scheme, (ii) Handloom Weavers’ Comprehensive Welfare Scheme
(iii) Marketing & Export Promotion Scheme (iv) Mill Gate Price Scheme and (v) Diversified Handloom Development
Scheme

YOJANA May 2011 11

Handloom-Handicrafts
Socio-economic condition of
Handloom workers in India
nlike the previous
U two handloom
censuses conducted in
1987-88 and 1995-96
which focused on the
economic aspects of the handloom
industry, the latest handloom census
(2009-10) provides data on the
socio-economic indicators of
the handloom workers as well,
including gender, age composition,
The real incomes of social groupings, poverty and
education levels, etc. These data
handloom workers would be very useful for policy
have declined over formulation which is gradually
attaining a welfare orientation
the years instead in addition to promotion of the
of increasing in handloom industry. The current
focus on inclusive growth also
tandem with the mandates the holistic upliftment
growth of the of the handloom workers rather
than providing a few incentives for
economy. This calls increasing handloom production
for policy changes and improving marketing. In this
context, this article analyses the
both at the Centre socio-economic conditions of
and State levels the handloom workers in India,
The author is Economic Adviser, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. The views are personal.
12 YOJANA May 2011
Overview
N D George
mainly based on the results of
the Handloom Census 2009-10
and puts forward some policy
options for improving the welfare
of the handloom workers. Direct
comparison with the results of the
earlier censuses was not possible
as those censuses did not canvass
data on the social indicators of
handloom workers.
As per the Handloom Census
(2009-10), there are 27.83
handloom households and 43.31
lakh handloom workers in India.
The average household size is 4.59
and the average number of workers
per household is 1.56, the work
participation rate being 33.9 per
cent. Handloom is pre-dominently
a rural activity with 36.33 lakh
(83.88%) workers living in rural
areas and 6.98 lakh (16.12%) in
urban areas. Of the 43.4 lakh
handloom workers, 50% i.e. 21.6
lakh belong to the North Eastern
states and the remaining 21.8 lakh
are distributed among other states,
the major being West Bengal 7.8
lakh (17.9%), Tamil Nadu, 3.5
lakh (8.3%), Andhra Pradesh, 3.6
lakh (8%), Uttar Pradesh, 2.6 lakh
(5.6%), Orissa, 1.1 lakh ( 2.5%),
Karnataka, 0.9 lakh ( 2%) and other
states, 2.3 lakh ( 5.3%).
The handloom work force is
predominantly female, constituting
77.4 per cent of the total work
force. The age composition of the
handloom workers show that 49.1
per cent belong to the 18-35 age
group and 11.2 per cent fall within
the less than 18 years category.
The majority of handloom workers
belong to the adult age group of
18-60 years. Workers above 60
years constitute only 4 per cent.
The handloom work force is pre-
dominantly young.
Poverty
The Handloom Census (2009-10)
has captured valuable information
on the poverty levels of the
handloom workers by asking a few
simple questions relating to the type
of ration cards they possessed. The
relevant information is summarised
in the following table:
As seen from Table-1, 9.7% of
the handloom workers belong to the
poorest of the poor category and
36.9% belong to the BPL category.
Only 34.5 % of the workers hold
APL cards. It is well-known that
many households belonging to the
APL category quite often slip back
to poverty due to various income
shocks arising from loss of work,
health expanses, expenses for
marriage etc. A sizeable number of
the handloom workers (18.9%) do
not hold any ration card. It is likely
that many households belonging to
the ‘No Ration card category’ may
be very poor. It is evident that as
compared to the national average
poverty level of 27.5% as per
Planning Commission’s estimate
for 2004-05 (which is expected to
decline further by 2009-10), the
incidence of poverty among the
handloom workers is much higher
at more than 46.4%.
It is evident from the higher
rates of incidence of poverty among
handloom workers that though it
generates some additional income
for the households, handloom
production is not sufficiently
remunerative to lift the households
out of poverty.
Social Groups
Closely linked to the incidence
of poverty among handloom
workers is their social group
status. As represented in Table-2,
a vast majority of the handloom
weavers (73.4%) belong to socially
disadvantaged groups such as
OBCs (45.2%), STs (18.1%)
and SCs (10.1%). Most of the
ST handloom workers belong to
the North Eastern States where
handloom production is mainly for
domestic consumption.

Table 1 Distribution of handloom households by type of ration cards

Type of ration card Number of households Per cent distribution
Rural Urban Total Rural Urban Total
Antodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) card 253,110 17805 270915 10.5 4.9 9.7
Below poverty line (BPL) card 843,040 183656 1026696 34.8 50.7 36.9
Above poverty line (APL) card 844,656 114631 959287 34.9 31.7 34.5
No Ration card 480,311 46062 526373 19.8 12.7 18.9
Total 2,421,117 362154 2783271 100.0 100.0 100.0
Source: “Handloom Census of India 2009-10”, NCAER, New Delhi.

Table-2 Distribution of adult (18 years and above) handloom workers by social groups
Social Groups Number of workers Per cent distribution
Rural Urban Total Rural Urban Total
Scheduled Castes (SCs) 331,994 58,439 390,433 10.3 9.5 10.1
Scheduled Tribes (STs) 678,165 18,767 390,433 21.0 3.1 18.1
Other backward Castes (OBCs) 1,359,355 378,188 1,737,543 42.1 61.5 45.2
Others 862,711 159,216 1,021,927 26.7 25.9 26.6
Total 3,232,225 614,610 3,846,835 100.0 100.0 100.0
Source: “Handloom Census of India 2009-10”, NCAER, New Delhi.

YOJANA May 2011 13

Under-age workers
There are a total of 11.2 lakh
handloom workers who are below
18 years of age. The reasons for
existence of large number of under-
age handloom workers may be
found in the large scale incidence
of poverty among the handloom
worker households, the by and
large domestic nature of handloom
production, and the low-level of
educational attainments among the
handloom households. However, it
is an issue we should be concerned
about.
House ownership
One of the basic requirements
for human well-being is to have a
roof over one’s head, either owned
or rented. The type of dwelling
units of handloom house-holds are
represented in Table-3. The vast
majority of handloom workers i.e.
85.3%, live in semi-pucca or kuchha
dwellings. The semi-pucca houses,
are mostly in urban areas. Only
14.7% of the handloom households
have pucca houses. About 91% of
the dwelling units are owned by the
handloom workers. Only 5.2% of
the units are rented.
Education
Education is one of the principal
means of breaking the vicious cycle
of poverty. The educational levels
of handloom workers are presented
in Table-4 :
As seen from the table, 29.4 per
cent of the handloom workers have
never attended school and 12.7
percent have below primary level
education. A vast majority of them,
i.e. 82.9 per cent have educational
level of middle school and below.
Employment, production and
income
On an average, the handloom
workers are employed for 191 days
a year. While weavers get 183 days
of work, the allied workers get work
for 217 days. There is also marked
difference in the number of days
worked in rural and urban areas.
While the weavers in rural areas
work for 173 days, those in urban
areas work for 248 days. The allied
workers in rural areas work for 210
days and those in urban areas work
for 241 days.
The available information
regarding productivity of handloom
households is presented in
Table 5.

Table- 3 Distribution of handloom worker households by type of dwelling unit

Type of dwelling untis Number of workers Per cent distribution
Rural Urban Total Rural Urban Total
Kuchha 1,441,473 77,159 1,518,632 59.5 21.3 54.6
Semi-pucca 678,024 177,554 855,578 28.0 49.0 30.7
Pucca 301,620 107,441 409,061 12.5 29.7 14.7
Total 2,421,117 362,154 2,783,271 100.0 100.0 100.0
Source: “Handloom Census of India 2009-10”, NCAER, New Delhi.

Table -4 Distribution of adult (18 years and above) handloom workers by level of education
Level of education Number of workers Per Cent Distribution
Rural Urban Total Rural Urban Total
Never attended School 931,324 199,121 1,130,445 28.5 32.4 29.4
Below primary 402,961 84,754 487,715 12.5 13.8 12.7
Primary 574,365 127,244 701,609 17.8 20.7 18.2
Middle 782,295 100,248 882,543 24.2 16.3 22.9
High school and above 328,493 63,347 391,840 10.2 10.3 16.8
Source: “Handloom Census of India 2009-10”, NCAER, New Delhi.

14 YOJANA May 2011

 Table 5 : Distribution of weaver households by
average length of fabrics
Length (metres) Number of weaver Distribution of weaver
households (Lakh) households (%)
Less than 1 8.27 45.9
1-2 5.81 32.3
2-3 1.91 10.6
3-4 0.85 4.7
4 & above 1.17 6.5
Total 18.01 100.0
Source: “Handloom Census of India 2009-10”, NCAER, New Delhi.
Information in the above table Table- 6 : Average incomes of
pertains to only those weavers handloom households from
all sources (Rs.)
who had a working loom on their
Category Average annual
premises. As seen from the table-5, earning of
78.2 per cent of the households handloom
households from all
produce 2 or less metres of fabric sources (Rs.)
per days, only 11.2 per cent of
1995-96 2009-2010
the households produce fabrics
All India 17,496 36,498
measuring 3 metres or more.
Rural N.A. 37,167
In the North Eastern states,
Urban N.A. 32,030
52 per cent of the households
Sources : Handloom Censuses 1995-96
produced less than 1 metre per day,
and 2009-10.
the corresponding percentage for
the rest of India is 31.3. per cent. households have doubled in nominal
A rough conclusion that can be terms since 1995-96. However, in
reached from the above analysis real terms, the average earnings have
is that the per weaver productivity come down. Assuming an annual
of fabrics, by and large remain inflation of 6.5 per cent per year
very low at less than 2 metres per since 1995-96, the average annual
day. It is true that the average income of handloom households
productivity will be higher if we should have grown to Rs. 42,250 in
exclude the North-Eastern states 2009-10 to keep parity with the real
where production is mainly for income levels of 1996-97. The real
domestic use. income has thus actually declined.
Average incomes of handloom
There are wide inter-state
households from all sources as per
variations in the earnings of
the 1996-97 and 2009-10 Censuses
handloom households. While
are as follows:
Assam has the lowest earnings of
As seen from the table-6, though Rs. 8393, Haryana has the highest
the average earnings of handloom income of Rs. 36,096.
YOJANA May 2011 15
The share of income from purely
handloom activities is 30.2 per cent
across all handloom households.
While it is 51 per cent for urban
households, the rural households
have a share of 27.5 per cent. In
the North-Eastern states, the share
of handloom income is only 18.8
per cent across all households. The
sources of other income are broadly
agriculture and non-agriculture. It
is obvious that if we exclude the
North Eastern states, the share of
handloom income will be much
higher for the rest of India.
Nature of Government
interventions and policy options
Both the Central and State
Governments are currently active
in the handloom sector, providing a
number of incentives for handloom
production and marketing. The
Central Government, through the
Ministry of Textiles, Office of
the Development Commissioner
(Handlooms), implements a number
of schemes such as Integrated
Handloom Development Scheme,
Scheme for supplying hank yarn
at mill gate prices, marketing and
design support, health and life
insurance schemes etc. The State
Governments are also implementing
various schemes for the benefit
of the handloom workers. The
Plan allocation of the Ministry of
Textiles for handloom schemes is
Rs. 460 crores for 2011-12.
However, in spite of these, we
have seen that the real incomes of
handloom workers have declined
over the years instead of increasing
in tandem with the growth of the
economy. This calls for policy
changes both at the Centre and
State levels. There is also a need
for scaling up and intensifying both
the Central and State Government’s
interventions in the handloom
sector.
At the Central Government level,
instead of designing Schemes of
pan-India nature, it may be desirable
to design separate schemes for the
North East and the rest of India,
taking into consideration the State-
specific and region specific special
requirements. The development
schemes should have adequate
flexibility. In the North Eastern
states other than Assam, where
handloom production is mainly
for domestic use, the Government
interventions may focus on
organising the handloom workers
into SHGs and encouraging setting
up of handloom units of appropriate
size which are commercially viable.
Assam, which has a very large
number of handloom units with
very low average productivity, may
be made a focus state for future
interventions. The Government
interventions in the North Eastern
states should basically focus on
group formation, input supply,
loom up-gradation, cluster
development and marketing. The
established retail chains should
also come forward and collaborate
with government agencies to
assist in product development
and marketing. The banks should
provide adequate credit for such
activities.
The schemes that the Ministry of
Textiles currently implement rightly
focus on cluster development,
health and life insurance coverage
of the handloom workers and input
and marketing support. Mega-
clusters of handlooms are also
being developed. However, there
is need for scaling up such efforts
and improving the effectiveness
and outcome of such interventions.
There is also need for better co-
ordination of the efforts of the
Central and State Governments.
Involvement of NGOs and the
Corporates, especially those that
are active in textiles and apparel,
also need to be encouraged.
We may also experiment with
development models in Public-
Private Partnership wherever
feasible.
As handloom production is
a supplementary activity for
most households, it is necessary
to provide alternate avenues of
employment for the handloom
households. Special attention needs
to be given to such households in
the form of educational and health
assistance, income support to the
most vulnerable households in the
form of cash or food coupons etc.
As benefits of higher economic
growth is not reaching the handloom
workers, it is the responsibility of
not only the Governments but also
the corporate sector, NGOs etc. to
give a helping hand to them in the
form of development and welfare
interventions. q
(E-mail : ndgeorge@nic.in)

Health Insurance for Weavers

Government of India is providing a Health Insurance Scheme for weavers for access
to healthcare facilities from 2007-08 onwards and till the end of 11th Plan. The annual
cover per family is Rs.15,000/- . Out of this, substantial provision of Rs.7,500/- has
been kept for OPD. The process of filing claims is simple. The claims can be filed
with the Cluster Coordinator of the Insurance Company or the representative office
of the Insurance Company or TPA.

