Benares Brocades: Changing Trends

Power looms were first introduced in Benares in the mid-1990s. Slowly more and more production is shifting from handlooms to power looms as this is cost effective, but the power-loom sarees have lost the exclusive charm of the old Benaresi sarees. In this process, a very large number of weavers and others associated with the production of Benaresi sarees have lost their livelihood creating much distress. Now the conventional power looms are gradually being replaced by more sophisticated power looms, while the cumbersome jacquards are being supplanted by a computer chip, and the warp threads to create the design are manipulated through data on a pen drive.

Until a decade ago, the silk weaving industry provided a livelihood for about 7,00,000 people in Benares. This has now been reduced to less than 2,50,000 people, who are struggling with vastly reduced incomes. There are almost one million weavers in and around Benares and an equal number of people such as dyers, bobbin makers, and the women involved in finishing the fabric, who support the weaving industry, and most are struggling to find work. Tafseerbhai mentioned that each brocade fabric is an amalgamation of Hindu and Muslim artisanal skills. A majority of the weavers are Muslims, but the zari and yarn suppliers are Hindus. Traders and consumers of the Benaresi sarees are predominantly Hindus. For centuries, Muslims and Hindus have been interdependent in this line of work and have lived in harmony.

Now, the old way of life has been disrupted because mechanisation has resulted in a loss of jobs in the weaving industry, and the weavers are being forced to look at other options. Kadirbhai, an entrepreneur who has over 200 looms, talked about reverse migration. ‘The city has become very congested and expensive and many weavers are thinking of moving to the village. Our work is interconnected, so all members in the supply chain would collectively need to make this move,’ he mentioned. Unfortunately today, this is difficult due to the divide being created between Hindus and Muslims.

Weaving continues to be a hereditary profession but with a decline in demand and wages, the educated younger generation are losing interest as they find the work monotonous and not remunerative. Handloom weaving required focus and concentration, but the mobile has become a distraction. Kadirbhai says, ‘Once you get into wearing pants (change of clothing from a weaver’s traditional attire) you become useless for the loom.’ The problem is that they have not found alternative options for earning a living.