T H E E C O N O M I C W E E K L Y December 17, 1955

Organizing Hand-loom Weaving —A Year's Experience in Orissa

Shrimati Haimanti Chakravarty

What follows is an unvarnished and first-hand account of the writers experience during the year she was engaged in organizing hand loom weaving for a project that is being run in Orissa by the American Friends Service Committee,

The account will be found exceedingly interesting as raw material for the study of cottage industries, What appears below, however, is not the official version of the report but the first draft of a note prepared by the author for submission to the Friends headquarters in Philadelphia.

O R I S S A text i les , w h i c h comprise a g rea t v a r i e t y o f w e a v i n g a n d de­

signs f r o m m a n y par t s o f Orissa, have l o n g been appreciated out ide the state. B u t as there was no s teady a n d dependable supply o f s t a n d a r d ma te r i a l s , t hey remained more o r less a r a r i t y , w i t h l i t t l e commer­c i a l possibi l i t ies beyond occasional sale a t r a t h e r h i g h prices o f p a r t i ­cu la r pieces o f w e a v i n g . T h e t i e -dye ma te r i a l s f o r w h i c h Samba lpur has a r epu ta t ion were no except ion t o th i s general ru le . A n occasional cons ignment o f t ab le -c lo th o r bed­spread reached C a l c u t t a bu t re­g u l a r orders c o u l d no t be placed w i t h the c e r t a i n t y o f g e t t i n g the specified colour a n d design. T h i s was the genera l s ta te o f weav ing , when we s t a r t ed our pro jec t i n B a r p a l i .

The Weaving Project

A w a k e n i n g o f N a t i o n a l i s t sent i ­men t has led in recent years to a d e m a n d f o r designs a n d m a t e r i a l s w h i c h are t y p i c a l l y I n d i a n , a n d a l o n g w i t h i t in teres t I n cot tage indus t r ies a n d h a n d l o o m w e a v i n g i s r e v i v i n g . Moreover , in o rder to lessen the pres­sure on l and , G o v e r n m e n t has been s u p p o r t i n g v i l l a g e indust r ies i n v a r i ­ous w a y s so t h a t supplementa ry employmen t m a y be created f o r v i l ­lagers i n t he i r o w n homes. I t i s i n ­c reas ing ly be ing recognised t h a t v i l ­lage a r t i sans a n d weavers w i l l have t o f a l l back o n l and , i f m i l l -p roduced c l o t h puts t h e m ou t o f employmen t . T h e compe t i t i on between m i l l - m a d e a n d h a n d l o o m c l o t h i s r ea l a n d ob­vious ly , o n l y the cheaper goods w i l l appeal to people w h o l ive on the m a r g i n o f subsistence. I t i s Interes t ­i n g t o note, howevsr , t h a t i n our area where t r a d i t i o n i s v e r y s t r o n g a n d s tandards o f c l o t h i n g v e r y h i g h (be ing a centre f o r w e a v i n g ) , even the poorest w o m e n wear sarees t h a t cost Rs 10 to Rs 15. W h e n asked, they say t h a t th ree h a n d l o o m sarees w i l l l a s t t h e m a year, b u t m i l l - m a d e sarees w i l l no t . A m o n g men, o n the o ther h a n d , use o f m i l l - m a d e d h o t i

used to be a l m o s t un ive r sa l . I once asked a weaver h o w he could expect to sel l h is woven m a t e r i a l s i f he h i m s e l f wore m i l l - m a d e dho t i ? He t o l d me i t was the " fash ion" , bu t later , ne i ther he no r the o ther weav­ers appeared in a n y t h i n g bu t home-woven ma te r i a l s .

Stat is t ics , social survey and repor t prepared about the weavers in our t h a n a by our social ana lys t h a d g i v e n us a p r e l i m i n a r y Idea of the caste-composi t ion of the weavers a n d o f the caste d i s t inc t ions a m o n g t h e m as also of the voca t iona l specializa­t i o n of each of the fou r d iv is ions o f the g roup . The ac tua l w o r k w i t h the weavers began in the s p r i n g o f 1953 when some of our members w e n t to B h e r a n . T h i s is a v i l l age in the t h a n a of the same name, 11 miles f r o m B a r p a l i as the c row f l i es across a r i v e r a n d a naIa . I t is accessible by vehicle o n l y d u r i n g six m o n t h s of the year . T h i s v i l l age i s w e l l - k n o w n fo r i t s t i e -dye ing tech­nique a n d execut ion of f ine detai ls in designs on co t ton ma te r i a l s . F r i e n d l y re la t ionships had been esta­bl ished w i t h the weavers o f the v i l ­lage on marke t -days a n d we h a d an i n v i t a t i o n to come to t h e i r v i l l age , w h i c h we g l a d l y accepted.

The f i rs t s ix m o n t h s wen t In ac­q u a i n t i n g ourselves w i t h the socio­economic problems i n v o l v e d in weav­ing . Bhe ran , was chosen as a t y p i c a l w e a v i n g v i l l age as knowledge ga ined here cou ld be used in o ther v i l lages in the project a rea a n d elsewhere. We i n t e n t i o n a l l y selected th i s v i l l age outside the B a r p a l i t hana . The reason f o r th is was t h a t i f our a t t e m p t f a i l ed or there was host i le c r i t i c i s m in* th i s new field of a c t i v i t y , i t m i g h t no t affect the pro jec t adversely in i t s e a r ly per iod o f e s tab l i sh ing i t s e l f in our area. A l so , one of us h a d been selected t o deal w i t h aspects o f i n ­dustr ies a n d co-operatives i n B a r p a l i t h a n a a n d a n a t t e m p t a t w o r k i n g w i t h weavers i n o u r pro jec t area m i g h t have impeded her w o r k , I f we d i d no t succeed.