16 YOJANA May 2011

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YOJANA May 2011 17

Handloom-Handicrafts
Promoting Occupational Health and Safety
comprehensive
A insight into the existing
scenario of informal
sector workers
(including handloom
and handicraft workers) in India
explicably brings out the lack of
understanding of occupational
Key remedial health and safety issues, frail legal
and policy provisions protecting
measures need to
the worker and non-implementation
focus on gathering of laws. The Bhopal gas tragedy,
relevant data from 1984, considered to be the world’s
various sub-sectors, worst industrial catastrophe was
the turning point for policy making
capacity building in India on issues of occupational
and dissemination health and safety. Significant
of information to amendments were made in the Indian
Factory Act (1987) after the tragedy
sensitize employers,
focusing on hazardous industries.
workers and policy However, the necessity of basic
makers minimum standards encompassing
The author works on policy issues in handlooms and handicrafts with All India Artisans and Craftworkers Welfare
Association
18 YOJANA May 2011
Focus
Nupur Bahl
workers in the informal sector has
not been a priority area for policy
makers in India.
The handloom and handicraft
sector in India is estimated to
employ over 13.5 million skilled
craftworkers, who play a significant
role in the Indian economy in
terms of its share in employment,
contribution to GDP and
preservation of cultural heritage.
A large skilled workforce has been
engaged in traditional forms of craft
in India for several hundred years;
however, the occupational risks
and hazards involved in these craft
processes have not been researched
and documented for relevant policy
formation for the sector. Since
majority of craftworkers in India
are home based or work in small
units not employing more than 10-
12 workers, they are not covered
under the provisions of labour laws
in India.
In India, the enforcement of
the legal and policy provisions
regarding occupational health and
safety is extremely weak. This
may be largely due to the fact that
occupational health is the mandate
of Ministry of Labour and not the
Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare. The Government of India
declared a ‘National Policy on
Safety, Health and Environment
at Workplace’ on 20 February
2009. This policy seeks to protect
workers’ right to a safe working
environment in all units in the
organized as well as informal
sector. However, at the enforcement
level, it is not likely to bring
about the desired compliance to
health and safety rules at workplace
for the unorganized sector.
This article briefly analyses the
occupational health hazards in the
handloom and handicraft sector
of India and suggests that policy
reforms need to focus on gathering
relevant data, creating minimum
safety standards relevant to the
sector, disseminating information
and building networks for
establishing efficient enforcement
mechanisms.
Occupational Health and Safety
of Handloom and Handicraft
workers in India
Occupational health risks are one
of the leading causes of morbidity
YOJANA May 2011 19
and mortality in India. Lack of
awareness about occupational
safety and environmental hazards
severely affect the vulnerable and
marginalized working population.
Majority of handloom and
handicraft artisans in India are
not aware of occupational health
risks partly because they are self-
employed, unorganized and partly
because they accept the risk of
injury or damage as being a part
of traditional occupation. Over a
period of time, craftworkers learn
to ‘adapt’ to the hazards (using
masks, mixers, protective gears etc)
involved in the craft, unaware of the
long term impact.
Tr a d i t i o n a l l y, h a n d m a d e
products in India were made using
simple tools and natural resources
available in the local environment.
Rapid economic growth, market
demand and competition from
industries have resulted in changes
in the traditional production
processes. The old techniques
are being replaced by machines,
synthetic material, chemicals that
reduce the cost of material and
labour. This transformation has
resulted in increased insecurity and
risks to the workers.
With the changes in production
processes, the associated hazards
also change. The exposure to
hazardous chemicals cannot only
lead to incidents of acute toxicity
but also have chronic impacts
over time. Ergonomic hazards
also increase with the use of new
equipments and tools. Studies have
indicated that majority of health
impacts caused in the handicraft
and handloom industries have
chronic/long term effects caused
by repeated exposure. Chronic
diseases are difficult to diagnose
and usually the symptoms are
hardly noticeable until severe
permanent damage has occurred.
For instance, exposure to small
amounts of spray-solvents during
a lifetime by craftworkers may
produce skin damage (dermatitis),
chronic liver, kidney failure, brain
damage etc.
Numerous studies and
reports have raised concern over
occupational health and safety
issues of workers in India. About
a decade ago, Leigh et al. (1999)
estimated an annual incidence
of occupational disease between
924,700 and 1,902,300 cases and
121,000 deaths in India. Studies
on many industries including the
leather tanning industry, textiles
and metalware have found that
workers in these industries work
in inhuman physical conditions for
very long hours.
Nalvarangkul, 2006 showed that
63% of women engaged in carpet
making had respiratory problems
such as asthma due to cotton dust,
or respiratory irritation due to
inhalation of chemicals used to
bleach silk and cotton. The Second
National Commission on Labour
(2002) has pointed to the high
incidence of lung diseases in bangle
industries due to inhalation of
toxic fumes, smokes and dust. The
commission also found that dyes
and chemicals used in textiles block
printing and poor physical working
conditions such as improper
ventilation have caused serious
health hazards to workers. 60
Weavers in Ramanagaram district,
Karnataka, in 2010 reported eye
injuries and blindness after handling
chemically treated silk yarn.
Under the SWITCH Asia
Project, looking at environment,
health and safety issues in the
craft sector, a baseline study was
conducted by the Hazards Centre,
Delhi to look at the steps that need
to be taken to make production
processes safe for the health of the
producers and the environment.
The study was conducted in five
clusters- block printing (Rajasthan),
leather (Rajasthan), blue pottery
(Rajasthan), dhokra (Orissa), bell
metal (Orissa), ikat-tie and dye
weaving (Pochampally, Andhra
Pradesh). The study surveyed
100 artisans in each cluster and
documented the production
processes, current health status
of workers, and the impact on the
environment.
20 YOJANA May 2011
Unlike the commonly held
notion, it is easy to measure
the occupational health status
of workers with the simple and
inexpensive tools that can be
handled by almost anybody and
does not require sophisticated
training. The hazards were studied
under the following categories:
Body Mass Index (BMI) - BMI
indicates general physical well-
being of a person and is dependent
on patterns of food consumption,
living-working conditions, nature
and duration of physical work.
The results of the survey indicated
that the processes that involve
chemicals, leather and metal have
a greater adverse health impact on
the worker over time. The study
also pointed out that regular work
reflects better health for workers as
compared to short term contractual
work.
Pulmonary Function Test
(PFT): The measurement of
PFT revealed an alarming health
condition of workers across the
clusters. The workers exposed to
vapours, gases, fibres, and particles
in a work atmosphere that is not
conducive to pulmonary health,
display a marked tendency towards
chronic bronchitis as they spent
more years in the job. Absence of
adequate safety measures to metallic
fumes and high temperatures in the
work environment is hazardous
and unfavorable for the health of
the artisans.
Hand Grip Meter Test (HGM):
Majority of artisans tested reported
below-normal grip strength in the
HGM. Low level of strength in
the hand grip meter test is directly
related to repetitive and strenuous
work that the workers have to do
with very little movement and
minimum breaks.
Eyesight: Apart from the effects
of work on the body, lungs and
muscle tone, repetitive work and
continuous visual attention to
detail also seems to have impacted
the eyes of the workers. Eyes are
mostly affected due to direct impact
of chemical agents like metallic
fumes and physical agents like
dirt, dust, particles etc. Even poor
lighting in the workplace often
creates strain in the eyes which
leads to watering and damage to
eyesight.
Pains, accidents, injury
and other health problems:
Across different crafts groups,
large number of artisans reported
muscular pains in the back, joints
and lower abdomen. Some visible
impacts that were inspected include
callus, hardness, spots, cuts, burns,
tremors and skin problems. Other
common complaints included
hernia and high/low blood
pressure, low appetite and sleep,
weakness, stomach upset, gastric
and vomiting, and may be related
to the strenuous work environment
with irregular food intake. Low
appetite, problems in sleeping, and
weakness are mainly due to long
working hours.
Most of the workers were found
to have a case history of fever and
typhoid due to consumption of
contaminated water and no proper
sanitation facility. This is further
compounded by the fact that the
majority of the workers are not
permanently employed and only
13% reported having access to
facilities such as Employees State
Insurance and Provident Fund.
Few facilities were observed to
be provided to the workers at the
work-site, including toilets, rooms
for resting and eating, washing
places, natural or artificial exhaust
systems for circulation of fresh
air, adequate lighting, and first-aid
facilities. A few good practices
were observed, such as provision
of cold drinking water, placer
strings for positioning the blocks,
cut-out patterns, registration
dowels on the blocks, safety
guards on moving parts, and
separate storage and mixing
rooms with containers clearly
marked. But these were few
and far between with awareness
and implementation of safety
YOJANA May 2011 21
measures being poor across the building and dissemination
board. of information to sensitize
employers, workers and policy
Recommendations
makers. Legislation targeting
There is a need to raise awareness improvements in OHS for informal
on occupational health and safety
sectors will need to rely on
issues among craftworkers across
creating norms, raising awareness
the country and suggest safety
and providing capacity building
gears/methods to protect them.
services to help small-scale
Such a task is hampered by two
units and workers to meet safety
factors: firstly, there has been very
standards. Awareness-raising is
little research done to document
particularly important for home-
the hazards, secondly, there is
based workers, who would fall
a wide diversity of production
outside the preview of any
processes, materials, tools used
enforcement mechanism, but
because of differences in culture
nevertheless would suffer from
and region. All these production
basic issues such as lack of safety
processes need to be studied in
equipment and proper lighting and
detail and the safety measures need
ventilation. Basic norms on work
to be documented. Furthermore,
practices that improve OHS need to
prevention of the occupational
be publicized through partnerships
health and safety hazards require
with industry associations and
mainly a change in the mindsets
trade networks to raise awareness
of the employers as the preventive
of both small-scale units as well
measures do not demand much
as the workers.
in terms of resources. It must
be ensured, however, that the The rapidly changing economic
preventive measures provided scenario threatens the health and
to the workers are both worker- livelihoods of handloom and
friendly and work-friendly. handicraft workers in India. The
Government and Industry need to
There is a need for a
play a proactive role in generating
comprehensive legislation on
awareness on the hazards involved
occupational health and safety for
in the production processes and in
the informal sector (particularly
creating a set of sector wide basic
for handlooms and handicrafts).
minimum standards protecting the
Key remedial measures need to
worker. q
focus on gathering relevant data
from various sub-sectors, capacity (E-mail :n.bahl@aiacaonline.org)
Handloom-Handicrafts
Development of Khadi as a Brand
ong before the
L Mahatma discovered
it, Khadi had already
entered the roots of
Indian civilization.
During the Vedic period, Aryans
produced their own clothes which
were hand woven and handspun.
Young brides were presented
with charkha at the time of their
KVIC has taken marriage. Khadi is also referred to
in Rigveda; “Spin yarn and dye it
the first steps for with most dazzling dye, weave the
yarn without any knot and enlighten
brand building your descendants by constantly
and revitalizing developing the process”.
the khadi sector, The Saint poet Kabir
which will definitely
immortalized khadi in one of his
famous Doha – “Ashta Kamala ka
bring cheers to charkha banaya panch tattva ki
puni nava dasa masa banana ko
the lives of lakhs lage murakha maili kinhi” (From
the eight lotuses was made the
of khadi spinners spinning wheel that used the five
and weavers in the elements to make the sheet (the
body). It takes nine or ten months
country to complete this sheet. Only fools
get it soiled).
The author is Chairperson, Khadi and Village Industries Commission
22 YOJANA May 2011
Overview
Kumud Joshi
Bapu discovered khadi in 1908
when he was in London, when
he went there in a delegation
from South Africa. This chance
discovery provided him the most
important tool which he used
for self dignity and self rule or
Swarajya in his future years. Khadi
also symbolized for him Indian
traditional occupation and revival
of its glorious past.
During the non cooperation
movement khadi became a symbol
of the Indo-British battle over the
looms of Manchester and a bid for
a modern Indian identity. So deep
rooted was the sentiment attached
to this fabric that Pandit Nehru
wove for his daughter Indira a
wedding sari in pink khadi while he
was in jail. This sari is still worn by
women of the Nehru Gandhi family
on their wedding day.
Formal shape to khadi activities
was given with the setting up of
All India Spinners Associations /
Akhil Bhartiya Charkha Sangh in
1925 followed by All India Village
Industries Association in 1935. This
was succeeded by All India Khadi
and Village Industries Board in
1953 and finally Khadi and Village
Industries Commission came into
being by an act of Parliament in
April, 1957.
Khadi has traveled a long way
from pre-independence days. Khadi
production, including cotton, silk
and woolen varieties has touched
Rs.628.98 crores and the industry
provides employment opportunities
to 9.8l lakhs persons in rural
areas.
With the passage of time, the
technology of khadi production
has also evolved. The four spindle
wooden charkha developed by
Ekambernath in 1961 gave way
to the eight spindle charkha,
and now KVIC even boasts of
e-charkha where, on a 2 spindle
NMC charkha, the spinner rotates
an armature / dynamo and charges
battery which can be used for
lighting, running a transistor and
recharging of cell phones.
The present Commission which
is the policy making body of KVIC
has also approved introduction of
solar charkha to remove human
drudgery and increase the wages
and productivity of the khadi
artisans. This will use freely
available natural solar energy
to increase productivity, and it
is expected to enable earning of
around Rs.150.0 per day wages as
against the maximum of Rs.60.00
per day being earned by them
today.
Khadi Brand
Mahatma Gandhi was the
greatest brand ambassador of the
YOJANA May 2011 23
brand khadi, which he created
during pre-independence era. Khadi
has a very unique and exclusive
quality which gives it tremendous
brand potential. Being hand woven
and handspun, each khadi fabric is
distinct and exclusive. Further it
has the added advantage of staying
cool in summer and warm in winter,
which is a rare quality among
fabrics. Khadi also grows softer
on each wash, and due to its hand
woven structure, is comfortable and
skin friendly. Muslin khadi, which
is also known as Dhaka muslin
is one of the wonder products in
khadi with as high as 500 counts,
which no textile mill can produce
or reach. Such excellent muslin
was being produced during pre-
independence period and has now
been revived by KVIC. Silk khadi
is one more exotic fabric of khadi
product range, which is rich in
lustre and has found a place among
the elite and rich. Munga silk
which has a natural golden colour
is a specialty of Assam and has
great market potential. Katia Silk
or Ahimsak Khadi wherein the silk
worm is permitted to escape, is a
unique variety which is a favorite
among peace groups the world
over. Ponduru khadi is a famous
variety of Srikakulam, Andhra
Pradesh where naturally coloured
cotton is carded manually by skilled
artisans using fish jaw bones. It is
a very fine variety of cotton and is
used for making exclusive dhoties,
shirts etc.
Concerted efforts for brand
building were taken up in 2001
when the Government announced
the launching of an umbrella
brand to market khadi and village
industries products. Accordingly,
KVIC carried out brand exercise
by developing 3 brands for Khadi
and V.I. products.
i. Khadi Brand – This was to cover
high fashion design garments
of khadi and exclusive herbal
and cosmetics products to cater
to high end of the market.
ii. Sarvodaya Brand – This
brand was to cover FMCG
products like soap, pickles,
agarbattis, honey etc. for mass
consumption market.
iii. Desi Aahar – This brand
involves products which are
natural and organic in nature
like jaggery, dalia, spices etc.
These brands were launched
during 2002-03. The logo design
of Khadi brand was developed
by National Institute of Design,
Ahmedabad and has been registered
with Trade Mark Authorities.
Professional designers have been
invited for designing and promoting
khadi and leading designers like
Rohit Bal, Malini Ramani, Jatin
Kochar, Devika Bhojanani etc.,
have contributed to the rise of
khadi as fashion fabric. Khadi
brand today covers not only
garments but also health food,
natural and herbal products. Khadi
brand is registered by KVIC and
supplying institutions are enlisted
after ascertaining the quality and
production infrastructure and given
common packaging and brand.
Khadi branded products are being
sold through the Departmental
Sales outlets of KVIC including
the prestigious Khadi Gramodyog
Bhavan, Regal Building, New
Delhi as well as the 7040 outlets run
by khadi institutions. In addition,
Khadi branded products are being
supplied to malls and private
showrooms like Shoppers Stops,
Big Bazar etc. Khadi Gramodyog
Bhavan, KVIC, New Delhi has
recently launched a mobile sales
van for promoting khadi and village
industries products including the
branded products. In addition,
KVIC organizes around 200
