WEAVING

Image ID: 183162649

Caption : PALAKKAD, KERALA, 25/01/2017: A lady worker weaves a silk set sari on traditional handloom at Peruvambu in Palakkad, Kerala on Wednesday. Indian WEAVING industry has traditionally been one of the most surviving sectors of mass employment. After agriculture, the WEAVING industry is largest provider of work force. The handloom sector is a major traditional industry in the state and the products, deeply embedded in tradition and culture, are renowned for its impeccable quality, elegant designs and characteristic weave. A large number of looms were in existence in Kerala from time immemorial and even during the early 19th century, the factory system of handloom production existed here. There is a huge quantity of availability of the raw materials and the continuous supply of economically affordable labour force are the contributing factors behind the success of the present WEAVING industry of India. Handloom weavers who make mostly traditional fabric such as saris, dhotis, bed sheets and shawls contribute greatly to the WEAVING production. The un organised sector, which consists of handloom, handicrafts and sericulture and which are operated on a small scale and through traditional tools and methods, are the pulse of the industry. The industry faces a large number of problems including those relating to marketing of products. The workers are most often under paid as they are paid a meagre Rs 350 for a silk saree that takes a whole day to spin. Today, in spite of its glorious past, huge potential for employment generation and contributing to the GDP, it is striving hard for survival. Photo: K. K. Mustafah