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Thursday, Mar 20, 2008
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Online edition of India's National Newspaper Thursday, Mar 20, 2008 ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version |
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Tamil Nadu
Threat looms: Starched and coloured silk thread being dried up preparatory to weaving in Kancheepuram. KANCHEEPURAM: Soaring bullion rates seem to have pushed the famous Kancheepuram handloom silk sari weaving industry into recession. Weavers, who have been in the business for generations, lament that they are not able to get more lucrative orders either from handloom silk cooperative weaving societies or from private players. This is because of a steep increase in ‘zari’ cost. They say that while one mark (242 gms) of `zari’ was sold at around Rs.3500 a year ago, it is now sold at around Rs.6,000. Higher wages used to be offered for weaving a sari which would have higher ‘zari’ content, said Seshadri of Narayanapalayam Street. Normally cooperative societies pay weavers around Rs.2000 for weaving a sari of minimal ‘zari’ content. A maximum of Rs.8000 is offered as wages by the societies, depending on the ‘zari’ content. On the other hand, private players would always provide wages, which would be 10 per cent less than what the societies offered. A normal Kancheepuram silk sari would comprise one mark of ‘zari’ and would be woven, using a three-fold silk thread, Mr. Seshadri said, adding that nowadays the three-fold silk thread had been replaced with a two-fold one in order to reduce the production cost. Even then, the retail cost of such saris would hover around Rs.10,000, he said. At the same time, an alternative strategy, adopted by the industry to produce silk saris sans ‘zari’ work, has failed to evoke a favourable response from the customers, said Y. M. Narayanasamy, president, Kanchipuram Handloom Silk and Lace Sari Manufacturers Association. Such saris have a restricted number of customers as only young women are attracted by the plain silk saris which would be light in weight. Old and middle-aged women do not even recognize these saris as ‘Kancheepuram silk saris’, he added. Here again, the handloom weaving industry has been put in a disadvantageous position as the powerloom-woven plain silk saris, with or without embroidery or stone work, from neighbouring States, have flooded the market. Blaming the online trading of bullion as the prime reason for the downtrend, Mr. Narayanasamy urged the Union government to ban online trading of gold and silver in order to save the traditional handloom silk weaving industry.
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