exhibitions in the country, where
branded products are also sold
alongwith other products. The sale
of khadi brand products during the
last 4 years is as detailed below:
(Rs. in lakhs)
Sr. Year Designer Khadi
No. wear Brand
1. 2007-08 39.05 80.41
2. 2008-09 49.95 88.48
3. 2009-10 48.29 88.28
4. 1010-11 (upto 90.94 111.30
26.03.2011)
Total 228.23 368.47
Of course, it must be admitted
that the institutions supplying
under the brand are quite few
compared to the total number of
institutions under KVI sector.
H o w e v e r, K V I C h a s t a k e n
the following initiatives for
strengthening the khadi sector :
l KVIC has decided to start
production of khadi using
naturally colored cotton
developed by University
of Agricultural Sciences,
Dharward (VAS) Karnataka.
A full-fledged project is being
developed to take-up naturally
colored cotton khadi activity
in collaboration with UAS
Dharwad initially associating
the local institutions and
gradually expanding to
institutions working outside
Karnataka.
24 YOJANA May 2011
l Product Development Design procurement and production,
Intervention and Packaging m a r k e t i n g o rg a n i z a t i o n ,
(PRODDIP) – A scheme has market-linked pricing and
been launched for engaging introduction of benefit chart,
of designers in khadi by production incentives, reforms
khadi institutions with a grant at khadi institution level.
assistance of 75% from KVIC Development of khadi mark
and 25% as own contribution and setting up of professional
from the production institutions marketing organization under
with a project ceiling of Rs.2.00 Public Private Partnership
lakhs. Designers are expected mode is the major initiative
to provide designs at weaving proposed under this package.
stage, dyeing stage as well as The KRDP package is to be
readymade fashion garments. implemented in a period of
three years from February,
l Under the scheme for 2010 to February, 2013. The
strengthening of marketing objectives of the marketing
infrastructure, renovation and organization would be to
modernisation of sales outlets facilitate radical re-positioning
has been targeted for the outlets of khadi textiles and village
of KVIC and Khadi Institutions industry products, improve
in a phased manner. This will sales & create a demand
enable the Khadi Bhavans and pull from the market both
Khadi Bhandars to have trendy within India and abroad, help
interiors and proper product khadi compete on its product
display systems and visual attributes and sell in the market
merchandising. keeping in mind the evolving
l For the purpose of identification customer requirements, help
of products vis-à-vis the the Khadi institutions to
producer an attachment has become economically viable
been developed in the form through market linked pricing
of Dobby on the looms. The for products, understand
monitoring of the quality is consumer preferences and
thus assured. produce products that the
customer is willing to buy and
l Khadi Reform and attract, retain and enhance the
Development Programme skill set of the Khadi artisans.
(KRDP), with the assistance
”The journey of a thousand
of Asian Development Bank
miles begins with the first step”
is a major initiative to make
(Lao Tzu). Accordingly, KVIC
the khadi sector vibrant and
has taken the first steps for brand
market oriented. This involves
building and revitalizing the khadi
a grant fund of $ 150 million
sector, which will definitely bring
(Rs.720.00 crores). The thrust
cheers to the lives of lakhs of
areas for reform package
khadi spinners and weavers in the
include artisan earnings and
country. q
empowerment, khadi mark
development, raw material (E-mail:chairperson@kvic.gov.in)
Handloom-Handicrafts
Employment in Handloom and
Handicrafts Sectors
he unorganized
T sector plays a significant
role in the planning
and policy agenda of
the country. According
to the definition of National
Commission on Enterprises in the
Unorganized Sector (NCEUS), the
unorganized sector consists of all
unincorporated private enterprises
owned by individuals or households
engaged in the sale and production
of goods and services operated on
a proprietary or partnership basis
The challenge is and with less than ten total workers.
to ensure minimum Unorganized workers consist of
persons working in unorganized
and sustained enterprises or households,
excluding regular workers with
livelihood security social security benefits and the
to the poor self- workers in the formal sector,
without any employment/ social
employed and security benefits provided by the
wage employed employers.
In India, the thrust on
workers unorganized enterprises emerged
The author is Director, Institute of Small Enterprises and Development.
YOJANA May 2011 25
Overview
P M Mathew
as part of a historical process. The
history of freedom movement in the
country was based on a constructive
programme of development of the
unorganized sector as a political
weapon against colonial rule. In
Independent India, this political
legacy was translated into a massive
livelihood promotion programme.
Today, under globalization and
liberalization, this agenda has
undergone a significant change, with
growing stress on entrepreneurial
approach rather than direct support
by the government.
Employment, Livelihoods,
Enterprise.
The terms employment,
livelihoods, and enterprise are often
interchangeably used as we discuss
unorganized sector issues. But
each has a distinct meaning, and
should be understood in its specific
context. The NCEUS recognizes
that livelihood promotion is the
only route through which we can
address issues of poverty and
working conditions of the self-
employed. Given the empirical
reality that the self employed
largely consist of own-account
workers with or without assistance
from family labour, the notion
of ‘livelihood promotion’ takes a
broader meaning than ‘enterprise
promotion’. Own account workers
are workers as well as micro
entrepreneurs because both these
characteristics merge into one.
Their conditions of work are similar
to those of wage workers (e.g. a
street vendor or a rickshaw puller
pulling his own vehicle). They
often resort to ‘self exploitation’
through lengthening the working
day. However, they also need to
employ the skills of an entrepreneur
in sourcing inputs and selling
their products. Moreover, for the
wage workers too, especially those
working in the unorganized sector,
the conditions of work cannot be
divorced from the conditions of the
small enterprises (usually run by the
self-employed) in which they are
employed. Hence, the promotion
of livelihoods and the growth of
enterprises have relevance for them
as well.
Capabilities, access to assets and
entitlements as well as opportunities
for income generation are central to
livelihood related issues. The fact
that the self-employed form the
majority of workers in the Indian
economy has not, so we feel,
sufficiently dawned on popular
consciousness. Outside agriculture,
26 YOJANA May 2011
the self-employed constitute around
63 per cent in the unorganized
sector. This includes the own-
account workers, assisted by the
family workers (also referred to as
unpaid) and those who employ one
to nine workers. The challenge is
to ensure minimum and sustained
livelihood security to the poor
self-employed and wage employed
workers. The NCEUS has taken the
position that the conditions of work
including a minimum of social
security should be an entitlement
backed by national legislation. For
promoting livelihood there should
be a public programme with a
dedicated national fund and an
institutional mechanism to monitor,
review and further develop it from
time to time.
Key Sectors
While the unorganized sector is a
vast ocean of a myriad of activities,
from the point of view of planning
and programme implementation, it
is necessary to focus on particular
sub sectors. Handloom and
handicrafts are two such sub sectors
with great potential. Development
of handlooms and handicrafts today
play a vital role in the agenda of
livelihood promotion in the country.
Therefore it is crucial to understand
their employment potential.
Handlooms
In the last 100 years the handloom
sector has accommodated many
socio-economic changes in its
fold, and has been able to provide
employment to lakhs of families
in India. Handlooms form the
second-largest economic activity in
India after agriculture, and a means
of survival for close to 65 lakh
persons of which 60.40 per cent are
women. The participation of SC/
ST communities in this subsector
is around 35 per cent. India is the
only country to produce handlooms
on a large, commercial scale. The
Census of Handlooms in India is
the only comprehensive database
on this subsector. The latest in
the series, Handloom Census of
India (2009-10), has brought out
some important results relating
to production and employment
conditions in the subsector. The
production structure form broadly
two types: 1) independent workers
or those working under master
weavers ; and 2) those working
under institutional structures such
as cooperatives and KVIC units .
Independent workers account for
61.6 % of the total work force.
Employment under institutions is
only a small percentage (5.1 %) of
the total work force.
Despite its wide spread across
the country, there is significant
under utilization of capacity in
the sub sector. The total number
of idle looms (household and non
household) is 2.31 lakhs, ie, one out
of every ten looms.
T h e s u b s e c t o r, w h i l e
contributing significant employment
opportunities and production, has
not been able to ensure enhanced
earnings and well being of the
workers. The average annual
earnings of handloom households
in the country is Rs. 36,498/-. The
Census has also noted that the share
of annual income to household
income is only 30.2 % across
all handloom households in the
country. There are 3.06 lakh (11.0
%) indebted households in this
subsector. As a natural consequence
of all these, only 25.3 % of the
households were positive about
their children continuing in this
trade.
Handloom has been facing threat
from the powerlooms and the mill
sector. Production of handlooms
has registered a decline from 6677
m.sq.mts to 3956 m.sq.mts in
2009-10. The provisional results
for 2010-11 also indicate decline
(3770 m.sq.mts). While there is
a general trend of power looms
displacing handlooms, the trend in
production of this subsector also
shows a mixed picture. Production
by power looms has increased
marginally from 21,699 m.sq.mts
in the previous year to 22,677 m.sq.
mts in the year 2010-11.
Despite the above picture
the potential of handlooms is
significant. The Rs 50, 000 crores
per year turnover in this sector is
impressive. There is a promise of
near about Rs.1 lakh crores market
demand. Despite constraints, a
large number of households are
dependent on this sector for their
livelihoods. A proper emphasis
on imparting skills to weavers,
developing conditions for absorbing
them in productive employment and
expanding investments would give
a major fillip to the sector.
YOJANA May 2011 27
Public programmes have
addressed these issues in various
forms. The Integrated Handloom
Cluster Development Scheme of
the Ministry of Textiles aims at the
development of handloom clusters
in an inclusive and holistic manner
to build their capacity to meet
the challenges of the market and
global competition in a sustainable
and self-reliant manner. The key
features of the scheme are:
l Collectivization of
handloom weavers and
service providers to take
up input p r o c u r e m e n t ,
production, marketing and
other support activities.
l Provision of common
infrastructure and services in
a viable format in the
cluster
l Creation of environment of
empowered and participative
decision making a m o n g
weavers
l Convergence of schematic
assistance and support services
from various schemes
and programmes of various
government and other agencies
in the cluster to optimize for
betterment of the livelihood
and quality of life of displaced by the tsunami, while
handloom weavers.
For promotion of handloom
textile exports, the Government
of India has announced the
Marketing & Export Promotion
Scheme for implementation in
the country during the 11th Plan.
The Scheme provides financial
assistance to handloom agencies
for development of exportable
handloom textile products and
domestic as well as international
marketing thereof. The other
schemes of the Ministry include
Integrated Handloom Development
Scheme, Diversified Handloom
Development Scheme, Handloom
Weavers Comprehensive Welfare
Scheme, Mill Gate Price Scheme
and Restructuring/Categorization
of Primary Handloom Weavers
Cooperative Societies (PHWCSs)
as viable, potentially viable and
non-viable units.
The Ministry of Textiles has
initiated the development of
Handloom Export Zones (HEZ)
at various handloom clusters in
India to create supply hubs for the
export market with an upgraded
infrastructure and trained weavers.
In Tamil Nadu, the HEZs have been
planned at Virudhunagar, Nagercoil,
Thiruvannamalai, Kancheepuram
and Nagapatinam. These HEZs
would benefit the weavers by
increasing their income scale from
the present Rs.50 to Rs.100 – 150
per day. Among the above projects,
the HEZ at Nagercoil, at a cost
of Rs.61.09 lakh will focus on
providing employment for those
the Thiruvannamalai HEZ is a one-
of-a kind HEZ for women SHG
members.
In 2008, a High level Committee
looked into the problems of high
cost of working capital and choking
of credit lines in the handloom
sector and made the following
recommendations:
l Cleansing of the balance sheet
of Apex and Primary Weavers
Cooperative Societies (viable
and potentially viable) with
adequate fund support from growth of 3% annually. The
Government.
l Organization of weavers
outside the cooperative fold/
members of non-viable/defunct
PWCSs/Weavers in areas of
weak cooperative structure
into Handloom Weavers Group
(HWGs) in handloom clusters
adopting the concept of Joint
Liability Group.
l Waiver of overdue interest
and overdue loans of Weavers/
PWCSs/Apex Societies as on
31st March, 2006.
l Financing the credit needs of
handloom weavers/ societies at
7% rate of interest with interest
subvention to NABARD and
banks from Government
of India.
l Establishment of a “Handloom
Development and Equity Fund
(HDEF)” in important suppliers of handicrafts
NABARD
l An MOU is to be signed by
the major stake holders, viz,
Government of India, State
Governments and NABARD.
The total financial package
as recommended by the
Committee is estimated to
cost Rs.1295 crores. Out of
this, the Central Governments’
share will be Rs. 1155 crores,
while State Government’s
contribution will be Rs.130
28 YOJANA May 2011
c r o r e , a n d N A B A R D ’s
contribution will be Rs. 10
crores.
A new scheme, namely the
‘Integrated Skill Development
Scheme’ for the textiles and apparel
sector including jute & handicrafts,
was launched on 5 August 2010
with the objective of capacity
building of institutions providing
skill development and training for
workers in the textiles sector. The
Scheme envisages an investment
of Rs 272 crore, of which the
Government contribution would be
Rs 229 crore during 2010-11 and
2011-12 with a target of 2.56 lakh
persons to be trained.
Handicrafts
Handicrafts is a labour- intensive
sub sector with high potential of
employment for poorer section
of the society in rural areas. It is
economically important because
of the low capital investment, high
value addition, negotiable import
content and high potential for
export earnings. India is one of the
to the world market. Although
export of handicrafts appear to
be sizable, India’s share in world
imports is very small. Despite the
existence of production base and a
large number of craftsmen, India
has not been able to cash upon
existing opportunities.
The subsector has suffered due
to its being unorganized, with
the additional constraints of lack
of education, low capital, poor
exposure to new technologies,
absence of market intelligence, and
a poor institutional framework. In
spite of these constraints, the
sector has witnessed a significant
total employment in the sector
as at the end of 10th plan is
estimated to be 67.70 lakhs, which
at the beginning of the 10th plan
was 60.16 lakhs, showing an
annual growth rate of about 3%.
If this growth rate continues,
employment in the sector would
reach 80 lakhs by the end of 11th
Plan.
Handicrafts activity being a
state subject, its development
and promotion are the primary
responsibility of every State
Government. However, the Central
Government is supplementing
their efforts by implementing
various developmental schemes.
The Plan expenditure for the sector
has grown from Rs.71.65 crores
in 2002-03 to Rs.220.00 crores
in 2009-10. Efforts are being
augmented during the 11th Five
Year plan on core areas for the
development of the sector which
include :
l Providing Infrastructural
support for production and
exports;
l Improve quality and product
diversification with more
awareness for both stakeholders
and consumers
l A greater role for NGOs
as implementing partners
and participation of private
resources, both human and
financial.
 During the Eleventh Plan,
the Government of India has
implemented several generic
schemes in the central sector for
holistic growth and development
of handicrafts sector in the country.
These are
l Baba Saheb Ambedkar
Hastshilp Vikas Yojana
l Social interventions
l Technological interventions
l Marketing interventions
l Financial interventions
l Cluster specific infrastructure
related interventions
l Design & Technical Up-
gradation
l Skill up-gradation
l Assistance for Design and
Technology Upgradation
l Rajiv Gandhi Shilpi Swasthya
Bima Yojana- the first ever
health insurance initiative for
the artisans in the country,
covering artisan, spouse and
two children.
l Bima Yojana for Handicrafts
Artisans
The Challenges of Productivity
and Employment Generation
Despite its vast potential and the
initiatives by the government, the
achievements of the unorganized
sector of the industry, including the
handloom and handicrafts sectors
leave much to be desired. Poor
working conditions is a key area
of concern. Studies by the Institute
of Development Studies, Sussex,
on Chanderi Handloom Cluster,
has documented unsatisfactory
labour conditions. In many parts
of the country, elements of the
traditional feudal relations have
crippled public programmes
for handloom and handicrafts
development. A study on SGSY by
the Institute of Small Enterprises
and Development in Varanasi
and Chameli have demonstrated
this. The ‘rural’ focus of most
of the programmes have become
increasingly irrelevant in a context
of enhanced globalization and
urbanization. This demands an
alternative Enterprise Ecosystem
Approach, to programme design
and implementation,as advocated
by ISED(2011).
Gone are the days of the yojanas
of the traditional variety. Unless
public programmes transform
themselves into integrated
programmes, the unorganized
sector will find it difficult
to contribute to sustainable
development. The paradigm shift
in enterprise development with an
enhanced thrust on value chains,
would necessitate the unorganized
sector of the industry to focus
increasingly on principles of
‘responsible competitiveness’. q
(E-mail : director@isedonline.org.)

