KOCHI: When Express spoke to Sivadasan Padmanabhan, a weaver from Chendamangalam, last Onam, he was ecstatic. After the recurrent floods, Onam 2019 was a season of resurgence for handloom weavers in the district. The sector soared to popularity and earned good revenue -- such a spike in sales was unheard of in 40 years. According to Sivadasan, last Onam was symbolic of hope for the handloom industry in Chendamangalam. But the coronavirus-induced lockdown and a dull Vishu in 2020 turned the wheels of time and a pall of gloom has fallen over the weaving sector.
Onam and Vishu are decisive festivals for the industry. While 60 per cent of the handloom stock is sold during Onam, the remaining 40 per cent sells during Vishu. The latter’s sales provide for procuring the raw materials required for the upcoming Onam and salary for the workers. However, the lockdown has spelt doom to the livelihood of weavers. According to them, not a single piece of festive wear was sold this season. “We had made several hundred festive outfits for the season.
Not a single piece has been sold. These can’t be sold later owing to the crashing economy -- the public may have just enough money to procure essentials. My wife and I have been weaving looms at home but the raw materials are unavailable. There’s barely any money to buy medicines. The government had promised `1,000 from the Welfare Fund but we haven’t received the same. Currently, we survive on the free ration provided by the government,” said Sivadasan, who has been weaving for almost 35 years.
The free uniform scheme in the state, which doubled income for weavers in the sector, hasn’t fed their stomachs this time either. “Hantex usually collects all the completed uniforms, but a month’s worth uniforms lies uncollected in the godown,” he said.
While several sectors have been plagued due to the pandemic, the weaving industry is likely to be among the worst affected. “We just got back on our feet only to fall again. I’m afraid that the sector is heading towards doom. Keeping aside the availability of raw material, weavers are unable to repay their loans and interest. Around 60 per cent of them have availed the Mudra loans from nationalised banks. Simultaneously, as the weavers haven’t worked for the past 40 days, they have been unable to pay their part towards ESI (Employee State Insurance Scheme), thereby making them ineligible for free hospital treatment,” said T S Baby, president of the Paravoor Handloom Weavers’ Co-operative Society, who is also a member of the board of Kerala State Handloom Weavers’ Cooperative Society (Hantex).
Baby urged the Centre and State governments to intervene and take the required measures to protect the traditional handloom industry as weaving is a primary trade in 16 states, with three lakh people employed in the sector. “Weavers in the state would receive a production incentive of `4,000 every month -- unfortunately due to the current circumstances, weavers have been unable to work and therefore haven’t received the amount either.
We had expected a huge sale for this year’s Vishu -- we began making clothes from October and completed the same by mid-March. By then, the lockdown was almost in place. This year, we’d even received several orders from Gulf Malayalis -- special sarees and collections were made but they’re unsold too. We were just asked to provide cloth material for masks and a few weavers made the same using khadi as part of ‘Save the Loom’,” Baby said.
Tables turned
Onam and Vishu are decisive festivals for the industry. While 60 per cent of the handloom stock is sold during Onam, the remaining 40 per cent sells during Vishu. The Vishu sales provide for procuring the raw materials required for the upcoming Onam and salary for the workers. However, the lockdown spoiled the party.