Handloom is any loom other than Powerloom
- Part 1 -
With overviews on the handlooms of Assam and Manipur

Sougrakpam Bhubol *

Manipuri Shaphee Lanphee

"Handloom is any loom other than Powerloom" is defined by the Handloom (Reservation of Articles for Production) Act, 1985. It means that powerloom which is defined by C(g), S (2) of the Factories Act, 1948 (63 of 1948) as a loom worked by power, is a different entity from handloom. In handlooms, clothes are produced physically and manually by human hands while in powerlooms, clothes/fabrics are produced with machine and power.

Again, in handloom, a loom is operated by one or more weaver(s) but a powerloom worker can operate more than one machine at a time. A weaver can weave a maximum of 20-25 meters of fabric per day but an automatic powerloom can produce not less than 80 meters of fabric per day. It indicates that the power loom is the nearest counterpart that is impacting upon the course of Handloom in terms of production capacity, market domination and finally to its identity and dignity.

Unfortunately, many powerlom units are trespassing into production of cloth(e)s which are strictly reserved for handlooms. It is exemplified by the fact that there is a popular movement called 'Powerloom Lobby' in India, under whose continuous hunting upon handlooms, the twenty-two handloom items reserved by the above Handloom Act of 1985, have been reduced to only 11(eleven) items, and power loom units are still lobbying to take out more of handloom reserved items even while they are illegally producing more handloom items, imitating handloom motifs and designs in embroidering and painting the fabrics produced by powerlooms for value addition.

A handloom census conducted about a decade ago counted 43 lakh people who work in the sector, which experts believe is a gross underestimate. To put this large figure in perspective, the total number of cotton farmers in India is estimated at eight million, so there is one handloom worker for every two cotton farmers in India according to official figures. But the sector is in serious decline, with the total number of those employed falling over the decades.

And while both the handloom weaver and the cotton farmer face multiple crises, the problems of the former are far less visible than those of the latter. Every job created in the powerloom sector displaces 14 handloom weavers. Considering that powerloom cloth is priced much cheaper than that of woven on handlooms, the mushrooming of powerlooms led to massive displacement in the handloom sector."1 (Neeta Deshpande, 2018).

It is a reality that there are many weavers left out in Manipur to be covered by the 4th Handloom Census, 2019-20, and the same may have happened in many other states too. Weavers say that they do not oppose entry and fast development of powerlooms in the country in order to meet people's demand for modern and computerized fabrics, but they strongly oppose encroachment to the handloom items which are exclusively reserved for the weavers since their working in hamdloom is for both family maintenance and preservation of the cultural heritage of the nation or society, even while living in vulnerable conditions as marginalized section in society.

While the handloom sector faces problems of technological limitations, cost factors, market dynamics, and policy challenges and wants for better infrastructure, innovation, and sustained support from both the government and consumers, the second largest population of the country are employed in this sector. The powerloom lobby that accounts for 60% of fabric production (handlooms come next with 15%) wants to blur the differences between powerloom and handloom to claim benefits limited to handlooms. They want a "handmade" image, realizing the massive demand potential. It is done as a masquerade of pity for the "poor"2 (Shefalee Vasudev, 2015)

The handloom sector of India is not only one of the largest unorganized economic sectors but also maintains the Indian culture of rich heritage and the distinct status of artisanship. The uniquely beautiful hand-spinning, weaving, and printing style of the Indian artists, who mostly hail from small villages of the country, with the inheritance of inborn qualities and skills from one generation to the next, are worldly acclaimed.

According to the 4th Handloom Census 2019-20, the number of handloom weavers' households in the country is 31.45 lakhs (weaving and allied activities) which is increased from the 27.83 lakh recorded by the 3rd Handloom Census. It is estimated that handloom sector in India gives direct employment to 35.23 lakh weavers including allied workers and contributes 15% of the cloth production of the country and 95% of the world's handwoven fabrics.

Including an estimation of the weavers uncovered by the census, a total of 43.31 lakh weavers are given employment handloom sector of which 77% are women. Each and every state of India has unique handloom products such as jacquard products from Uttar Pradesh, Chanderi from Madhya Pradesh, Phulkar from Punjab, Silk-weaving (Mekhla/Saree) of Assam, and Panek and Innaphee of Manipur, etc.

Product ranges of India handloom, are sarees, kurtas, shawls, ghagra choli(lehenga choli), lungies, Phanek, towels, chunnies, religious clothes, traditional attires, fashion accessories, and bedspreads, etc. Above this, the sector also produces fashion fabrics, western dresses, bed linens, drapes, kitchen linen, decorative furnishings, rug durries, etc.

According to the 4th Handloom Census, the status of handloom in India may be sketched at a glance as under