D u r i n g the ea r ly months , w e g o t a g rea t deal of encouragement f r o m the Gove rnmen t i n our a t t emp t s a t s t anda rd i s ing designs, m a t e r i a l a n d colours . A g r a n t of Rs 500 was received in Ju ly f o r exper iments . Th i s was the f i r s t off ic ia l r ecogn i ­t i o n o f our w o r k a n d also our i n i t i a l w o r k i n g - c a p i t a l . L a t e r i n the year, we g o t a s t and ing m o n t h l y order f o r kerchiefs a n d an order f o r 6,000 ya rds o f designed m a t e r i a l . T h i s made the v i l l age rs realise t h a t the G o v e r n m e n t was interes ted In help­i n g t h e m i n t h e i r w o r k . Govern ­m e n t was also interes ted in the adap­t a t i o n of o ld designs to modern use a n d w a n t e d to collect samples of these adapta t ions fo r copying a n d use a t d i f ferent w e a v i n g centres. In M a r c h , 1954, the la rges t s ingle l o t of these samples was acquired by the G o v e r n m e n t a t the E x h i b i t i o n i n C u t t a c k d u r i n g the Weavers ' Week, T h e samples fetched more t h a n Rs 1,000. A d a p t a t i o n of o ld designs, however , was inc iden ta l t o the w o r k a m o n g the weavers.

Economies of Weaving

The da i l y wages fo r a d u l t u n s k i l l e d male labour in B a r p a l i is Rs 1-4-0, a n d t h a t of a w o m a n As 12. A weaver , or r a t he r a loom, involves the l abour of three persons—of the m a n w h o weaves, the w i f e w h o does the dyeing, t i e i n g a n d s e t t i n g of the loom a n d of a y o u n g member of the f a m i l y w h o does odd jobs, o f w h i c h there are m a n y in a w e a v i n g shed. Such a weaver is happy if he can have enough to do f o r f ive days in the week, e a r n i n g Rs 2-8-0 a day. T h i s means t h a t a h i g h l y tech­n i c a l l y sk i l l ed person p l y i n g the t r ade of a weaver earns less t h a n a d a i l y labourer who carr ies e a r t h f o r road b u i l d i n g . A m o n g the H a r i j a n weav­ers or the Gandars , a g rea t number t a k e to m a n u a l labour to keep t hem­selves g o i n g d u r i n g the m o n t h s when d e m a n d fo r c l o t h i s s lack. F e w of the weavers o w n l a n d f o r i t i s o n l y those w h o can set themselves up as m i d d l e -

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men and exp lo i t the poorer a n d more unfo r tuna te section of weavers t h a t can prosper.

Intangibles Weavers genera l ly have no t ru s t

in the fu tu re and th i s is reflected i n the i r w o r k and i n the w a y they w o r k . The i r m o t t o is: "get as much as y o u can get a n d get i t now", w h i c h means t h a t they have no i n ­centive to produce rea l ly good th ings w i t h sustained effort , as they cannot believe there w i l l be a steady de­m a n d fo r such products. I t took a good deal of explaning to m a k e t h e m unders tand t h a t i t i s w o r t h ­w h i l e to do r ea l l y good w o r k .

A n o t h e r t h i n g w h i c h i t t ook t ime to b r i n g home to t h e m was the idea of a s m a l l m a r g i n of p rof i t a n d a l a rger m a r k e t w h i c h i s more lucra ­t ive in the l ong r u n . Here, too, there is need f o r t r u s t in one's f e l lowmen a n d f a i t h in one's o w n capaci ty and capabi l i ty .

Speaking the simple t ru ths where weavers ' economics are concerned is a ve ry d i f f icu l t poin t . W h e n we s ta r t ­ed f i x i n g prices fo r ma te r i a l s w h i c h the weavers h a d produced, I le f t i t to t h e m to f ix the price according to cer ta in rules t h a t they had to f o rmu la t e themselves. They w o u l d record the q u a n t i t y of y a r n used, dyes consumed and las t ly , the t ime t aken in weav ing and t ie-dyeing. The q u a n t i t y o f y a r n and dye could be easily verif ied bu t the t ime spent was a lways a m a t t e r of discussion. A number of weavers w o u l d si t d o w n and accept or chal­lenge, accord ing to the i r own expe-rience, the s ta tement of another weaver. I t was my pract ice to pay a d a i l y wage of Rs 3 to a weaver fo r a s ix-hour w o r k i n g day at weav­ing , the wage for the r e m a i n i n g t w o hours was fo r the wi fe . The price of mater ia l s was f ixed accord ing to th i s rule. I f , however, a weaver ins is ted t h a t a piece of w o r k h a d t a k e n three days instead of t w o days, w h i c h the other weavers present w o u l d deem adequate f o r i t , any of the o ther we­avers w o u l d then be en t i t l ed to t a k e order fo r the i t e m concerned a t the ra te f ixed by a l l . M o s t of ten, the weaver in question wou ld s m i l i n g l y acknowledge t h a t the group was r i g h t and he w o u l d re ta in his order a n d a l l w o u l d be satisfied.

