Thirubuvanam silk sarees in trouble as demand dips

To make matters worse for handloom workers, the lack of rebates from both the Central and State governments threaten to force these sarees off the shelves The Thirubuvanam silk sarees are just as famous as Kancheepuram sarees and are marketed by Thirubuvanam Silk Handloom Weavers Co-operative (THICO) society. Thirubuvanam is located en route to Mayiladuthurai from Kumbakonam. The sarees made here are known for thier long-lasting zari, colour and designs. 

History has it that weavers from the Sourashtra community, who were known for their ability to weave handloom sarees, settled down in Thirubuvanam as per the request of the Nayak and Maratha rulers. Currently, more than 1,500 families are engaged in making handloom sarees in Thirubuvanam and Kumbakonam. THICO distributes raw materials to the weavers to make silk sarees. As many as 34 societies are currently functioning but except for a few in Madurai and Karaikudi, others suffer due to poor sales. 

“Earlier, the societies provided raw material to make at least 60 sarees per year. Now, we only get enough to make six sarees. The raw material is meant to keep us busy for 110 days. However, we can easily complete the work within 45 to 50 days, following which we remain idle in the remaining days due to lack of raw material,” G Manimurthy, the Secretary of Silk Saree Weavers Association told DTNext. 

He added that they were provided material to make a maximum of 18 sarees per year, citing that the sarees are piling up at corporative societies due to poor sale. “The poor sale is because powerloom sarees cost less to make and are cheaper than handloom sarees. These conditions persisted for the last couple of years and we have repeatedly approached the Central and State government for relief in the form of rebates. However, our pleas have not earned a response so far,” Manimurthy said. He claimed that they got a rebate of 30 per cent when Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister. 

“Since then, the government has shown no interest in reviving the dying art. A rebate will go a long way in helping us,” added Manimurthy. Since the handloom industry was no longer profitable, many traditional weavers opted for other professions. “If this trend continued, the knowledge to make traditional handloom sarees will be lost forever,” rued Manimurthy.