Mega Handloom Clusters

Government has set up four mega handloom clusters at Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh),
Sivasagar (Assam), Virudhunagar (Tamilnadu) and Murshidabad (West Bengal).
Each mega handloom cluster has at least 25,000 handlooms and will be developed in
a time period of 5 years with an upper Central Government share of Rs.70.00 crore.
Two handloom clusters at Chirala and Madhvaram in Andhra Pradesh, each covering
about 5000 handlooms have been taken up in 2006-07 for their integrated and holistic
development and are under implementation. In addition, 52 handloom clusters, each
covering 300-500 handlooms have been taken up in Andhra Pradesh under the Integrated
Handlooms Development Scheme during the period 2007-08 to 2010-11. Further, 262
Group Approach Projects have been taken up in the State of Andhra Pradesh from
2008-09 to 2010-11.

YOJANA May 2011 29

do you know?
Integrated Coastal Zone Management
What is Integrated Coastal
Zone Management?
The Integrated Coastal
Management Programme of the
Ministry of Environment and
Forests aims to safeguard and
strengthen the ecological security
of coastal areas and the livelihood
security of coastal communities.
The programme will give attention
to both the landward and seaward
sides of the coast.
Why was the programme
necessary ?
Our coastal ecology is under
a lot of pressure due to various
reasons. There is pollution,
discharge from ships, dredging,
sand mining, excessive fishing etc.
In addition there is the impending
effect of climate change. All this
has made our coastal ecology
fragile, putting at risk all
communities that survive on it.
The Ministry of Environment
and Forests issued the Coastal
Regulation Zone (CRZ)
Notification on 19.2.1991 under
the Environment (Protection) Act,
1986 to provide comprehensive
measures for the protection of our
coastal environment. However,
over the last two decades the
CRZ Notification, 1991 has been
amended almost about 25 times.
The new notification was issued
after taking into consideration
30 YOJANA May 2011
the requests made by various State
Governments, Central Ministries
and NGOs.
The tsunami of December
26,2004 was a wake up call. The
coping capacity of our coastal
communities needed to be
strengthened to withstand the
impact of such severe natural
calamities.
What are the objectives of
the Coastal Regulation Zone
Notification, 2011.?
l To ensure livelihood security
to the fishing communities and
other local communities living
in the coastal areas.
l To conserve and protect coastal
stretches, and
l To promote development in a
sustainable manner based on
scientific principles, taking
into account the dangers of
natural hazards in the coastal
areas and sea level rise due to
global warming.
How are coastal zones
classified?
In the 1991 Notification the
CRZ area was classified as CRZ-I
(ecological sensitive), CRZ-II
(built-up area), CRZ-III (rural
area), and CRZ-IV (water area).
In the 2011 Notification the above
classification is retained. The only
change is that the CRZ-IV,
includes the water areas up to the
territorial waters and the tidal-
influenced water bodies.
For the very first time, a
separate draft Island Protection
Zone Notification has been issued
for protection of the islands
of Andaman & Nicobar and
Lakshadweep under Environment
(Protection) Act, 1986.
What are the provisions
to benefit the fisher-folk
communities?
l Wa t e r a r e a u p t o 1 2
nautical miles and the tidal
influenced water bodies
have been included under
the Coastal Regulation
Zone areas in order to-
control the discharge of
untreated sewage, effluents
and the disposal of solid
wastes as such activities
endanger the fish and their
ecosystem, conserve
and protect habitats in
the marine area such as
corals and coral reefs and
associated biodiversity,
marine sanctuaries and
biosphere reserves, sea
grass beds etc. which act
as spawning, nursery and
rearing grounds for fish
and fisheries, regulate
activities in the marine
and coastal waters such
as dredging, sand mining,
 discharge of waste from
ships, construction like
breakwaters, etc. including
reclamation which have
serious impacts on fishing
and allied activities, enable
studies of the coastal and
marine waters with regard
to the impact of climate
change and the occurrence
of disasters which have
serious impacts on the life
and property of the fisher
folk communities
l Development of manmade
foreshore activities shall be
regulated after identifying
and demarcating the coast
as falling in the high eroding
category, the medium eroding
category or the stable sites
category.
l While preparing the Coastal
Zone Management Plans the
infrastructure essential for
fishing communities are to be
clearly demarcated and fishing
zones in the water bodies and
the fish breeding areas shall
also be clearly marked
l The Notification requires the
Coastal Zone Management
Authorities to invite comments
on the draft Coastal Zone
Management Plan from
stakeholders. It also allows
infrastructural facilities for the
local fishing communities to
be constructed in the CRZ-III
area.
l Reconstruction, repair works
of dwelling units of local
communities including
fisheries in accordance with
local Town and Country
Planning Regulations has
been made permissible.
What is the Jurisdiction of the
Coastal Regulation Zone?
The CRZ Notification, 2011
includes not only the area
covered under CRZ Notification,
1991, i.e. 500 mts from the high
tide line on the landward side
including the intertidal area on
the sea front and 100 mts or
width of the creek whichever is
less from the high tide line on
the landward side along the tidal
influenced water bodies. It also
includes the land area which
falls in the hazard zone beyond
500 mts and also the aquatic area
up to 123 nautical miles in the
territorial waters and the tidal
influenced water bodies are also
included. q