Just as they s lowly realised the advantage of good s tandardised pro­duct ion , they also realised t h a t i f a sample caught the fancy of the m a r ­ket , they w o u l d a l l benefit b y i t b y s h a r i n g the orders t h a t resulted. F i x ­i n g the price was , therefore, a v e r y i m p o r t a n t step in the educat ion f o r

co-operative endeavour, f o r a l l the weavers have to abide by the price f i x e d b y t he i r o w n group.

A concrete example of s t anda rd ­i z ing m a t e r i a l w i l l i l l u s t r a t e b o t h the m e t h o d of operat ion a n d the educat ional approach used. Ten weavers f r o m Bhe ran accepted an order f o r 80 y a r d s of blue m a t e r i a l . They pooled the i r resources a n d bought dye and y a r n . They collected

a t one of the weavers ' house to heat t h e i r pots a n d dye the y a r n . E a c h t o o k h is y a r n home a n d w o v e the requi red l e n g t h o f c l o t h . W h e n the c l o t h was b r o u g h t to me, I f o u n d t h a t n ine o f the t en lengths were v e r y w e l l done indeed, wh i l e the t e n t h was done by an In f e r io r weaver, I asked the weavers i f they w o u l d acknowledge t h a t i t was i n f e r i -or w h i c h they d id . T h e n I asked t h e m

ext i les on fo re ign m a r k e t s f o r w h i c h s tandard iza t ion is a p re requ i s i t e . W i t h the la rge sk i l led weaver popu la t ion in Or issa, th is c o m m u n i t y m a y in t ime become an asset to the Sta te budget, ins tead of be ing a l i a ­b i l i t y as in the past decades.

T h e ex tent t o w h i c h s tandard iza ­t i on is c a t c h i n g on, is ind icated in our area by the f a c t t h a t weavers i n v i l lages w i t h w h i c h we have l i t t l e or no contac t have been faced by the necessity o f r a i s i n g t he i r s tandards o f w o r k i n o rde r t o compete w i t h ma te r i a l s put i n the local m a r k e t by weavers w o r k i n g w i t h me. D u r i n g the season, December to May , these weavers as we l l as those w o r k i n g w i t h me depend on local sales. Money had come i n t o the hands o f t h e cu l ­t i va to r s f r o m a good ha rves t and they were able to spend f ree ly on c lo th ing . My con ten t ion i s t h a t to the ex ten t the loca l m a r k e t can suppor t i ts weavers, f u l l advan tage shou ld be taken of th is . I t is on ly d u r i n g the s lack season t h a t outside m a r k e t s should be g iven preference.

2. The u l t i m a t e goa l is to estab­l i sh t h r o u g h weavers a permanent co-operat ive o rgan isa t ion , managed and suppor ted by themselves. The experience in th is f ie ld has been r a t h e r t rag ic in the area where seve­r a l w e a v i n g co-operat ives h a d been organised. T h e v i l lagers , n o w as then, look upon such an o rgan isa t i on as a means of b o r r o w i n g a n d a f t e r h a v i n g exhausted the i r shares o f loans, they conven ien t ly f o rge t a l l about i t . To t hem i t is a new k i n d o f M a h a j a n o r money- lender to w h o m one pays in terest wh ich is low, no t the usual 36 per cent and w h o keeps the p r inc ipa l ou ts tand ing . T h i s i l l u ­sion wou ld have persisted, had i t not been fo r the co-operat ive bank wh ich collects i ts funds a n d m a n y a weaver has been dispossessed of home and loom a n d had t hem sold to pay his dues. As l ong as the func t ions o f and ob l iga t ions to ­wards a co-operat ive un ion a re not f u l l y grasped, the creat ion of a co­operat ive society w i l l have no mean­ing and the society w i l l have no chance of su rv i va l or o f ach iev ing w h a t i t i s mean t fo r . W o r k i n g to­gether f o r a purpose mus t be achiev­ed on a sma l l v i l l age scale and i ts value mus t be proven, before a la r ­ger un ion is a t tempted . The pre­requ is i tes fo r a co-operat ive society i s geograph ica l p r o x i m i t y a n d com­m o n in teres t w h i c h are present in m a n y v i l lages o f weavers b u t the common in terest m u s t be adequately real ised by a l l , before i tne r -v i l l age

co-operat ion can be effect ive. Th is aga in means oppo r tun i t y to l e a r n and unders tand, and ac tua l ex­perience in w o r k i n g together , as also o f d issent ing groups in i nd i v i dua l v i l lages. Some progress has been seen a m o n g cer ta in groups, bu t abuse of confidence in o ther places has led to di f f icul t ies.

3 . M a r k e t i n g of woven mater ia ls occupied mos t o f my thoughts d u r i n g the l a te r mon ths when I was sure of the capac i ty o f the weavers to produce the q u a l i t y a n d q u a n t i t y necessary f o r an expand ing demand. The ea r l y response f r o m Ca lcu t ta a n d la ter B o m b a y jus t i f i ed my re­quest to F r iends in Ph i lade lph ia f o r a revo lv ing f u n d w h i c h was to be re tu rned u l t ima te l y , a n d a smal le r sum f o r the purposes of exper iment­i n g . The Headquar te rs sanct ioned $1,000 fo r b o t h purposes at the beg in­n i n g of the year. A f u r t h e r increase in the w o r k i n g cap i ta l was suggested bu t I f e l t I had no r i gh t to decide on such a step at the t ime of my leave on vaca t ion bu t in the l i g h t o f recent developments, f inanc ia l a r rangements to a l l ow extension are def in i te ly needed.

