Gadag handloom cluster transforming with changing times

Gadag cluster is a famous cotton trading centre for Jayadhar variety of cotton. It has also occupied a significant place in the handloom industry of Karnataka. There are about 3,600 active working handlooms in the cluster. A round 10,000 people are depending in this industry for their livelihood. The cluster is also very much popular for its traditional product called Gaadi Dhadi Sarees .

History of the Gadag handloom cluster shows the rise and fall of products and goods manufactured in the past years. Even the products manufactured here have been changed from ordinary cotton sarees to mercerized cotton saris and high quality of silk saris. Today more than 50% of the production is only of cotton saris. Though the profit margin is meager in cotton saris, but it enjoys better demand compared to silk saris.

These "Gaadi dhadi" traditional saris are largely worn by women of north Karnataka and some parts of Masharastra. These people prefer these saris for almost all their cultural and traditional functions because of its combination of harmonious colours, quality and richness.

The core cluster actors are small weavers, weavers who are job workers, businessmen weavers, and small handloom production units, KHDC Ltd and the Handloom cooperative societies. Apart from weavers, skilled designers are also available in the cluster. The local designer needs adequate training for the up-gradation of design development to meet the present market needs.

Majority of the handlooms in the cluster are working under the patronage of the KHDC. The handloom weavers who work for KHDC produce furnishing fabrics, terry towels, bedsheets, suiting, shirtings, floor coverings, tablemats, etc. The other weavers in the cluster limit themselves to producing silk, silk blends and cotton traditional saris.

Almost all the weavers in the cluster are depending on job work. The weaver working under KHDC will get raw materials from KHDC and they after weaving the materials hand it back to the KHDC. The weavers, who get the raw materials from cooperative societies, produce for the respective cooperative societies.

The weavers under the master weavers to their master weavers, the weavers of khadi board to their respective khadi board. These weavers are paid the conversion charges on piece rate basis. Only the small weavers do their business on their own. The KHDC and Khadi Board market their products through their chain of sales outlet and directly to different govt institutions. The cooperatives and the small manufacturer weavers will supply their goods to local retailers and wholesalers.

The small weavers sell their products in the local market directly to the consumer or to the local trader. It has been observed in the value-chain analysis that the local traders enjoy greater margin than the others. But after proper intervention for cost reduction in inputs through bulk purchase, improved processing methods, upgrading designs and introduction of direct selling mechanism, instead of the trader, this has helped increase the earnings and margins of the weavers.

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Bargarh Handloom Cluster - A caption for every motif or design

Bargarh Handloom cluster is spread over the entire Block of Bargarh, Attabira, Bijepur and Sohella. The cluster has 7158 numbers of looms as per the survey report of the zonal Handloom office taken up during the year 2004 out of which 5102 looms are working in 299 different villages.

The main products of the cluster are cotton sarees of tie and dye and small amount of dress materials, lungis and napkins etc. The annual production is around 10 Crores rupees. The products of this area are mostly marketed in Orissa and National market. The cluster so to say represents Orissa in quantitative and qualitative Tie and Dye Cotton Sarees as no other clusters of other districts in Orissa produces such sarees.

Bargarh is one of the major revenue generating district, situated in western part of Orissa. It is 380 Kms far from state capital, Bhubaneswar and around 50 Kms far from Sambalpur Town. The town is well connected with road and railways. it is on the Road side of National Highway number 5 (Mumbai - Kolkata). The nearest Air port is Raipur, state capital of Chhatisgarh.

The weaving in the cluster by the traditional weavers’ community popularly known as "Bhulia" came in to existence during mid of 17th century and with increase in their population, they spread to other nearby places. They initially belong to Rajasthan and were presented during the 14th century to the ruler of Patna State, a king of Chouhan dynasty "Ramai Deb". Later on they were presented to the king of Sonepur during the 16th century and scattered to the nearby district i.e., Bargarh in the next century.

The cluster consists sizable number of professional weavers (Non traditional) from Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe (Kuli caste) weavers, which in total accounts for 60 %. Generally these weavers are less skilled and engaged in production of Napkin, Lungi, Sarees, Dhotis, etc.

Weaving with Tie dye in the cluster prior to 40”s was done with 40''/42'' looms operated with hanging slay and engaged in producing Kapta, Lungi and Napkins made of 12's/16's/20's cotton yarn. The yarns were dyed with vegetable colours. The main colours were Yellow (from Turmeric), Maroon (From bark of Aal tree), Blue form Nile and Black (From Hirakasi and Chakda Seeds).

Fabrics of vegetable colours were sometimes not fast and ranges of colours were also limited, forcing the Tie-Dye production in to limited colours and so also the design. Such practice was on vogue till the mid of 40s when vat colour was first substituted for in place of some vegetable colours.

The next major changes in the cluster took place with the introduction of twisted cotton mercerized yarn and synthetic colours in the early 60's. The looms started widening mainly to 52" width for normal sarees and other production and 90" for double bed sheet production. There were also few 60'' / 72" looms to accommodate weaving of middle-sized bed sheets.

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