Bhavani Jamakkalam: Weavers in knots despite GI tag

It’s nearing lunchtime. In the scorching heat with temperatures already soaring over 40 degrees Celsius, two bare-bodied men and two women sit on the cow dung-smeared mud floor to weave Jamakkalam (thick cotton carpets) at Kuruppanaickenpalayam village in Tamil Nadu’s Erode district.

The weavers in their late 30s and 40s, move their hands constantly with a weft shuttle in hand to weave the carpet bit by bit. Their feet remain entrenched in the pit where the wooden loom stands. A bottle of oil is kept handy to lubricate the moving parts of the loom. It’s hanged alongside the yarns. All of them are either second- or third-generation weavers. Sitting beside them is an old lady who spins the yarns that are passed on to the weavers. Nearly a third of the population in this village under Bhavani taluk are unlettered, as per the Census 2011.

Considered a highly laborious task, the weavers say their lives haven’t improved much over the years and lack of innovation in the looms have resulted in them losing out to competitors from other states. Besides, the GST and lockdown impact only worsened their conditions with dwindling earnings.

A long tradition

Jamakkalams are part and parcel of Tamil households. The carpets are used during special occasions like marriage, musical concerts, group dining, and more. The bright multi-colour carpets are being handwoven for decades here. The Bhavani Jamakkalams got geographical identification (GI) in 2005 — something the vendors hoped would bring them not just pride but some profits too. But the emergence of power looms proved a death knell to these handlooms.

The daily wages of the weavers have remained stagnant for almost five years. While they get Rs 200-220 a day, those spinning the yarn get just Rs 100 a day. Needless to say, with the rising costs, they are unable to make ends meet.

The loom owners mainly blame government policies for their poor condition. Over the years, the manufacturing of Jamakkalams has taken a hit with various factors affecting the business.

Shakuntala M, 45, has been weaving carpets for the past 15 years. Every morning, she wakes up early and finishes her housework by 9am. She then starts weaving. Shakuntala and her co-worker toil for six hours daily and earn Rs 200-220 a day. Depending on the quality of the yarn, the product weight and price it fetches in the market varies.

It takes two people’s work for two days to weave one 10-by-10-foot carpet, Shakuntala says. Her work depends on the availability of yarns. The carpet she produces will be sold to the cooperative society at Rs 2,000. In the open market, it can go up to Rs 4,000.

“In a day, if I can earn Rs 200 that’s a big thing. Our earnings haven’t changed much in the past five years. And since 2018 we aren’t getting work regularly,” she says.

Shakuntala has two school-going kids and her husband works as a coolie (porter) in the town.

“The money that we earn is not enough for the entire family’s needs as everything has turned expensive.”

Another woman, a widowed senior citizen who’s been spinning yarn for the past three decades after her husband’s demise, says she and others like her don’t have any other skills. So this is the only work they know and do. Although it is becoming increasingly difficult to work at her age, Saraswati’s poor financial condition doesn’t allow her to retire. Her son is hearing impaired. “So, people do not give him work,” she says.

Saraswati earns Rs 200 in three days after spinning two bundles of yarn for nearly 10 hours of work. She works from 7am to 7pm daily and brings lunch from home. With a monthly pension of Rs 100, she barely manages to survive. Her daughter with two kids lives with her and weaves cloth bags to make ends meet. “I used to get Rs 50 a day a decade ago. Now, it has doubled. But how can I survive with that money and feed an ailing son?” she asks.

The Bhavani handloom cooperative society had close to 8,000 members two decades ago. But now it merely has 290 members. Not knowing any other job, the weavers are forced to stick to this industry.

Dwindling business

Lack of innovation and advanced technology in the looms remained a concern for the handloom weavers. With big investment hard to come by, many stuck to handloom even as the power looms thrived post-2000s in other regions. Entrepreneurs say administrative hurdles in the cooperative sector, the GST levy, and alleged corruption, all affect their day-to-day activities.

Saraswati and Shakuntala fear they would be the last generation of weavers in the town. They both do not want their kids to go through the difficulty they are now undergoing.

Selvaraj M, a textile businessman in Bhavani, says none of the governments paid heed to their problems. Besides with the thread rates increasing every year, he says it’s difficult to sustain.

“And then there’s the concern of GST. It’s not practically possible to bill every time we move the items from one place to another. The government should understand this,” he says.

To add to that, the power looms have made things worse. “If two people can weave a carpet in two days, the power looms can produce one in just two hours.

Prakash KM, 39, another weaver-turned-loom owner, says the lack of innovation in the handloom sector — besides power looms which are a direct competition to their business — is the main reason for their dwindling business.

Prakash, a third generation weaver, says women find it difficult to weave these days. Moreover, carpets coming from Solapur (Maharashtra) have dented their business. “In Solapur, they have advanced looms. If we can weave one carpet, they weave three around the same time and pay weavers Rs 500 a day,’ says Prakash.

Even though the government is giving subsidy, Prakash says that’s not reaching the weavers.

Besides, there are allegations of corruption. Loom owners say from the stage of bidding for yarn to picking up stock and the dyeing stage, where they have to get clearance from the pollution control board, they have to pay extra charges every time. Also, since the loom owners are not allowed to pick up raw material from private players, they tend to purchase from the ministry-directed units, which the owners say, are not of good quality.

All this is making it almost impossible for these people to sustain their business.

Vishwanathan S, an entrepreneur employing four-six weavers, says the officials and ministers take commission and give poor quality yarn that affects their business.

“If it costs Rs 220 for a bundle (of yarn), NHDC [National Handloom Development Corporation] charges Rs 270. And when we get the colored yarn, if the cost of dyeing is Rs 80, they charge us Rs 100, taking Rs 10 for the officer and Rs 10 for the minister,” alleges Vishwanath. Attempts by The Federal to reach Textile Minister OS Manian didn’t elicit any response.

According to Selvaraj, there is so much red tape that officials often find a way to criticise or refuse clearance at each step. “If we do something, they ask us to do something else. There is no fixed procedure. Neither the government nor the officer tells us the right way to do it. And it delays the availability of yarn and, in turn, affects our production.”

He adds that the government instead of giving rebates on central and state levies, should give it upfront when they take loans. This will help reduce their interest payments. “They make announcements. But by the time we repay our loans, we don’t even get to know whether the rebate is adjusted or not.”

While Selvaraj and Vishwanath want free-market opportunities, Prakash believes only technology and innovation can change their lives. For this, he says the government needs to make available the existing resources in full spirit.

“We have a cooperative society. But because of officials, these workers don’t get the benefit. They have to bring advanced technology to looms so that people can earn better,” he says.