Problem for Our Centre

There has been an ever- increas ing number o f orders a f t e r the f i rs t samples were sent out a n d i f we are to cope w i t h t h i s g r o w i n g demand, a la rger r e v o l v i n g f u n d w i l l be need­ed or fac i l i t a tes w i l l have to be a r ­ranged fo r bank credi t . The proper answer under d i f fe ren t c i rcumstances wou ld be a co-operat ive society but i t does no t seem possible or r i g h t to organize i t a t present. On the o ther hand , we have ne i ther a n y r i g h t to d isappoint the weavers w h o have been l o o k i n g f o r w a r d to the oppor­tun i t ies o f m a r k e t i n g the i r products wh i ch are n o w coming up and have w o r k e d d i l i gen t l y t o reach a n d m a i n ­t a i n the s tandards w h i c h we had set f o r them. W h e n I began to real ise the potent ia l i t ies wh i ch were opening up. I wro te to Ph i l i p Zea ly (who had been w o r k i n g ear l ier in the Fr iends Centre at Ba rpa l i ) to advise me ei ther to go ahead, w i t h a l l i t i n ­vo lved, or to l i m i t the possibi l i t ies ahead. I then saw t h a t we could not suddenly stop shor t w i t h o u t l e t t i ng the weavers d o w n and so sha t te r i ng the confidence and t r us t bu i l t over a l ong per iod in ou r w o r k w i t h them. Ph i l i p encouraged me to go ahead as the c ra f t s of our area are of m a j o r s igni f icance in r a i s i ng the s tandards of l i fe o f the weavers, who f o r m the la rgest single group o f c ra f t smen in the area.

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i f I shou ld send i t on to the C a l ­c u t t a m a r k e t f r o m where the o rder h a d come a n d they answered in the a f f i rma t i ve . I then t o l d t h e m t h a t the C a l c u t t a f i rm w o u l d equa l ly we l l unde rs tand t h a t i n f e r i o r w o r k had been handed i n w i t h o the r good w o r k , and t h e resu l t m i g h t be cance l la t ion o f f u r t h e r o r d e r s . D i d they s t i l l w a n t me to send the i n fe r i o r piece t o Ca l cu t ta? H e r e w a s the i r d i l e m -ma. T h e weaver was a poor m a n a n d cou ld no t a f f o r d t o have the place r e t u r n e d as i t w o u l d no t be saleble I n the loca l m a r k e t a n d w o u l d be a dead lose to h i m . I t was f ina l l y decided t h a t the piece shou ld no t be cen t . I t cou ld be cu t i n t o pieces f o r bags a n d so ld loca l l y a t the cur ren t r a t e . T h i s w o u l d cover the cost o f t he r a w m a t e r i a l and s t i l l leave some­t h i n g f o r the weaver , t hough no t a t the r a t e of Rs 3 per day. T h i s is a l ong , s low process of f u n d a m e n t a l educat ion , l ead ing people to w o r k i n g toge ther a n d towards the unders tand­i n g o f co-operat ive endeavour. The personal re la t ionsh ip establ ished w i t h the weavers in the course o f w o r k i n g w i t h t h e m i s ve ry r e w a r d ­i n g , t h o u g h v e r y uneven i n i ts g r o w t h . Somet imes I feel I have come a l o n g w a y on l y to discover I am r i g h t back where I began or a lmos t .

W h e n I t a l k o f weavers and w h a t I feel has been achieved, I have in m i n d a sma l l nucleus in one v i l lage , a l i t t l e centre in a second v i l l age a n d possibi iy a f a i r g roup in a t h i r d . B u t t he w o r d has gone r o u n d a n d someth ing is happen ing. I t i s no t possible to po in t ou t m a n y tang ib le effects yet, but someth ing has happened, t h a t i s a l l .

Tangible Results

The test of a change in pract ice is permanence of resu l t over an ex­tended per iod. A f t e r on ly one year o f w o r k i t canno t be sa id t h a t some­t h i n g has taken permanen t ho ld . B u t there a re some ind ica t ions w h i c h po in t t owa rds cer ta in possible perma­nent resul ts .

1 . S tandard iza t ion o f p roduc t ion has been achieved on a sma l l scale. A t a mee t ing o f the B o a r d o f I ndus -t r ies , members t r i ed to persuade me t h a t i t was no t possible to reach u n i f o r m i t y i n design, co lour a n d ma te r i a l s . I persisted t h a t i t could be done a n d i t has now been ac­knowledged t h a t s tanda rd i za t i on is possible on a sma l l scale a n d can be made possible on a l a rge r scale. T h i s , in t e rms o f economics, means t h a t the Government o f Or issa m a y , in course o f t ime, place Or issa

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As we a re a non-p ro f i t o rgan is ­a t i o n , the quest ion o f cap i ta l be­comes a p r o b l e m as the m a r k e t ex-pands . As men t ioned ear l ier , the

answer l i es i n co-opera t ion , b u t educat ion t o w a r d s such a g o a l t akes t i m e and in t h e mean t ime , some t h i n g has to be done. M o n t h l y orders to be suppl ied have a l r e a d y o f t en exceeded the a m o u n t o f the Whole r e v o l v i n g cap i t a l a n d th i s w i l l i n c r e a s i n g l y be the case in the f u t u r e .

