GANDHI WAS FOR KHADI ANNA WAS FOR HANDLOOM BUT WHO PROMOTED IMPORTS OF WESTERN BRANDS DEPRIVING OUR WEAVERS OF DECENT LIFE?

TAMIL WEAVERS LOST THEIR PLACE UNDER THE SUN

N.Nandhivarman

You would have seen protests in Indian cities, which is an every day affair. Have you heard that the weavers of London protested in the streets of London in 1700 demanding ban on import of Indian textiles. Indian textiles were far superior to British products and weavers of British Isles forced their government to ban Indian textiles. The excavations in Red Sea ports and Dutch maritime records reveal that once upon a time India was the couturier of the world. Ms.Rosemary Crill of the V& A Museum of London along with co-authors Ruth Barnes and Steven Cohen published a book Trade, Temple and Court Indian Textiles from Tapi Collections, wherein she states “The East India Company was founded in 1600 to sell British woolen cloth to India, their ships arrived in India in Surat [of Gujarat] in 1608 with vast quantities of broadcloth but the trade soon faltered and died out. What changed their fortune was the discovery of cotton, which was completely unknown in Europe.” Till 18^th century from 10 th century, Indian weavers were unbeatable in world markets. In fact most of them were Tamil weavers.

Recently speaking at the Historical Society of Puducherry, Professor Orse M.Gobalakichenane who published the Veera Naicker’s diary 1778-1792 admitted that even in France, French weavers protested against import of textiles from French India namely Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe, Yenam and Chandranagore. Quoting Veera Naicker’s diary Professor Orse.M.Gobalakichenane narrated on how the kaikolars, the Tamil community of weavers were taken on three year contract to French colonies to teach local weavers, weaving techniques. I intervened and asked, why France took weavers from Puducherry, whereas they could have brought from their France. Economics apart, it became evident by the Professor’s reply that French weavers protested Puducherry textiles leading to the logical conclusion that our weavers were far superior in their skills which made them wanted species every where.

Even within India, Gujarat particularly Ahamadabad attracted lot of Tamil weavers from Puducherry and Cuddalore regions prior to independence and post independence. Aringnar Anna, the charismatic leader of DMK when he flew to Ahamadabad in fifties of last century saw the chimneys of too many textile mills and commented that “I have seen coconut groves but not mill groves”. Those textile mills are razed to ground and becoming shopping malls and housing complexes in Ahamadabad. Successive generations of weavers have opted out of their traditional profession. In Puducherry too the three textile mills built by French were the backbone of the economy of French India. They are now sick industries breathing hard to survive in competitive economy. Our madness to go after branded products from west and inferiority complex about our textiles and weavers had made us dependent on textile imports too.

Our weavers are capable of adapting to changing times even in this century.

 Dharmavaram, a small sleepy town in Ananthapur District of Andhra Pradesh in India is known for silk saris and equated with Kanchipuram. The weavers of this Dharmavaram had brought out a singing saree known as Swaramaduri, which they weave with reloadable 4 GB memory card and with a switch in the saree music could be heard for 4 meters around. Let us patronize our weavers, our weaver’s products and keep them as rare species which once conquered the world now languishing for our attention to regain the past supremacy in world trade.