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YOJANA May 2011 31

Handloom-Handicrafts
Indian Crafts in the Age of Technology
ne of the paradoxes
O of a nation full of
paradoxes is India’s
attitude to its crafts
and craftspeople. For
most foreigners they are one of the
glories of India, something that
craftspeople need makes us distinctive and different,
and whose loss other countries,
what all market
especially the West, lament as
professionals they review their own two century
require: education, cycle of industrialisation and mass
investment, R and D, production. The Chinese have long
modern technology, had their eyes on our craft skills
design and product and have been importing Indian
development, credit craftspeople – from Kolhapuri
chappal makers and Saharanpur
facilities, proper
wood workers to Kanchipuram
workplaces, market saree weavers and stone carvers -
access and – most for over a decade to teach their own
importantly – social craftspeople their skills. Always a
acceptance and savvy march ahead of other Asian
status countries, the Chinese realise that in
The author is Chairperson of Dastkar, a Society for crafts & crafts people. A version of this article appeared in Indian
Builder.
32 YOJANA May 2011
Opinion
Laila Tyabji
any globalised consumer economy,
the country that holds all the cards
is one that has both an industrialised
and a handcraft base. They know
that consumers in international
markets, as they become more
sophisticated and demanding, want
exclusive one-of-a-kind products
rather than run-of-the-mill high-
street brands, and that these can
only be made by hand.
Increasingly, other Asian
countries too – Thailand, Indonesia,
Cambodia, Malaysia, Nepal, even
the Philippines have realised that
indigenous crafts can give them an
international edge. That crafts and
craftspeople, part of a country’s
heritage and history, made of
natural materials and hand crafted
in uniquely local traditions, and
picturesquely practiced in exotic
locales, have an appeal both as
merchandise and as a part of the
new eco-tourism boom.
Only India views its 10 million-
plus craftspeople as a liability
rather than an asset with enormous
potential! It was scarily referred to
as a “sunset industry” and instead of
investing in it, the general wisdom
is to prop it up with subsidies until it
disappears all together. And slowly
but surely, it is disappearing. Few
craftspeople want their children to
be craftspeople, and we lose over
10% of our craftspeople every
decade. Nevertheless (and here
is another paradox!) crafts sales,
both domestically and export, are
increasing at 15-20% each year.
Hardly a setting sun, except in
its vibrant colour and beauty!! It
is not dwindling markets or low
earnings, but the inferior social
status accorded to craftspeople
that makes more and more of them
want other career options for their
children.
For the first 25 years of
independence, the bridge between
Indian craftspeople and their
urban consumers was either the
Government (in the shape of CCIC
and HHEC, the State Handicrafts
Corporation Emporia, and KVIC’s
gloomy Khadi Bhandars) or
commercial traders and exporters.
Both sections of this rather rickety
and unreliable bridge had their own
short-term agendas and mindsets,
and were seldom sensitive to the
craftspeople’s needs and potential.
(Gurjari in the 70s and early 80s
YOJANA May 2011 33
was a shining exception.) In the
early 70s, a new player emerged.
N GO’s, working in grass-
roots India, on issues as un-
crafty as education, health
or animal husbandry, be it in
Bastar, Barmer, Kutch, or the
North-East, discovered that local
communities, poor in every other
respect, had extraordinary and
rich hand-skills. They found that
craft, properly developed, was
a wonderful catalyst for earning
and empowerment. Each tribal
community in the Bani desert,
for instance, sometimes only a
couple of miles distant from each
other, had a unique and distinctive
style of hand embroidery, and its
own directory of motifs, colours
and designs. Building on this
and bringing it to the market,
could transform lives – especially
those of previously housebound,
dependent women. This was the
start of dozens of organisations
that mushroomed all over India
– Shrujjan, Tilonia, the Sewa’s,
Urmul, Sandur Kushal Kendra,
Adithi, Kala Raksha, Anwesha,
Pradan, Avani, Berozgar Mahila
Samiti, Kumbham, Rehwa, to
name but a few. The 80s were their
heyday.
Other organisations - Sasha,
D a s t k a r, S i p a , P a r a m p a r i k
Karigar, the Crafts Councils, -
also emerged - to give design,
product development, design,
marketing, and other supports
to the grassroots organisations.
Design Schools like NID, NIFT and
SHRISHTI started giving space in
their curriculum to craftspeople and
indigenous craft techniques. Under
the aegis of Pupul Jayakar, high-
profile exhibitions like Martand
Singh’s Vishwakarma and Rajeev
Sethi’s Aditi and Golden Eye,
brought Indian craft and design
into the national and international
spotlight.
Though marred by outbreaks
of jingoistic fundamentalism,
communal violence, and sectarian
uprisings, reaching a nadir with the
Babri Masjid demolition, the 80s
and 90s were a period of India’s
re-discovery of its cultural and
historic identity and its increasing
national self-confidence. For
crafts it was a golden time.
There were wonderful revivals of
Mangalgiri, Maheshwar, zardozi,
chikan, kantha and mirrorwork
embroidery, bandini and laheria
tie-dye, ajrak, khari, and bagh
block printing. Tussar and muga
weaving, Madhubani painting, lost
wax dhokra metal casting, Kangra
rumals, tribal jewellery. White and
gold angavastras, Bhujodi weaves,
and Naga and Kulu shawls sprouted
on page 3 shoulders. People started
using Shekhavati chairs, chiks,
urlis, pattara chests, bell metal,
Barmer patchwork appliqué, and
panja durries as decor instead of
chandeliers, carpets, velvet, and
cut-glass. The Taj Hotels, under
Elizabeth Kerkar’s discriminating
eye, were a shining example of craft
used in contemporary, functional,
brilliantly creative ways. Their
current look is a paradigm of how
India lost the plot, craft and design-
wise, at the start of the 21st century
– building on its weaknesses rather
than its strengths. It stuns me that
our architectural crafts - stone
carving, inlay work, wood turnery,
marble, terracotta, mural painting,
and tileware - the glory of Indian
buildings through the centuries, find
no place in contemporary public
architecture or interiors.
The liberalisation and
globalisation of the last 2 decades
have brought widespread economic
benefits but have sadly made
consumers look westwards once
more for their style icons and status
symbols. International brands and
‘fashion forecasts’ now dictate
how Indian’s burgeoning new
middle class dress and live. How
extraordinary that there are pubs
and discos where one can be refused
admission if one is wearing a sari!
And no one raises an outcry. The
message has even trickled down
into rural India.
Hopefully, there will be a swing
back in another decade or so, from the
same depressingly identical stores
and branded imitative products in
each equally identical mall to one-
of-a-kind, exclusive pieces. It has
to - how long will people be happy
being clones when India can still
make individual, and appropriate
hand crafted merchandise at half
the price of the industrialized,
34 YOJANA May 2011
mass-produced ones? Like most life
style messages, this will probably
come from abroad. Just as the West
has taught us to re-value natural
dyes, herbal cosmetics, organic
foodstuffs, ayurveda, and yoga!
Already, there are signs of
hope, with young designers
discovering wonderful almost
lost techniques –theyva jewellery,
bidri, mata ni pacheri kalamkari,
Gond painting, sanji papercuts,
marquetry - and using them in
imaginative, innovatively creative
ways. And craftspeople themselves
are becoming more self-confident,
using the tools of the internet,
lasercut technology, and computers
to explore new horizons and interact
directly with the new market. At a
recent Government meeting, an
elderly craftsman waved his Nokia
phone and exclaimed, “This mobile
has given more benefit to me than
decades of Government subsidies
and schemes…” At the Dastkar
Nature Bazaar last October, young
craftspeople, alumni of Judy Frater’s
design school in Kutch and the Craft
Design Institute, Srinagar, exhibited
exciting work - contemporary
market-led designs that still strongly
reflected the cultural identity and
individual skills of the makers.
Buyers responded with enthusiasm.
Delightful to see today’s urban
young, happily integrating Indian
craft into their eclectic lifestyles
with elan, and obviously enjoying
it. “Hey, this is cool,” said one,
wrapping a psychedelic belt, heavy
with cowries, silver bells and
mirrors round her Levi-clad hips,
and trying the look of a twisted tie-
dyed scarf over her T-shirt.
Despite the persistent doom
merchants and media pundits,
the problem with crafts and
craftspeople today is not dwindling
market demand, or even access to a
globalised market. As I said earlier, it
is our own attitudes to craftspeople.
Moving on and changing ourselves,
we condemn them to remain in
the same spaces they occupied
previously. We continue to look
at them as picturesque but inferior
exhibits of the past, rather than
market professionals and equals.
Even craftspeople themselves
don’t respect their own skills and
traditions. Which middleclass
matron would accept a craftsperson,
even a National Awardee, as a son-
in-law? Or think him the equal of a
government clerk or customer care
executive. Nor are craftspeople
recognized as creative artists.
Indian Art prices are breaking the
stratosphere, but craftspeople are
not part of the party.
A few years ago India celebrated
the “Golden Jubilee Year of the
Resurgence of Indian Handicrafts.”
Major movers and shakers of
Indian handicrafts from all over
India – both Government and
non-government, were in a three-
day seminar that was part of the
celebrations. Its theme was the
“Status Of Master Craftspeople
& Sustainable Development”. It
honoured and included ten Master
Craftspeople to whom the President
presented the newly instituted title
of Shilp Guru.
While the names of all of
us speakers, moderators and
rapporteurs were listed in the
programme, the names of the
Shilp Gurus and Shilpajna in
whose honour the seminar was
held were not listed – they were
clubbed together, as craftspeople
always are – seen as one unified
entity – undoubtedly culturally
interesting and picturesque, but
without individual personalities,
needs or voices.
It also seemed significant that
when they did break out and express
their (sometimes critical) views –and
tell their (often sad) stories, that the
wish list of these extraordinary,
fast vanishing repositories of
creativity and culture was not some
transcendental new Millennium
for craftspeople, but such small
things – railway passes, a pension,
respect (rather than requests for
Yojana
YOJANA May 2011 35
bribes) from clerks in Government
offices, free entry to the museums
that store their work… That what
they most remembered in their
lives was not some landmark leap
of craftsmanship or international
recognition but the warmth of
Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya’s
smile 50 years ago. It tells us so
much about their current status –
their perceived value of themselves.
“I have received many awards, but
I still work on the footpath,” said
one.
Though craftspeople themselves
make few demands, they need
what all market professionals
require: education, investment, R
and D, modern technology, design
and product development, credit
facilities, proper workplaces, market
access and – most importantly –
social acceptance and status.
A recent excise tax on textile
and garment producers, including
many thousands of small artisan
groups working in the rural and
unorganised sector, is another
Forthcoming
Issues
June 2011
Aadhar
July 2011
Census 2011
instance of the inability of Indian
planners to comprehend the sector.
Coupled with crippling compliance
regulations that make a mockery
of the reality of their lives – it is
a source of great hardship and
harassment. We talk of inclusive
growth while further excluding the
already marginalised! A handloom
weaver in Bengal, faced with
an excise inspector’s demand to
produce a bonded warehouse as part
of the compliance requirements,
wryly showed them his home
– family, loom, workplace, raw
material and finished goods - all
in one kutcha room!
The future of Indian crafts
lies in our own heads, in our
ability to recognize that our unique
heritage and the ten million living
practitioners are an enormous
strength rather than a weakness, and
also in recognizing that they require
encouragement and investment.
Only time will tell whether these
wonderful skills and traditions end
up a triumphant success story or a
tragically lost opportunity. q
(E-mail :lailatyabji@gmail.com)
June 2011
&
July 2011
 YE-9/2011