In ter -State Competition A n o t h e r p rob lem has been created

by the compet i t ion a m o n g the v a r i ­ous states f o r the I n d i a n m a r k e t . I t i s f ree enterpr ise bu t the basis i s the re la t i ve capac i t y o f i nd i v i dua l s tates to prov ide subsidies to the i r weavers Or issa be ing a poor s ta te canno t a f f o r d the same a m o u n t o f subs idy w h i c h M a d r a s i s g i v i n g , f o r example, w i t h the resu l t t h a t the ma te r i a l s f r o m M a d r a s are cap tu r i ng m a r k e t s t h r o u g h the i r heav i l y sub­sidised prices. T h i s has created an unhappy s i t ua t i on a n d g iven r ise to unwholesome compet i t i on , reduc ing some groups of weavers in o ther states to the border o f s t a r v a t i o n . F u r t h e r , the compet i t i on o f the m i l l s a lso makes i t d i f f i cu l t f o r the weavers to raise t he i r s tandards o f p roduc t ion a n d speed in weav ing by i m p r o v i n g the i r looms. Be t te r tools mean bet ter p roduc t ion a n d l a rge r ou tpu t f o r the m a r k e t bu t th is means some inves tment in imp roved tools w h i c h they canno t a f f o r d a n d the v ic ious c i rc le cont inues. Th i s is p a r t i c u l a r l y the case w i t h k inds o f p l a i n w e a v i n g w h i c h can be p ro ­duced a l m o s t anywhere a n d by a n y exper ienced weaver . In our area, the Bhu l i a weavers produce a p a r t i ­cu la r k i n d o f w e a v i n g a n d the f a c t t h a t th is k i n d o f w e a v i n g requires g r e a t s k i l l and special knowledge has made i t possible to create a m a r k e t f o r these products , w i t h o u t h a v i n g to depend on a subsidy to see I t t h r o u g h . I t has been m a i n l y w i t h th i s sect ion o f the w e a v i n g c o m m u n i t y t h a t I have w o r k e d . A n o t h e r f a c t o r w h i c h s t rengthens the compet i t i ve pos i t ion o f M a d r a s i s t h e cost o f y a r n . The best m i l l ed y a r n used i n ou r a rea comes f r o m M a d u r a a n d the cost o f t r anspo r t a n d midd lemen 's p ro f i t add t o the pr ice of the y a r n as so ld l oca l l y m ou r a rea ,

L a c k of Communications br ing the Agent

A t h i r d p r o b l e m is t h a t o f c o m m u n i c a t i o n w h i c h i n the course

o f one year has b r o u g h t i n ano the r d i f f i cu l t y w h i c h m a y s low ly take o n m u c h l a rge r p ropor t ions . T h e f a c t t h a t w o r k s t a r t ed f a r a w a y , 1 1 mi les, conf ined our inf luence in t h a t a rea , t h o u g h th i s in f luence has n o w spread to o ther areas w i t h o u t a n y e f fo r ts o f ours . B u t t he f ac t s t i l l r ema ins t h a t ma te r i a l s produced w i l l have to be b rough t t o B a r p a l i , w h i c h n a t u r a l l y has to r ema in the cent re , be ing p ro jec t headquar ters . Weavers have to b r i n g the i r p ro ­ducts w a l k i n g t h a t d is tance. They genera l l y w a l k d u r i n g the l a t t e r p a r t o f the n i g h t to reach in the m o r n i n g , spend the day t a l k i n g a n d compar­ing . Th is t i m e is v e r y precious, as i t g ives t h e m the oppo r tun i t y to de-l ibera te , t ake decisions, f ix pr ices a n d genera l l y t ake p a r t i n p l a n n i n g new designs and o ther developments i n consu l ta t ion w i t h me a n d o ther weavers. They decide w h i c h v i l l age shou ld do a pa r t i cu l a r design a n d so supplement one another , ins tead o f compet ing . W h e n orders come, we j o i n t l y decide on h o w m a n y a n d w h o w i l l do a cer ta in job . I t is c lea r l y unders tood t h a t as wide a spread of enterpr ise as possible a n d oppo r t un i t y to earn f o r a i l are desir­able and concen t ra t ion o f orders in the hands of a f ew is undesi rab le.

The w a l k over Iong mi les , w h i c h meant one day 's labour l o s t gave r ise to the ' ' agen t " who suppl ied the ma te r ia l s and b rough t t he products o f the weavers so t h a t the l a t t e r could rema in a t home and weave. The weavers themselves made th is proposal and at the t ime, i t seemed v e r y reasonable. Bhe ran , where th is so lu t ion o r ig ina ted , ca l led to gether a weavers ' mee t ing and f r o m a m o n g themselves, elected a cer ta in weaver to be t he i r representa t ive a n d go-between. He was to b r i n g the goods ordered. receive money, a n d c a r r y new orders back to the f o l k s In h is v i l lage. F o r th is service the weaver was paid Rs. 2 f o r orders w o r t h Rs. 25. Th is weaver u l t i m a t e l y had to g ive up weav ing h imse l f , as he became responsible f o r l o o k i n g a f t e r and superv is ing t he weavers to w h o m orders h a d been b rough t back. The service payment w h i c h he received f r o m his fe l low-weavers , however, made up f o r the loss of his ea rn ings as a weaver .

Who will Bear Losses?

