THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kuzhivila Surendran, a 58-year-old weaver, recollects the pre-Covid times when the streets of Balaramapuram would be flocked by people from different parts of the country just to get their hands on the finest traditional weaves, especially during the festive season. And Kerala saris and mundus, the signature products of Balaramapuram weavers, would be sold at competitive prices.But with the pandemic weaving misery into the handloom sector, things have changed for the worse. Usually, the festival season brings them scores of orders from different vendors. However, this time, with many products still left to be sold for months, the weavers have been unable to produce new hand-woven textile products and as a result, the raw materials are also getting damaged.
To help the handloom weavers overcome this crisis, a campaign titled #kaitharichallenge was started under the leadership of M Vincent, MLA, last week. The campaign is being held on social media platforms such as Facebook. “The pandemic and the lockdown that followed have put hundreds of handloom weavers out of work. Through this campaign, we plan to empower the handloom weavers post corona and help them earn a livelihood,” said the MLA. Thrissur-based Southloom.com has also taken up the campaign to help sell the products of the weavers and support them, he said.
Under the Handloom Weavers Development Society (HLWDS) and other private handloom centres, there are about 10,000 weavers in Balaramapuram and its outlying villages which include Peringamala, Kalliyoor, Parakuzhi and Payattuvila. However, they haven’t been able to sell even a single piece of fabric for the past eight months. “Bundles of old stock are still left with us. Even the textile stores which used to buy our products haven’t been able to purchase new stock since old ones are yet to be sold. Some have even cancelled the orders, worsening the situation. Many weavers are in debt and have no means to earn their livelihood,” said Kuzhivila.
Most of the weavers’ societies usually sell their products to Hantex (Kerala State Weaver’s Cooperative Society) or on wholesale to various stores. “Usually, we get bulk orders for school uniforms in April and May. However, we lost that opportunity too owing to the pandemic,” he said. Since most of the weavers still follow the traditional style of weaving and do not know how to tap the online platforms for sale, most of the finished products are getting damaged.The campaign has already got the support of politicians and other personalities including Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor. City residents have also taken up the challenge.
Support galore
Thrissur-based Southloom.com has joined the campaign to help sell the products of the weavers. It has received the support of politicians and other personalities including T’Puram MP Shashi Tharoor. City residents have also taken up the #kaitharichallenge.