36 YOJANA May 2011

Shodh Yatra
Motek Treadle Press: Reviving the old
letter printing press
atish D eb o f
S Bhilai has devised a
technology that can
rejuvenate the almost
dead and obsolete
treadle printing presses and convert
them into screen printing presses.
Genesis
The year was 1996 and Satish
The retrofitting was in class twelve, preparing for
his engineering entrance exams.
increases output An uncertain future closed in on
of conventional him when due to certain problems,
his father’s company did not pay
treadle press from his salary for many months. The
income from their small printing
12,000 sheets/day press was irregular and meager and
to 70,000 sheets/ they began to live off their small
savings.
day. Baby-offset
A dream died. Satish abandoned
printers can print his plans of becoming an engineer,
discontinued his studies and joined
about 5,000-10,000 the family business of printing. The
family possessed a treadle press,
impressions/day
but times had changed with the
arrival of computers.
YOJANA May 2011 37
There were new printing
technologies, which were
comparatively simple to operate
and produced output of far better
quality in colour. The treadle
presses, using letterpress types
based on the ‘Platen & Bed’ theory,
were slower and produced poorer
quality printing.
In his spare time, Satish started
thinking about ways to revive
their treadle press and increase
the family’s income His lack of
knowledge, training or experience
did not deter him as he went about
painstakingly developing the Motek
printing press, conceiving and
optimizing all components. In
1997, it occurred to him how he
could convert his treadle press to
deliver offset class output. He spent
an entire frustrating year developing
his novel kit, searching in local
markets and incessantly trying out
different chemicals and polymer
sheets to deliver the desired quality.
He tested the product and also tried
out impressions on paper, board
and plastic. Finally, he succeeded
in 1998 when he standardized its
parts and working.
He incubated his product for
another year (1998-99) for further
testing and simultaneously applied
for patent. His first patent (No.
189882) was granted on March
10, 1999 and till now he has five
patents for various versions of his
machine.
Innovation
Motek India printing technology
is a low cost, cutting-edge,
upgradation tool for most printing
machines, which use conventional
treadle press and are unable to
deliver quality output. A number
of devices and techniques have
evolved since the invention of
printing. US patent No 7021213-
April 2006 describes a printing
method which comprises mounting
an underlay sheet on a plate cylinder
of a printing press, , a printing
plate material with a plastic sheet
support on the underlay sheet,
and a hydrophilic layer, an image
formation layer and a backing layer
on the underlay sheet.
In this Motek India printing
technology, the innovation lies in
the unique technique of registering
computer printed images using an
exposure unit onto a screen unit.
Printing material is pressed by an
inked custom-built polymer sheet
holder, fitted into existing treadle
press. It enables printing on various
38 YOJANA May 2011
media by impact action. Mono or
multicolour half tone output can
be generated using existing treadle
press inks.
The attachment kit is convenient,
user-friendly, requires very little
maintenance and can be added
to any working treadle-printing
machine to get results comparable
to desktop publishing up to the
range of 300 to 450 dpi. The cost
per print is also lower than screen-
printing and offset processes. Other
important features are that it can
be operated by pedal or motor, can
handle any paper size and can also
be used to print on plastic surfaces
such as polybags.
This kit also offers multifunction
facility i.e. one can use both
letterpress types as well as Motek
India printing kit at the same time.
Another important feature is that
a single operator can get all the
jobs done on the machine.The
Motek treadle printing press uses
‘butter paper’ as the image-carrying
medium against the ‘polymaster’
being used in baby-offset printers.
This is what lowers printing cost
i.e. Rs 1.50/- per sheet as against
Rs. 15/- per sheet for baby offset
printing.
The cost of the retrofitted Motek
India Treadle press kit is about Rs
25,000 against Rs 1, 25,000, cost
for installing offset printing press.
The retrofitting increases output
of conventional treadle press from
12,000 sheets/day to 70,000 sheets/
day. Baby-offset printers can print
about 5,000-10,000 impressions/
day.
The technology of this kit has
been approved and certified by
The Northern Regional Institute
of Printing Technology, Allahabad
(U.P.), which is India’s first and
premier printing technology
institute. NIF, through its regional
cell, GIAN NE, has facilitated a
distribution license for the Motek
kit in Assam. Since 2005, a large
number of unit sales of this kit
have been through this dealership,
which forms a substantial part of
their small income. He was also
supported under the MVIF scheme
for the diffusion of his technologies
in four printing clusters of India,
which elicited a very good response
from the market. Satish was invited
by NIF to the Inventors of India
Workshop at IIM, Ahmedabad in
October 2006 to give a presentation
about his technology to fellow
innovators. An article on his
Motek treadle Press, published by
Enadu daily, Hyderabad in October
2006, was very well received and
generated many product inquiries.
Lots of market enquiries are still
pouring in from different parts
of the country. Presently, he is
developing an automated version
of the machine, filing additional
patents and arranging finances
for capacity expansion to deliver
to the exploding demand for this
product. q
(E-mail : campaign@nifindia.org,
www.nifindia.org)
Handloom- Handicrafts
Stopping migration from villages:
Challenges for the handloom sector
e x tile
T production in our
country is organized
through large mills,
small power loom
units and handlooms.
The handloom industry in India is
crucial for rural development as it
remains the second largest rural
employer in the country even today.
This is a fact that is at variance with
the decreasing investment by the
The urgent need State and increasing disengagement
from the customer. Activity in this
is to strengthen sector has been largely carried
out by entrepreneur traders and
the co-operative weavers. While the growing
distance from the market physically
institutions in the has had an adverse effect on the
sector, it is also a fact that this is the
handloom sector. only sector which has successfully
seized opportunities from distant
There is great export markets in its chequered
history.
potential in this
In textile production, there is a
sector to absorb new particular problem when handloom
fabric competes with mill made
weavers fabric. In terms of productivity,
since the outputs are vastly
different, the labour costs paid in
The author is Treasurer, Dastkar, Andhra Pradesh.
YOJANA May 2011 39
Opinion
Syama Sundari
handloom look high as compared
to those in the mill industry. The
price of mill made fabric is almost
30% less than handloom, and in
an open undifferentiated market,
handloom always loses out to power
loom or mill made textiles. The
unequal positioning of handloom
with powerloom and mill and the
imitation of handloom by mill and
powerloom are the main reasons
for the inability of the handloom
product to demand competitive
prices.
This price differential leaves
the weaver vulnerable in many
ways. There is a serious threat to
his livelihood when the market
fluctuates, since he is not stable
enough to ride out any decrease
in income. On an average the
family earning can fall by up to
Rs.600 per month. If this happens
frequently enough the weaver will
abandon weaving and look for
options usually through migration.
Again, as he is a small buyer,
negotiation with raw material
suppliers is almost negligible, and
any fluctuation in yarn price directly
impacts the weaver’s income. The
1990’s witnessed starvation deaths
of weavers due to lack of business,
and suicides by cotton farmers
because of insurmountably high
debts.
The local weaver co-operative
therefore becomes the only
institution that can protect the
weaver to some extent against these
fluctuations, if they have built the
capability to service the market
efficiently, and provide enough
work. On the scale of income, a
cotton handloom weaver family
today on an average earns between
Rs.800 to Rs. 1200 a month. With
support from the co-operative, this
can be pushed up to Rs. 3500. This
jump is possible through two major
interventions, one is technical and
the other is marketing. If we push
the weaver higher up the value
chain, and teach him to service
a more discerning market, both
the product cost as well as the
income to the weaver substantially
increases. But this movement is
possible only through acquiring
of certain technical skills, some
by the weaver, and some by the
local aggregating body, the co-
operative.
It has also to be kept in mind
that when we are dealing with a
daily use cotton product, price of
the end product, unlike that of silk
or a high end cotton product, cannot
be increased beyond a certain limit.
It is evident that unlike in the case
of mainstream market products,
increase in demand for handloom
does not automatically imply a
positive impact on the price of the
product. It is clear that a straight
forward demand supply theory does
not apply to handloom products.
The issue is more complex as
the consumer wants the product
only at a slightly higher price or
preferably at the same price as mill
40 YOJANA May 2011
or powerloom product. There is a
need to distinguish handloom from
powerloom in order to establish
the actual demand or lack of it
for handloom. Quantifying the
existing demand helps in deciding
the proportionate investment for
the sector.
Economists can argue that a
better option for the consumers is
to buy powerloom or mill products.
It can be countered by arguing that
supporting the handloom sector
strengthens our effort at improving
rural livelihoods, continuing a
traditional skill, encouraging
environment friendly production
processes and retaining the option
of a skill based occupation in the
society, and thus improving our
overall human development index.
The reasons cited above make
business sense and provide the
market logic for protecting our
handloom and handicraft sectors.
With low investment expenses
for creating and maintaining the
infrastructure, these sectors offer a
range of qualitative and quantitative
benefits. We should keep in mind
that we are not talking about a
mainstream product but a skill
based production which does not
need any investment for technical
training and skill upgradation
while offering a ready marketable
product.
The challenge of globalisation is
not different or special in the case of
the handloom industry. It is obvious
that the loss of validation of the
hand made in our country happened
a few decades before globalisation
became a comprehensive agenda of
nations across the world. Handloom
faced criticisms, skepticism and
indifference from different agencies
much before globalisation became
the byword. The new challenge
of course lies in the battle for
resources like raw material for
production, with growing emphasis
on export of the same for better
returns. The push towards export
may seem natural and there may
be diversion of funds of the sector
to service this segment. When
availability of raw material itself
becomes a question mark, quality
takes a back seat affecting the
demand for the product in the
export markets. In the absence of
support for accessing raw material
and for improving infrastructure,
handlooms will be left behind in
the race. The fundamental lack
of commitment to the hand made
process, which seems outmoded
compared to the mechanical, lies
behind the half hearted measures
of support. In the context of the
legitimacy of globalisation agenda,
even the token need for an apology
is wiped out. This demands a fresh
burst of energy from us to pitch the
agenda for handlooms differently.
One of the measures taken up
by the government to encourage the
handloom industry is the ‘Handloom
Reservation Act, 1985’. Under this
Act, 22 (later reduced to 11) textile
items have been reserved for the
exclusive production by handlooms.
However, the Act has never
been implemented effectively.
Its non- implementation has
allowed powerloom imitations to
flourish in the market. The Act has
become a stick to beat the sector,
branding it as non competitive
and dependent on protection for
survival. However, this charge of
low market demand and vibrancy in
the sector is adequately countered
by the business worth crores of
rupees that is being done both
through co-operatives and master
weavers. If reservation is meant
to counter powerloom imitations,
it would be helpful to brand the
products of powerloom, especially,
the varieties usually imitated, as
they are selling in many markets in
the name of handloom. This will be
useful since there are no fool proof
methods of certifying handloom.
The Act, if implemented strictly
would directly benefit hundreds
of low to medium skilled weavers
producing for the middle market
which is highly price sensitive.
Coming to the issue of subsidies,
the allocation of budget for this
sector is varied across the different
states and is woefully inadequate
in most, with a few exceptions
like Tamil Nadu. The inadequate
allocations also go towards schemes
that do not contribute to growth or
help promote the sector. Lack of
marketing and design innovation
are identified as major problems
and most schemes – old and new
- try to address these routinely
through trainings, designer
consultancy and buyer seller meets.
That these issues are complex and
need more unpacking to identify
the real obstacles to growth are
not considered as there is hardly
any reflection or reviewing of the
implementation of the schemes.
The absence of serious research into
the issues affecting the production
and marketing of handlooms has
resulted in repetition of schemes
for the sector in new formats with
little variation in content.
For instance, the scheme of
‘Handloom Mark’ introduced with
lot of publicity and at a great cost has
failed to kindle new enthusiasm in
the consumers. It has also not been
able to put an end to imitations from
powerloom. Prestigious schemes
like cluster development launched
for business promotion have not
managed to accelerate growth in the
clusters beyond a certain limit. In
the present scheme of things there
is no concrete information of the
scale of impact (number of weavers
benefited, increase in turnover
YOJANA May 2011 41
etc.) apart from information on
the initial successes of the pilot.
The design of schemes has to be
intelligent to decide where small
centralizations are needed and
where decentralized processes need
to be kept intact. The wholesale
adaptation of mainstream schemes
will not benefit the sector.
There has been a neglect of
investment in infrastructure in the
industry for decades and the support
institutions like Weavers Service
Centre, Apex Marketing bodies and
Primary Co-operatives have failed
to deliver the benefits to weavers.
There is very little monitoring of
these bodies and the Department
of Handlooms, inspite of a strong
presence at the district and village
level, fails to check on the proper
functioning of these bodies. There
has to be a restructuring of the
mechanisms of delivery from the
state department to the primary
co-operative to the weaver and
proper sharing of resources and
information between the State
level bodies and the offices at the
Centre.
Today holding contradictory
multiple agendas within a
single organization looks at best
impractical, and at worst inefficient.
Most notions of market say that
organizations that take on both
welfare and business functions
are inefficient in both. But some
organizations working in areas of
economic vulnerability demonstrate
that it can be done, and very well,
even in a quiet rural setup. The
continuing success of some of
the Co-operatives prove that if
organizations are efficient in their
ability to produce and market,
they are usually also efficient
in supporting poor weavers by
successfully accessing state welfare
measures. Handloom weaving in a
Primary Handloom Weavers Co-
operative is a centuries old caste
and kinship based economic activity
within a 20th century democratic
and political co-operative structure.
The urgent need is to strengthen
the co-operative institutions in the
handloom sector. There is great
potential in this sector to absorb
new weavers as the current demand
for handloom products is not being
met by the existing weaver base.
Given the current crisis
in agriculture, there have been
large-scale migrations of youth
out of villages. This correlates
to the rising number of migrant
workers in construction work,
which is emerging as the largest
urban livelihood. While formal
education and movement upwards
into the urban economy is still
possible for those with access to
education, it becomes imperative
not to create a parallel second rural
economy, which is moving into a
steep downward spiral. Handloom
weaving, till now seen as a craft
based, cottage industry still employs
a large number of rural families,
second only to agriculture. But
the perception of the industry only
as a traditional craft has masked
the trajectory of middle level
weavers who succeeded in using it
to achieve a reasonable livelihood,
and moved their next generation
into mainstream livelihoods. Urban
India struggles to manage a growing
populations’ infrastructure needs
and the vulnerability of a fast
changing polarized society. It is still
a challenge that neither policy nor
the market has been able to rise to
in any scale. Handloom can offer
a hope to our villages, if it can be
established as a viable livelihood
for the next generation which faces
threat of large-scale migrations into
urban slums. q
(E-mail : shyama_b@rediffmail.com
dastkarandhra@gmail.com)
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Handloom-Handicrafts
Perspective