T h i s w e n t on f o r a wh i le , u n t i l by degrees h is superv is ion g r e w s lack a n d m a t e r i a l produced fe l l be low s t a n d a r d a n d pieces o f w o r k h a d to be r e tu rned to t h e weavers . A f t e r

some weeks, i t became k n o w n t h a t th is " a g e n t " d id no t accept th i s respons ib i l i t y a n d l i a b i l i t y i n / terms o f money. H is l a c k o f proper super­v is ion o r proper exp lana t ion o f r e ­qu i rements caused the re jec t ion b u t i t h a d been unders tood t h a t the " a g e n t " ou t o f his percentage on ma te r i a l s w o u l d have to meet the loss incur red , i f any . By then a g r e a t deal o f re jected m a t e r i a l s h a d accumu la ted a m o n g several weavers w h o f i na l l y b r o u g h t the whole p r o ­b lem to me.

The reason f o r t h i s dead lock was essent ia l ly the i r own l a c k o f capa­c i t y o f choos ing t he i r represent­a t ive, but the unso ld m a t e r i a l re ­ma ined a g rea t i n d i v i d u a l l i ab i l i t y . They could not easi ly accept the f ac t o f the i r own fa i l u re , f i r s t , no t to b r i ng the m a t e r i a l themselves a n d receive orders themselves a n d secondly p u t t i n g the i r t r u s t i n somebody who was no t capable of l i v i n g up to the confidence p laced in h i m . Some o f the weavers have l ea rn t f r o m th i s experience as an object lesson in civ ic awareness a n d respons ib i l i t y and they openly ac­knowledge i t . Mos t o f the m a t e r i a l , however, has in course of t ime been u t i l i sed f o r shopping-bags and the res t w i l l a lso be used up in var ious ways, where f a u l t y designs o r d i f ­ference in colours do no t m a t t e r so m u c h , a n d i t w i l l there fo re no longer r e m a i n a burden on the weavers.

L a c k o f commun ica t i on a t the m a r k e t i n g end, where expor t o f m a t e r i a l is concerned, is ano the r p rob lem. Parcels have to be sent 40 odd mi les to Samba lpu r R a i l w a y S ta t i on to be despatched; va lue-pay­ab le or insured parcels have to be taken 12 mi les to B a r p a l i post off ice. B u t the m a j o r p rob lem in our area is the m idd le -man , a n d h is exp lo i ta ­t i on o f the ignorance a n d indebted­ness of the weavers. The a r t i ­sans are v e r y improv iden t , they do n o t w o r k acco rd ing to a p lan and have l i t t l e unde rs tand ing o f budget­i n g f o r t he f u r t u r e .

Asking for Advance

The midd le -men belong to the weaver g roup or are profess ional money- lenders set t led in the v i l l ­ages. B o r r o w i n g in the v i l lages does no t have the s t i gma wh ich is a t tached to i t in the West . On the con t ra r y , i t g ives a cer ta in prest ige a n d s ta tus to the v i l l age r who is able to ge t a l oan . I t means t h a t the weaver in quest ion is c red i t ­w o r t h y a n d the more he can bor row, the h ighe r he is r a ted . Weavers a l m o s t a lways s m i l l i n g l y ask f o r an

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advance on some order, t h o u g h k n o w i n g f u l l y we l l t h a t i t w i l l no t come f o r w a r d except under special c i rcumstances. B u t i t g ives t h e m a sa t i s fac t ion i f t hey get such an a d ­vance even t h o u g h i t m a y no t be rea l l y necessary.

The i r needs are few. T h e i r houses are usua l l y mud -hu t s w i t h a t h a t c h ­ed roo f ; a j o i n t f a m i l y m a y have one or more looms. T h e men weave, the women prepare the y a r n , the dyes a n d the pat terns , a n d are co­w o r k e r s w i t h the men a n d an econo­mic asset to the f a m i l y .

Women are Co-workers The s ta tus of women in these

social groups i s h i g h a n d a t t he t ime o f m a r r i a g e ; the b r i deg room has to pay a br idepr ice f o r h is w i f e to her f a the r . W ives a re t rea ted we l l by the i r husbands as the i r l i ve l i hood is dependent to a g r e a t ex ten t on the i r he lp. A ve ry remorse fu l hus­band one d a y came to ask my help to b r i n g his w i f e back f r o m her paren ts ' home where she had gone a f t e r a domest ic a rgumen t . H i s l o o m was l y i n g id le f o r w a n t o f spun s i lk . In ano ther case a w i f e d ied a n d the husband had to h i re h imse l f out f o r wages under ano the r weaver who h a d a m o t h e r a n d w i f e t o w o r k the i n i t i a l stages o f y a r n f o r the looms. A d ra in on the i r re­sources is the hab i t o f g a m b l i n g in the v i l lages and e x t r a v a g a n t ex­pend i tu re on ceremonies a n d sea­sonal fes t i va ls .

