Burdwan Cluster: Hub of Sarees

Burdwan holds an important and considerable position in the handloom industry in West Bengal. Though this district is well-off with natural resources, a significant figure of people under rural sector preserves their living from this cluster heritage through conventional skills of handloom weaving. There are about 94000 weavers at Burdwan cluster either on a full-time or part-time work basis. Apart from this, there are extraordinary designers, dyers, card makers, traders and supplementary support providers. Approximately, 60% of weaver force is from the neighboring villages of the cluster while 40% weavers are from outside the West Bengal especially from North Bengal District.

Jamdani Sarees and Tangail sarees with special varieties like Naksa par, Butik etc cotton Baluchari, Silk/ cotton Baluchari saree which has been described as one of the most extremely valued products of Indian Textiles tradition. This cluster is an established producer of this type of heritage handloom products in West Bengal. Due to its uniqueness and craftsmanship it is beyond the affluence for competition with power loomed sarees. Different varieties of sarees produced in this cluster are very much popular and well accepted for its accomplished craftsmanship and elitism. In this cluster, funds are provided under Handloom Export Schemes. Out of nine, six of the societies have started exporting their products after receiving I.E.C. no. and rest no. of PWCS are in process to get the number. At least 180 weavers, covering 15 PWCS are busy in production of exportable fabrics. Fibre2fashion.com had an elite discussion with Mr. S. Badhopadhyaya, Cluster Development Executive of Burdwan Cluster. In this conversation he highlighted about the initiatives taken by the Government for the development of the cluster:

Government has facilitated collectivization of individual weavers by forming Self Help Groups (SHG), ensures support linkages of SHGs with Weavers Service Centre, National Institute of Fashion Technology, State Apex, Textile Committee and NHDC for skill up-gradation, marketing, design development and procurement of yarn. It provides format credit linkages through financial institutions like co-operatives/ commercial banks for SHGs, and encourages convergence of the schematic assistance from various schemes of State /Central Govt. for the weavers of this cluster to optimize resource utilization.

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Burdwan keeps Mughal era handloom tradition alive

'Jamdani' and 'Tangail' are two pioneer sarees in the field of heritage handloom products of Bengal handloom and Burdwan handloom cluster in particular.

'Jamdani' - the great characteristic of fine art in hand weaving derived from a Persian word 'Jam' meaning a 'cup' and 'Dani' denotes the 'container'. Jamdani style of weaving flourished under the benign, rich and enlightened patronage of kings and emperors.

It may be considered as a textile of excellence for its super fine qualities in the fifteenth & sixteenth centuries. Excellence in weaving lies in the virtuosity of forms drawn from the social, religious and natural environment and translated through a particular technique and the weaver's sensitivity to create a new art form.

The figured muslin with delicate motifs worked on by deft fingers, needed besides skill, unlimited patience, a length of cloth sometimes taking months to weave.

The "Mughals" recognized this excellence, acknowledged its rarity. During the region of Emperor Jahangir and Aurangzeb, the manufacturer of finer Jamdani was a rare product and a royal monopoly. After the Mughalera, Jamdanis continued to be developed under the patronage of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Tanda and Nawab of Dhaka (Bangladesh).

The weavers of Dhaka were expert in Jamdani known as 'Daccai Jamdani' for producing mainly sarees and dress materials. While the weavers of "Tanda" and "Varanasi" in Awadh were experts in weaving of 'Awadh Jamdani' for producing mainly sarees, dress materials, handkerchiefs, Ornas, caps, table cover etc.

Both "Dacca" & "Tanda" Jamdanis, the ground warp and weft threads are commonly of fine nature grey cotton yarn of counts, ranging from 60s to 150s. However, mulberry silk (13/15 Den filature) yarn were also used. The warp yarn used for selvedge at normally 1/4th width are either grey or bleached cotton in both the styles.

In case of indigo dyed Nilambari Jamdani sarees of Bengal, the selvedge yarn dyed with madder colour is beautifully matched. Bleached cotton, indigo and black dyed cotton, silver and gold zari, munga threads are used as extra weft for figured motif in Dacca whereas, bleached cotton and gold zari are in vogue in "Tanda" as extra weft. The small cut piece of 3-5 ply of these extra yarns are used for the desired effect of each motif using the same count as that of warp yarn.

8' x 8' pit looms were generally used for producing figured Jamdani. Like other sarees, hank sizing is largely followed for Jamdani from hank form yarn available in market.

The motion of layout of Jamdani fabrics are directly woven on loom by traditional master weavers from their hereditary skill, experience and talent. Traditional Jamdani motifs are geometric in concept, adopted from local flowers, birds, leaves, zig-zag lines, and so on by the weavers who improved and evolved a directory of design of "Dacca Gharana" These designs have its nomenclature in Hazar-buti, Chand, Tara-buti, Dora-kata' Dabutar- khop, Rose-leaf etc.

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