Weaving a thread of Swaraj

Mallikarjuna Iytha

“If we have the ‘khadi spirit’ in us, we would surround ourselves with simplicity in every walk of life. The ‘khadi spirit’ means
illimitable patience. For those who know anything about the production of khadi know how patiently the spinners and the weavers
have to toil at their trade, and even so must we have patience while we are spinning ‘the thread of Swaraj’.”
– Mahatma Gandhi.

he thread o f centric movements such as Fair

T Swaraj, envisioned
by Gandhiji gave
prominence to the
village and cottage
industries in India. Weaving in
essence became a symbol of our
forefather’s fight for independence.
Millions of Indians have for
Fair Trade is about
generations spun their livelihoods
giving marginalized
out of handlooms. Yet this very
producers a chance symbol was forgotten in the era
to succeed at the of the power-looms and is now
market place that having to fight for its resurgence,
generally excludes along with countless other art,
craft, treasured skills of India.
them and using the
purchasing power of Those associated closely
with the Indian handloom and
consumers as a tool
handicraft industry can sense a
for real social and
strong revival, hence are pushing
economic change hard for it. Demand in the West
has been growing with customer
Trade, having a deep impact on
how we view our own produce
and producers. Fair Trade is a
market led solution to poverty
which aims to use trade, not
aid, to improve livelihoods of
disadvantaged farmers and artisans
and promote sustainability. The
parallels between the Fair Trade
movement and Khadi are striking
- self-reliance, empowerment and
emancipation.
In the early 1940s Fair Trade
began as a consumer driven
movement in Europe and the US;
handicrafts were sold in NGO
shops in support of disadvantaged
communities more as a token
for donation received. Over the
next two decades, Alternative
Trading Organisations (ATOs)