T h e genera l p rac t ice has been to w o r k t h r o u g h midd le -men w h o g ive the weaver h is y a r n , cash advance a n d a n order f o r ce r ta in ma te r i a l s . The advances in cash are genera l l y pa id back when the woven m a t e r i a l is b r o u g h t back, bu t a f u r t h e r a d ­vance is aga in t a k e n , w i t h the re ­su l t t h a t over the years, l oan keeps on increas ing . T h e m a t h e m a t i c s o f such a loan is beyond the capac i t y o f ca lcu la t i on o f the weaver a n d unpa id loans pass on f r o m f a t h e r to son. Genera l l y on ly the in terest i s pa id up a n d the cap i ta l s tands, but the in terest pa i d i s o f ten m a n y t imes the i n i t i a l l oan amoun t . There i s a lmos t no w a y f o r the weaver to get ou t of such a s i tua t ion . I t re ­su l ts in a p a t h y a n d hopelessness a n d is a ba r to new enterpr ise, new be­g i nn ings a n d imp rovemen t i n looms, too ls a n d pa t te rns . In a f e w i n ­stances some weavers to w h o m th is s ta te o f a f f a i r s h a d become in to le r ­able have m a n a g e d to get out o f i t by g e t t i n g a l oan aga ins t f u r t h e r w o r k f r o m our pro ject . T h i s i s s t r o n g l y resented by the m idd le men in the v i l lages w h o see a t h r e a t to t h e i r pos i t ion and purse i n the w o r k o f ou r p ro jec t i n the i r area.

A n d yet, m idd le -men are also t a k i n g advan tage o f imp roved weav­i n g a n d the designs in t roduced by us. As there are no pa ten t - r i gh t s on designs, these ve ry pa t te rns are

used by o ther weavers n o t served by the p ro jec t f o r m a t e r i a l p roduced a n d so ld i n the s ta te . T h e produc ts a re f a r f r o m be ing q u a l i t y goods a n d o f s t a n d a r d co lours, w i t h t h e resu l t t h a t seeming ly the same ma te r i a l s a re produced b u t a t cheaper ra tes , as sweated labour is u t i l i sed under the pressure o f an o l d debt . We are n o w rubber s t a m p i n g the goods sent f r o m ou r pro jec t , I n o rder t o a v o i d h a v i n g i n f e r i o r p roduc t ion sold elsewhere under t he b r a n d o f our pro jec t .

Designs-Foreign and Nat ive

I n weav ing , as i n o the r f ields o f a r t i s t i c c ra f t s , i m i t a t i o n o f cheap wes te rn designs w a s i n f ash ion f o r a t ime bu t the ins istence by o u r p ro ­jec t on o r i g i n a l loca l pa t te rns a n d colour-schemes has created a de­m a n d f o r ind igenous pa t te rns in excess o f w h a t we are able to p ro ­duce on the basis we have set up . A m u c h l a rge r s ta f f is needed, es­pec ia l ly f o r superv is ion, a n d co­operat ive p roduc t ion at a h i g h level can alone ensure a s teady demand f o r designs a n d m a t e r i a l s pecul iar to our reg ion .

So f a r my contac t has been m a i n ­l y w i t h t w o groups o f the weaver -c o m m u n i t y , the tassar , o r r a w -s i l k -weavers , and the t ie-dye we-avers. Expans ion w o u l d inc lude a l l groups in our area a n d beyond. The f o l l o w i n g v i l lages have come fo r ­w a r d fo r assistance.

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THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY December 17, 1955

Villages Looms

1, B h o i p a l i 3 2. R e m u n d a 10 3. S inghpa l i 4 4, C h i c h i n d a 33 5. B h e r a n 45 6. B i n k a 6 7. J ando l 6

8. K u m a r i g a o n 4 9. K a d u b a h a l 5

10. B a r p a l i 11 11 . C h i p l i m a 2 12. K a r d u l a 1 13. B a i r a p a l i 1 14. K u s a n p u r i 1 15. R a v a n g o r a 1 10. P a r a 1 17. B a n d p a l i 1 18. Sa randapa l i 5

Around Calcutta Markets

As a l oom represents a b u t three persons, abou t 420 persons have f o u n d who le - t ime o r p a r t - t i m e occu­pa t i on f o r s ix m o n t h s i n the year . I n t h i s are n o t inc luded people w h o a re engaged by weavers a n d w h o come occas iona l ly to me, f o r some r u s h order.

Fel t Needs

Cer ta i n f e l t needs have been re ­peated ly expressed by the weavers : T h e y are :

(1) A dye ing centre f o r y a r n .

2 ) A r r a n g e m e n t s f o r whole-sa le supply o f y a r n d i rec t f r o m m i l l .

(3) Adequate m a r k e t i n g a r r a n g e ­ments f o r sale o f p roduct .

(4) E s t a b l i s h m e n t of a Co-opera t ive Weavers ' Assoc ia t ion .

(5) Adherence to loca l designs a n d pa t te rns .

T h e toughest prob lems t h a t have to be faced seem to be:

(1) L a c k o f c red i t fac i l i t i es .

(2) Indebtedness to m idd le -men.

(3) Out -da ted m a r k e t i n g pract ices.

(4) S tandard iza t ion o f goods and pa ten t r i gh t s on designs.

(5) I n t e r -S ta te compet i t i on .

T h i s note i s the outcome o f my experience over one year a n d covers on l y the m a i n po in ts . The weavers ' prob lems a re closely t ied w i t h v i l l ­age l i fe as a who le a n d t h e y cannot be iso lated. T h e stress a n d s t r a i n , the happiness a n d sor rows o f a l l are ref lected d i rec t l y in each weaver 's home as h is o w n so r row or Joy.

