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Fake varieties slowly overtake Bhavani jamakkalams
Bhavani jamakkalam, the hand-woven carpet that was introduced by a community in Erode district to curb the use of British textiles, is said to have gained widespread popularity to survive even the stiffest competition in the 19th century.
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Coimbatore
However, the multi-hued product that has also been recognised with a Geographical Indication (GI) tag is slowly losing out in its battle against fake counterparts from across the country, sources said.
The handloom product from a community of weavers from Bhavani in Erode, have, over the years, made the jamakkalam, known for its aesthetic value, to carve a niche for itself and become a part of every household. The jamakkalams are exported to various countries like Sweden, Germany, Italy, the UK, the US and Singapore. They are also popular and in demand across the country. However, the traditional product bestowed with the GI tag by the Government of India in 2005, now has a different tale to tell.
“Traders buy a cheap variant of carpets made in Solapur in Maharashtra and sell them fraudulently as hand-woven Bhavani jamakkalam across the country. Yet, the enforcement officials are turning a blind eye for reasons best known to them,” said V Siddhaiyan, secretary, Bhavani Taluk Handloom Jamakkalam, Blanket Weavers and Dyeing Workers Union.
Further, the hand-woven product is pushed to the brim as according to sources, it is produced illegally in power looms which have mushroomed in large numbers in Erode district. The manufacturing of Bhavani jamakkalams in power looms is an offence under the Handloom (Reservation of Articles for Production) Act, 1985. This Act stipulates 11 items, including Bhavani jamakkalams, to be produced only in handlooms.
Poor wages, powerloom variants sound death knell for Bhavani jamakkalam weavers
Poor wages and competition from powerlooms are proving a bane for Bhavani jamakkalam hand-woven carpets. The number of families involved in the production of jamakkalams has now come down in big numbers.
“Two decades ago, more than 20,000 workers were into weaving of jamakkalams.
The numbers have come down drastically and now there are hardly 3,000 workers involved in the making of jamakkalams. Most of these 3,000 workers too don’t take up weaving as a fulltime job for the entire year as the wages are insufficient for them to make both ends meet,” Siddhaiyan said.
M Kuppusamy (70), whose family has traditionally been into handloom production of carpets, said his earnings are dismally low even after him toiling all day. “I get not more than Rs 7,000 a month even after putting in all day in this physically demanding work,” he said.
Mentioning how the sale of carpets turned sluggish after the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST), Kuppusamy said his family could be among the last set of weavers, given the lack of support from the government and the dwindling number of skilled workforce.
“Most of them have switched over to other vocations,” he said. Kuppusamy picked up the nuances of making jamakkalams from his parents and has been into weaving over the last 50 years.
In Bhavani, jamakkalams were traditionally weaved by individual weavers with pit looms in their houses. Later, the process moved into a more organised set-up, where jamakkalam is weaved under the supervision of master weavers, who take handlooms on lease and weavers on contract.
Handloom owners claim that women weavers are paid Rs 200 per day, and men Rs 300 based on the length of woven carpet. It was in 1994 that the government last revised the wages. Despite repeated requests from various quarters, the wages are yet to be revised according to the rupee’s current value and the market realities. Meanwhile, the traders are demanding a total GST waiver for Bhavani jamakkalam to help the sector survive the odds.
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