The author is Executive Director, Fair Trade Forum-India

YOJANA May 2011 43

were launched and NGOs, such as
Oxfam in the UK, began selling
handicrafts purchased from
producer co-operatives. India
has a long association with this
movement, with over 50 producer
organisations exporting products
under fair trade terms to Europe for
over 25 years.
T h e Wo r l d F a i r Tr a d e
Organization (WFTO) was created
in 1989 to improve the livelihoods
of disadvantaged producers by
promoting and connecting fair
trade organisations. Today, the
WFTO is a global association
of 324 organisations, including
fair trade producer associations,
producer marketing companies,
retailers, fair trade networks and
support organisations in over 60
countries. In India, Fair Trade
Forum- India (FTF-I) is the
representative body of WFTO.
Established in 2000, it has been
working to sensitise the consumer
as a tool to strengthen the producer.
A national network of over 80 Fair
Trade Organisations, the forum
organises workshops, lectures,
talks in schools, colleges, shopping
complexes using producer group
case-studies and documentaries to
provide soul stirring insights. The
forum evolved as an inclusive,
sustainable development model for
the marginalised with the values
of people & environment as core
44 YOJANA May 2011
aspects. Presently these 80 small
and medium organisations work
with more than 3500 producer
groups all over India with an
outreach to almost 1 lakh artisans
and farmers. FTF-I members
registered a combined turnover
of approximately 250 crores in
the year 2010-2011. 80 percent of
this comes from exports to various
countries.
As poverty is the major cause
for marginalisation of people, the
integral part of any strategy to
check exploitation should be to
create opportunities for sustainable
income. FTF-I works to ensure that
key actors, including consumers,
buyers, partner organizations,
artisans, farmers, producers and
others will together demonstrate
ways in which trade can help
alleviate poverty, reduce inequality,
and create opportunities for people
to help themselves.
Marginalised Groups Impacted
by Fair Trade activity in India
include women, small and
marginal farmers, differently abled
persons, cured leprosy patients,
victims of natural and industrial
disasters, slum dwellers, seasonal
labourers, refugees, displaced tribal
communities, minorities, landless
persons, artisans and cultural
groups. The silent movement in
India has been linked to the Fair
Trade movement internationally.
While implementing Fair Trade
Principles, members use innovative
techniques to come up with stylized
new-age products. Natural fiber
like banana fiber, screw-pine, jute,
palm, bamboo, sabai grass, golden-
grass and many more have been
used extensively by groups such as
Child and Social Welfare Society
(Medinipur), EMA (Calcutta),
Orupa (Orissa), Share (Vellore),
Evangelical Social Action Forum
(Thrissur), Kottapuram Integrated
Development Society (Thrissur)
to make bags, lamps, home-décor,
even packaging material for well
known brands.
Traditional craftsmen use wood,
metal, stone, leather to make
interesting products for home,
offices, institutions and personal
use. Noah’s Ark (Moradabad), Tara
Projects (Delhi), Asha Handicrafts
Association (Mumbai), JKSMS
(Jaipur), Pushpanjali (Agra)
organized local crafts clusters
and trained them to cater to
foreign styles. Fashion jewelry
industry has derived a lot from
the intricate work found in India
with most groups specializing in
some jewelry making skill- tribal
styles are made by the Anwesha
Group (Orissa), Sabala (Bijapur),
Shilpa (Bangalore), Federation of
Tibetan Co-operatives in India &
Tara Projects (Delhi) are some of
the other groups that specialize
in various kinds of fashion
jewellry. Seed and recycled paper
Table- I Fair Trade principles accepted worldwide and glimpse of impact in India:
Fair Trade Principle
Creating opportunities for the
economically disadvantaged
producers
Transparency and Accountability
Trading Practices
Payment of a Fair Price
Child Labour and Forced Labour
Non Discrimination, Gender Equity
and Freedom of Association
Working Conditions
Capacity Building
Promotion of Fair Trade
Environment
*This data is from a 2008 study to understand the impact of Fair Trade on SMEs; * SMEs- Small and Medium Enterprises;
FTOs’- Fair Trade Organisations (represents the producer groups that work with them)
YOJANA May 2011 45
jewellry have found a new wave Reviving age-old and sometimes
of consumers. dying art is also achieved, with
Impact
The social responsibility of uplifting the marginalized comes as the prime
objective for FTOs where as in the mainstream SMEs the present efforts to
ensure ‘social responsibility’ most often turn out to be cosmetic exercises
Since most organisations are producer group driven almost 75 % of the producers
are involved in the policy decision and equal percentage of producers are aware
about consumer end price. (fair trade study, 2008)
Long-term trading relations are emphasised to nurture artisans and farmers-
Buyers (International) work closely with the Fair Trade Organisations that in
turn are knitted into the Producer Group activties.
In a study conducted in 2008 to see the impact of Fair Trade on workers, artisans
it was seen that the present wage rate for Fair Trade producers is much above
the National average wage rate.
In comparison to other SMEs’, FTOs’ are effectively addressing the challenges
of child labour at workplace. Almost all FTOs’ run both educational as well as
vocational schools and take up campaigns for child labour abolition at work
place.
An estimated 60%-65% of the producer group members are women; around 47%
of the FTO’s have women CEO’s even the fair Trade Forum- India board has a
representation of 4 women board members out of the total 7. Even while hiring for
work groups are encouraged to provide opportunities to the disadvantaged.
Fair Trade producers are getting support systems such as free health insurance,
health check ups, education for children, training & capacity building, interest
free loans and in some cases seed money to new producer groups etc. Close to
80% of the workshops are well ventilated, around 40% of the groups take care
of health-insurance additionally 42% of them organise regular health-checks,
58% of the members undertake pollution control measures.
Three-fold approach is adopted for FTO’s and Producer Groups- product
development, market development, skill and leadership development.
Inter-regional support among Fair Trade members is encouraging with shops
keeping fair trade products from across the country to provide a wider choice
to consumer
Fair Trade has already made commitment to eco-friendly products & processes
as its determining factors. With 65% members using eco-friendly materials,
38% recycling waste; 32% organizing tree plantation drives; 64% members
using eco-friendly dyes it’s an encouraging picture. Affluent treatment plants
due to their high nature of investment have been adopted by only 11% members
with more underway.
many groups nurturing such
skills. Women at Sabala picked
up a special kind of embroidery
‘Kasauti’; MESH (Delhi) has
worked very hard with the leprosy
afflicted handloom weavers by
using their cloth to make bags,
table-cloths, cushion covers,
upholstery. Creative Handicrafts
(Mumbai) sell their apparel to
many international brands catering
to modern design sensibilities.
Many groups employ women to
do elegant embroidery between
their chores; Pardada Pardadi
Educational society (Bulandshehr),
Sewa-Lucknow are famous for
‘Chicken-Kari’, Sasha (Calcutta)
produces ‘Kantha’ stitch work,
Sadhna (Udaipur) is strong on
appliqué technique. CRC exports
(Kolkata) specializes in designer
led products, Pondicherry and
many groups down south have
strengthened skills for making
incense, natural personal care and
spa products which are in high
demand both in India as well as
outside. Silence, a Calcutta based
group is famous for providing
livelihood to the hearing and
speech impaired, their candles
stand-out for the sheer quality of
craftsmanship.
F a i r Tr a d e g r o u p s a l s o
demonstrate great concern for the
environment with many of them
catering to recycling wasteful
products. Literacy India uses
46 YOJANA May 2011
newspapers to make stationary,
export fabric to make high-end
designer bags; Conserve India
(Delhi) has grouped together rag
pickers to make stylish bags and
accessories out of waste plastic
bags. Regions such as Kashmir and
North-East which have witnessed
huge opportunity losses in the
past are also being revived with
many Kashmiri artisans associating
themselves to Fair Trade groups.
Ants Craft Trust (Assam) sources
from the north-eastern groups;
‘ahimsa/non-violent’ silk and black-
pottery are among the many crafts
they have popularized.
Empowering grassroots artisans
and weavers through Fair Trade
Some of the major challenges
in promoting Fair Trade and
sustainable consumption in India
are as follows:
Indian c o n s u m e r s a re n o t
sufficiently aware of fair trade
and its social and environmental
benefit
Indian consumers are unaware
that by choosing fair trade products
they can support development
of socially and environmentally
sustainable supply chains and thus
improve the livelihoods of producers
and preserve the environment. As a
result, despite the market potential
there is currently low market
demand for fair trade products.
To co u n t er t h i s wi t h t h e
active support from European
Commission, HiVOS & FTF-I
joined hands with IRFT and Shop
for Change to launch the Pro-Sustain
campaign aimed at promoting
sustainable consumption. Pro-
Sustain activities are carried
out across schools, university
campuses, corporate houses,
exhibitions regularly along with
Fair Trade retail shops.
Despite ample production of
Indian fair trade products for export
they are not readily available on
domestic retail shelves.
Though a handful of fair trade
outlets exist in India, there is
neither a single dedicated shop
brand for fair trade products nor
a way for consumers to identify
fair trade products in mainstream
retail outlets. As a result, fair trade
products are not widely available to
potential fair trade consumers.
An “I Support Fair Trade”
campaign has been launched in
Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, Agra
and is being spread across the
country with the aim to increase
consumption of fairly traded
products. People from all walks
of life have pledged support to
the campaign. Simultaneously, to
tackle the lack of recognition, Fair
Trade communication is being
developed which will be adopted
 Fig 1 The Fair Trade logo
by all member shops as well as
new retail formats. On the eve of
World Fair Trade Day celebrated
the world over on 14th May, 2011,
an umbrella brand for network of
Fair Trade shops will be introduced
throughout India. At present 40
Fair Trade shops are operated
by member organizations such
as Mother Earth, Karigar, Sasha,
Green Shop, Prerna Lifestyle, The
Ant Shop, Hansiba-by Sewa, Kala
Aprajita, Mesh, Indha, Nomads,
and Sahaj.
The Government has not adopted
a policy of promoting fair trade
as an effective means to catalyse
socially and environmentally
sustainable production.
Various government agencies
are involved in the promotion
of agricultural produce, textiles
and handicrafts. Yet, because
of a lack of knowledge of fair
trade, using it as a tool to promote
sustainable supply chains has not
featured in promotional activities
of agencies like the Ministries of
YOJANA May 2011 47
Textile, Commerce, Agriculture,
and MSMEs. Policy workshops
and consensus building to lobby
with various government agencies
is one of the core focus work
areas. Policies related to informal
sector workers and sustainable
consumption is being worked
upon.
Tremendous challenges faced
by the producer groups in terms
of training, capacity building,
various other cultural and
business issues
Rural and semi-urban life is
crippled by daily life struggles-
power connections, internet
connections, boundaries for
women. But the market place is
competitive; producers have to
deliver on time and good quality.
Further once they reach a certain
scale it is tough to increase
capacities especially with labour
intensive work.
Fair Trade Forum- India assists
members with capacity building
by assessing business requirement,
helping to mobilize funds, training
as well as connecting with other
members for sharing of knowledge.
Fair Trade also works to strengthen
the entire supply chain. For example,
for Fair Trade apparel the cotton
supply chain has to be Fair Trade;
farmers in Yavatmal and mills in
Tirupur have been enveloped by
the Fair Trade cotton project to
ensure adherence to Fair Trade
principles.
Fair Trade is about giving
marginalized producers a chance
to succeed at the market place
that generally excludes them and
using the purchasing power of
consumers as a tool for real social
and economic change needed for
inclusive growth.
As always, there is more to do.
The Fair Trade actions need to
translate into improved quality of
life, to conscious consumerism,
to more just and sustainable terms
for international trade. Growing
commitment to Fair Trade is making
a big difference. Sales of Fair Trade
products are growing every year.
Every purchase, action, and event
supporting Fair Trade is a seed
that cultivates a stronger and more
cohesive movement. To realize the
fruits of this movement in India,
the role of various stake-holders
like conscious consumer, youth,
academicians, media, civil society
organizations etc is going to be very
crucial. The real power to make
change in the world comes from
the people whose voices, votes,
and values can influence decision
makers to ensure a fairer set of
rules in favour of the weak and the
marginalized. q
(E-mail:mallik@fairtradeforum.org)
Handloom-Handicrafts
Design Innovation in the Handloom Sector
ndian hand woven
I fabrics and handlooms
have been known since
time immemorial. It is
said that poets of the
Mughal durbar likened
our muslins to baft hawa (woven
air), abe rawan (running water)
and shabnam (morning dew). A tale
runs that Emperor Aurangzeb had
Apart from a fit of rage when he one day saw
his daughter, princess Zeb-un-Nissa
providing the clad in almost nothing. On being
weaver with a severely rebuked, the princess
explained that she had not one but
regular income, seven jamahs (dresses) on her body.
Such was the fineness of the hand
design innovation woven fabrics.
has brought Handlooms are an important
craft product and comprise the
many skilled largest cottage industry of the
artisans together country. Millions of looms across
the country are engaged in weaving
to conceptualize cotton, silk and other natural fibres.
& create new There is hardly a village where
weavers do not exist, each weaving
products out the traditional beauty of India’s
own precious heritage.
The author is a first generation woman entrepreneur, and promotes ethnic Indian handlooms and handicrafts at her
store ANAGHA in Hyderabad.
48 YOJANA May 2011
Focus
Sarvamangala
In the world of handlooms, there
are Chettinads & Kanjeevarams
from Tamil Nadu, Ikats , Gadwals,
Uppadas, Mangalagiris &
Kalamkaris from Andhra Pradesh
, Tie and Dye from Gujarat,
Orissa and Rajasthan, Brocades
from Benaras, Paithanis from
Maharashtra, Maheshwaris &
Chanderis from Madhya Pradesh,
Jacquards form Uttar Pradesh,
Daccai & Tangail from West
Bengal, and Phulkari from Punjab.
Yet, despite this regional distinction
there has been a great deal of
technical and stylistic exchange.
Going back to the history of
handlooms, the famed Coimbatore
saris were developed while
imitating the Chanderi pattern of
Madhya Pradesh. Daccai saris are
now woven in West Bengal. The
Surat Tanchoi based on a technique
of satin weaving with the extra
weft floats that are absorbed in the
fabric itself has been reproduced in
Varanasi. Besides its own traditional
weaves, there is hardly any style
of weaving that Varanasi cannot
reproduce. The Baluchar technique
of plain woven fabric brocaded with
untwisted silk thread, which began
in Murshidabad district of West
Bengal, has taken root in Varanasi.
Their craftsmen have also borrowed
the Jamdani technique.
Woolen weaves are no less
subtle. The Kashmiri weaver is
known the world over for his
Pashmina and Shahtoosh shawls.
The shawls are unbelievably light
and warm.
Assam is the home of eri and
muga silk. Muga is durable and
its natural tones of golden yellow
and rare sheen becomes more
lustrous with every wash. The
designs used in Assam, Tripura
and Manipur are mostly stylized
symbols, cross borders and the
galaxy of stars. Assamese weavers
produce beautiful designs on the
borders of their mekhla, chaddar,
riha (traditional garments used by
the women) and gamosa (towel). It
is customary in Assamese society
for a young woman to weave a silk
bihuan (cloth draped over the chest)
for her beloved as a token of love on
Bohag Bihu (new year’s eve).
From Andhra Pradesh, Orissa
and Gujarat come the ikats. The
ikat technique in India is commonly
known as patola in Gujarat, bandha
in Orissa, pagdu bandhu, buddavasi
and chitki in Andhra Pradesh.
In the ikat tie and dye process,
the designs in various colors are
formed on the fabric either by the
warp threads or the weft threads or
by both. The threads forming the
design are tied and dyed separately
to bring in the desired color and
the simple interlacement of the
threads produces, the most intricate
designs, that appear only in the
finished weaving. The Orissa ikat is
a much older tradition that Andhra
YOJANA May 2011 49
Pradesh or Gujarat, and their more their paintings. They can be found
popular motifs as such are a stylized on bedcovers too!
fish and the rudraksh bead. Here the
Embroidery and hand block
color is built up thread by thread.
printing, which till recently, were
In fact, Orissa ikat is known now
seen only in Gujarat, Rajasthan,
as yarn tie and dye. In Andhra
Karanataka & West Bengal have
Pradesh, they bunch some threads
come in to focus. They have become
together and tie and dye and they
more visible now and add style to
also have total freedom of design.
traditional fabrics. Maheshwari
Even as far as 40 years ago, Sarees, Dupattas & Yardage look
handlooms were woven for the use even more alluring with prints
of the local customer. Transportation on them. Kasuti embroidery adds
& communication were very slow elegance to almost all kinds of
and this did not give a chance for Sarees - Cottons, Polycots, Silks &
weavers to travel and be exposed Tussars. Kalamkari, both the hand
to the different kinds of weaving in painted & block print variety, has
the rest of the country. Hence, the become very popular. It is used on
traditional weave & craft survived products as diverse as garments to
due to local patrons. Kashmiri handbags, lampshades, dhurries to
weavers wove Pashmina shawls desktop items.
and carpets which were (and still
Bandhni from Gujarat is seen
are) required for the cold weather
on Paithanis & Kotas. Kalamkari
conditions of the state almost
motifs are appliqued on to
throughout the year. Similarly,
Kanjeevaram silks and cholies.
Kerala, which is lush green all year
The combinations are innumerable.
round had white predominating
Design innovation is required to
in all handwoven fabric. On the
keep alive the handloom industry.
other hand, Rajasthan & Gujarat
Value addition is the name of
compensated for the lack of colour
the game. Customers now want
in their landscape by weaving the
something new everytime they go
most colourful fabric and then
out shopping. It is this need that the
printing or dyeing it to add to the
weavers are addressing and cashing
allure.
in on.
Times have changed now.
Apart from providing the weaver
With a revolution in the means
with a regular income, design
of communication & computers
innovation has brought many skilled
available to the weavers & their
artisans together to conceptualize &
families, weavers in remote villages
create new products. Thus are born
know what is in vogue and change
sarees woven in Karaikudi (famous
their designs & colour schemes
for the Chettinads) with pallus
as per the market requirement.
hand painted by award winning
Designers working with weavers
Kalamkari artists of Srikalahasti
do a colour forecast and get them
in Andhra Pradesh. It has helped
to weave the colours of the season.
weavers & artisans hone their skills
You now find chikankari on every
and give the end customer a highly
conceivable fabric - mangalagiris,
stylish, yet traditional, product. This
chanderis, bengal cottons &
has been well received in the Indian
maheshwaris to name a few.
market as well as abroad. q
Madhubani artists beautify Tussar
& Cotton sarees and dupattas with (E-mail : sarvamangalap@gmail.com)
Best Practices
Weaving Dreams into reality
muddy lane in
A Hardshura village on
the Srinagar Gulmarg
highway in Kashmir
leads to the single
storied mud and wood house of
Ghulam Nabi Malik. On the
threshold, Malik’s three daughters
sit working with nimble fingers
on shawls spread across their
laps.  Malik and his wife are old
sozni embroiders. Being in the
craft for 30 years, they have now
passed it on to their daughters.
The J&K Bank The craft, prized the world over, is
finance scheme is unique to Kashmir. Sozni involves
the making of beautiful intricate
changing many lives colourful patterns using a needle
and thread on a shawl, stole or a
in the region, lives garment. Sozni brings alive a shawl
which are talented, or a garment and increases its value
in the market manifold.
full of promise but
Ironically, though the shawls
without the means to embroidered by Malik have made
translate them into to global showrooms bringing
fortunes for its traders, he only
productive activity
managed to make ends meet. That
50 YOJANA May 2011
Nusrat Ara
too with immense hardships. Malik
and artisans like him work for
meagre wages, that rarely come
in time.  The systems within the
industry were and continue to be
in most cases, arbitrary. The trader
the Malik family worked for would
pay him according to his whims,
often delaying payments. Further,
if he did not like the work he had
commissioned, the trader would
simply not pay up. Or Malik
would have to pay a penalty, which
in effect meant that he would have
to share the cost of raw material
which was supposed to be from
the traders’ coffers entirely. “If I
resisted or refused to bear the cost
of the raw material, he would ask us
to sell it ourselves,” Malik rued.
Life was difficult, but the worst
was yet to come. The crashing of the
global economy strained Malik’s
prospects further. Kashmir ’s
handicrafts which have a huge
market in Europe, USA and Middle
East were hit by the recession. With
vanishing buyers, exporters and
traders felt the heat as their stocks
piled up. They stopped procuring
more stocks. As a result, fresh
work for craftsmen also dried up.
This was devastating for Malik
and some 180 families and around
1000 inhabitants engaged in crafts
like Sozni and carpet weaving in his
village alone.
Still amidst the panic and gloom
of global recession, a small ray of
hope was beginning to shine. This
was a small initiative by the J&K
Bank Dastkar Finance scheme.
This specialized scheme aims at
extending the benefits of banking to
the neglected segments of society.
The scheme is geared towards
artisans like carpet weavers,
shawl embroiders and kani shawl
weavers, with the objective to
promote, professionalize and
institutionalize the arts and crafts
of Kashmir.
The scheme provides a fixed
capital for loom, tools and design
plus working capital for raw
material, wages and others. The
disbursement is phased in quarterly
installments subject to verification
of the status of work in progress.
This is not all. Moving beyond its
conventional contours, the bank
has promised to help in marketing
the products made by the artisans.
The bank is prioritizing Direct and
Micro lending with the aim of doing
away with the trade middlemen.
The chain goes even further with
the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce
and Industries agreeing to be the
buyers of the products, as a last
YOJANA May 2011 51
resort. This is philanthropy coupled
with hard-nosed finance!
The Malik family now
embroiders shawls and stoles
owned by them and also gives
out work to other artisans. They
manage to make a neat profit. “My
monthly income has doubled” said
Malik, taking it from Rs.5000/- to
Rs.10000/- With their hearth fires
burning, Malik, father of five has
taken steps to ensure education
of all his children, something he
was denied because he had to earn
a livelihood early in his life. His
eldest daughter Rifat, 20, is in the
final year of her graduation. Her
expenses and education are funded
by the craft she engages in. The
second daughter Afroza, 18, also
finds satisfaction in being able to
finance her own education and
helping her family too.
The J&K Bank finance scheme
is changing many lives in the
region, lives which are talented, full
of promise but without the means
to translate them into productive
activity. Malik’s neighbour
Manzoor Ahmad Parray, 25,
has also benefited from Dastkar
Finance. Like Malik, Manzoor also
had to leave his schooling midway.
Things were tough for him and
his family, which includes parents
and two sisters, all involved in
sozni. His father, a daily wager in
the floriculture department, would
embroider in spare time to make
ends meet. With the finance, Parray
has moved from being a wage
earner to being his own master.
Today he not only embroiders
shawls and stoles but is engaged in
their sale as well. Earlier, even after
the entire family worked hard they
managed to earn just 3000 rupees
per month.  Now their income has
tripled with the promise of further
increase. There is a glow of obvious
pride in him today, “My shawls
are sold in Mumbai, Calcutta, and
Himachal Pradesh. My shawls
are also bought by a trader who
exports them to foreign lands. I
want to export shawls on my own
one day” he says, acknowledging
that timely finance provided wings
to his dreams. 
Zahoor Ahmad Malik, 27, has a
similar story to tell. A carpet weaver,
Zahoor slogged with his family; his
parents and two siblings Rafiqa
(19), Hilal Ahmad (25) on the loom,
yet was unable to make two ends
meet. The trader for whom Zahoor
worked would pay him peanuts. “I
could not do anything about it as I
did not have the resources to start
my own work” says Zahoor who
grabbed the opportunity of being
financed by J&K Bank.
With a deep sense of fulfillment
he says “Now I know that the carpet
on the loom is mine” , adding that
he also has the right to sell it to the
highest bidder. Zahoor too is highly
appreciative of the finance scheme
which came as manna from heaven.
Yet he believes it is the effort and
talent of the craftspersons who are
using this as a launching pad and
creating something of lasting value
for themselves, their families and
the craft itself.
Charkha Features
 YE-13/2011

52 YOJANA May 2011