Obscure Trend ONE c lear f a c t emerges f r o m the

recent pr ice f luc tuat ions on the C a l c u t t a S tock Exchange . D r o p i n I n d i a n I r o n m a y n o t have caused a n y loss o f m a r k e t mora le . B u t i t i s equa l l y c lear t h a t equit ies a re no t l i k e l y to move up as l o n g as I n d i a n I r o n r e m a i n hes i tan t . I t is , i n th is contex t , n o t w i t h o u t s igni f icance t h a t c l ea r i ng ra tes f o r I n d i a n I r o n , f i xed on Tuesday, are lower t h a n those o f the previous f o r t n i g h t l y se t t lement .

B y f a r the mos t d i sappo in t i ng de-ve lopment o f the las t f e w days i s the set -back in Coa l shares. These shares we re m o v i n g up on the a r g u ­m e n t t h a t the Gove rnmen t was In terested m a i n l y i n m a x i m i s i n g coa l ou tpu t d u r i n g the second P l a n per iod, a n d no t i n n a t i o n a l i s i n g the i ndus t r y . I m p r o v e m e n t i n Coa l shares on some such g r o u n d of fered the s tock m a r k e t a welcome respi te as i t w a s fee l i ng the i m p a c t o f the d rop i n I n d i a n I r o n .

Coal Outlook Bleak T T K , S h r i Reddy a n d Mr G A S

S im, Pres ident o f the Assoc ia ted Chamber , do n o t share t he m a r ­ke t ' s o p t i m i s m . Mr S i m i s pes­s imis t ic o f t he ou t l ook f o r t he coa l i n d u s t r y . A s the C h a i r m a n o f Ben ­g a l Coa l , h e shou ld k n o w w h a t h e i s t a l k i n g a b o u t . T T K has confes­sed t h a t he shares Mr Sim's pes­s i m i s m abou t t he coa l i ndus t r y . On Tuesday, t he s t o c k m a r k e t here was f o r c e d to revise i t s v iews abou t

t h e coal i n d u s t r y i n the l i g h t o f op in ions expressed by the Pres ident o f the Assoc ia ted Chambers a n d by the U n i o n M in i s t e r s o f Commerce a n d P r o d u c t i o n .

T T K i n f o r m e d the Assoc ia ted Chamber t h a t the Gove rnmen t cou ld not g ive a n y u n d e r t a k i n g t h a t t he coal i n d u s t r y w o u l d no t be na t iona l i sed . C o a l was one o f t h e indus t r ies inc luded in the 1948 Reso­l u t i on as f i t f o r na t i ona l i sa t i on . Steel pro jects a n d the R a i l w a y s are t h e m a j o r consumers o f coa l . As the R a i l w a y s a n d the th ree new steel pro jec ts be long to the pub l ic sector, there i s every j us t i f i ca t i on , T T K c la imed, f o r n a t i o n a l i s i n g the coa l i ndus t r y . There i s n o t h i n g w r o n g w i t h th i s logic. B u t " b e a r s " shou ld n o t ignore t h a t T T K was t a l k i n g abou t l o n g t e r m prospects.

No Change

There is n o t h i n g new in the in-f o r m a t i o n f u r n i s h e d by e i ther the Commerce o r the P roduc t i on M in i s te r . I t i s n o t news t h a t the p r i va te sector o f the coa l i n d u s t r y w i l l be a l l owed to expand ou tpu t by on l y e igh t m i l l i o n tons as aga ins t t he p lanned increase of 23 m i l l i o n tons by the end o f t he second P lan -per iod . B u t the au tho r i t i es rea f f i rmed the Government ' s po l icy o f p a y i n g f u l l compensat ion, i n the event o f n a t i o n ­a l i sa t i on , to those p r i va te col l ier ies w h i c h unde r t ook expans ion pro jects .

T h o u g h the P roduc t i on M i n i s t e r

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Wednesday, E v e n i n g

has refused to o f fe r a n y guaran tee to the p r i va te sector i n the coal i n ­d u s t r y t h a t coal w i l l no t be n a t i o n ­al ised, the s ta tements by the au tho ­r i t ies in the las t f e w days h a v e no t , in a n y subs tan t i a l aspect, a l te red the k n o w n po l i cy o f N e w D e l h i t o the coal i ndus t r y . T h a t be ing so, the f a l l i n Coal shares m a y seem to be due p a r t l y to psycho log ica l fac to rs . B u t the same psycho log ica l f ac to rs suggest t h a t Coa l shares m a y take t ime to rega in the recent buoyancy.

Depression

I n the las t f e w days, events have coincided to fos ter a depressed fee l ­i n g on the s tock m a r k e t here. There were hopes t h a t the l oad o f m o u n t ­i n g tea s tocks w i l l g r a d u a l l y ease as the C a l c u t t a m a r k e t gets h a b i t u ­a ted to c lea r i ng l a rge r s tocks t h r o u g h loca l auct ions. These hopes have no t ye t mate r ia l i sed . A u c t i o n pr ices are f a l l i n g . E x p o r t demand rema ins poor. Consequent ly , Tea shares are s l ow l y los ing g round . Buyers a re keep ing a w a y f r o m th i s counter . Se l l ing pressure is not u rgent . B u t i n the absence o f i n ­ves tment support , Tea shares are g r a d u a l l y f a l l i n g .

F o r a l o n g t ime, Ju te shares have rema ined f r iendless. Deve lopments in the l as t f e w weeks have n o t been d iscourag ing . Since the release of d a t a r e l a t i n g to s tocks a t t he end of October, there have been expect­a t ions t h a t I J M A m a y decide t o u n -