Traditional Handloom Industry of Kerala

Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. .7(1), January 2008, pp. 50-52

Traditional handloom industry of Kerala

KKN Kurup Centre for Heritage Studies, Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala, Hill Palace, Thripunithura 682 301, Kerala E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] Received 3 September 2007; revised 23 October 2007

The paper describes the traditional handloom industry of Kerala. The Padma Saliyas community in Kerala used spinning and weaving aspects of textile production. Two sects of caste, Idankai and Valankai represented spinners and weavers, respectively. Native craftsmen of Kerala, produced items like, Mundu, Thorthu, Veshti and Pudava through the handlooms. In Kerala, even now the hand woven clothes known for their durability, finishing, charming colours and smoothness. The traditional pit looms are almost disappeared in favour of wooden framed looms as a matter of technological change. Further from the cottage industry, it has changed into the factory pattern also. Key words: Traditional weaving, Pit loom weaving, Traditional handloom, Kerala IPC Int. Cl.8: D01

India is a country renowned for her power loom and attributed to its members. They remain even now as a handloom industries of different varieties of textiles, backward caste. for different purposes from bed cover to bridal dress. This occupational group had migrated to Kerala Her tradition of cloth starts from vedic age to the from Andhra or Tamil Nadu, where cotton cultivation present, spread over thirty to forty centuries. Such a and weaving had widely prevailed. Kerala as a land long span of centuries had really made technological exposed to monsoon rains, was not suitable for cotton changes, new innovations, classified patterns, new cultivation. The two sects of the caste Idankai and tastes and new skills in the production of dress Valankai represented spinners and weavers, material and fabric decorations. Different regions of respectively. Tantuvaya is a weaver; Tantaka is a India like Banaras, Kanchipuram, Rajasthan, loom; Tantu or sutram is a yarn. Inter-marriages Hyderabad, and Calicut had their different varieties of among these two sections were forbidden according to handloom textiles, manufactured by specialized the caste rules. It is supposed that necessary yarns for artisans and craftsmen with specialized designs, the looms were brought from other places to Kerala’s colour, decorations and varieties. In fact, the clothes centre of cloth production. The weaving community from Calicut were responsible to denote calico, a settled in a street or a particular centre much against variety of clothes in Spanish to identity that city with the Kerala pattern of dispersed settlements and the same name. Kerala, as a highly populated region habitats. In such streets or centres they worshipped from the rest of India, had incorporated textile Ganapathi and Siva being their patron deities. As per production in her socio-economic system along with tradition in ancient period, there was no large scale her social formation in a distant past. The community use of clothes for both men and women in Kerala of Padma Saliyas in Kerala used to spinning and society. Further, clothes were used as such for weaving, two major aspects of textile production. As wearing and covering the body. A body cover for an artisan class that participated in a much essential women is called Kunchattam. Even aristocratic requirement of society, its members or their caste or women left their upper body part naked. The tribals as community enjoyed some respect in the caste- marginalised sections covered their secret part of the hierarchical system of Kerala Society. The chieftains bodies with leaves even in the Twentieth century. and rulers encouraged these craftsmen to settle in However, the best varieties of cloth like Muslin, Silk, their respective jurisdiction and extended some sort of Vesti, Kazavumundu, and Pudava were popular patronage. As a caste, no distant pollution was among the aristocracy and landed class. There are KURUP: TRADITIONAL HANDLOOM INDUSTRY OF KERALA 51

regional variations in the names of finished handloom the male. Then he learned to weave Chuttithorthu and clothes and their designs. The mundus or clothes to finally Mund and Chela for male and female, wear are named as Puliyilakkara, Chuttikkara, respectively. In Sanskrit, this particular cloth was Kasavu, Pattukara, Settu mund Putava, etc. Further, known as Kashapatam, which was known as Putava, Kavani, Kachamuri, Neryatu, Veshti, Tattam Kachottam in Malayalam. Later, probably based on and Kaccha are some other varieties. The imported this word, the term Kachavatam for trade became Chinese silk and Veerali Pattu (from Gujarat) had popular in Malayalam for all sales. The small boys been described in the indigenous literature. Onam, a are compelled to sit in the pits for weaving at an early special annual festival, was celebrated through age. Thus, his education and growth fell into the pit. centuries and Onappudava or Onamundu was Later, he has no escape from these pits of hell. All distributed among dignities and common people as because of poverty for the belly of 15 cm it was gifts and presents. This item of textile with yellow done1. The occupation was transmitted from father to colour is known as Chittada also. Other variety used son. A child learned everything of the craft from his to weave was Deviri for such festival. A weaver house. Even the special designs of Kancheepuram before one week of Onam festival suspended weaving Sari were applied to his mind at a young age. Thus and restored it only after one week of the festival with the quality and its production technology continued rituals in favour of the deity. After industrial for centuries without many changes. Formerly, revolution, the Europeans were able to find a good women did not participate in the weaving occupation. market for their broad cloth in Kerala also. The But she learned all allied aspects of the weaving, from impact of such import of material on native craftsmen the family. At morning, she sat for stretching the Pavu in Kerala is not traceable. As a producing class their or Warp. The yarn was tied through a bamboo pipe decline started due to such import of mill made and distributed among the three wooden poles or clothes. As a community, however they produced Poorani. Later, the system of three poles was their items like Mundu, Thorthu, Veshti and Pudava substituted by Pavumaram. The warp and woofs were through the pit looms. The centres like applied with rice water for adding starch for Chendamangalam, Balaramapuram and Chirakkal stiffening. Later, colours were also applied as dye and were famous for special varieties of cloth. But, their sometimes the undyed yarns were kept in water for production technologies, based on pit looms were one two weeks and later dried. In pit loom, Achu and and the same everywhere in South India. Rakka were used to compress the yarn. Further, the shuttle (otam) was thrown by one hand and it was In the pit loom, a pit was dug for the purpose and caught by the other. The feet plank was pressed and the weaver sat on the top, putting his legs inside. This put in motion and loosen simultaneously and the was the traditional technology which continued in the weaving process continued. The weaver or the weaving for long centuries in India. But the industrial craftsman had to concentrate his eye, feet and hand revolution brought the flying shuttles in the and apply the mind in every minute. Then only he production. However, India could not go for it even could make a finished good suitable for the market. in the 1850’s as a matter of colonial policy. Further steam, power or electricity was not available in the The daily wage or profit available to a weaver is weaving centres. The pit looms were owned by less in comparison to other category of wage individuals and families. In this production system, labourers. With all his technical skill and knowledge, the craftsmen or weavers were not alienated in favour the wages available to him even now are not of a factory system. The family labour including that attractive. Thus, many of them in the colonial period of women and child was the main source of continued this occupation just for a bare living. His production. A labouring class alienated from the life and conditions were deplorable. Their habitats ownership of looms as in the modern weaving were huts and they were compelled to live in acute factories had not come up in these centres. Even at an poverty. The impact of coarse cloth, cheaper and age of seven, a boy learned to help his father along manufactured in the mills did havocs on the life of the with his mother in the process of weaving. He first weaving community. Many of them shifted to other learned to weave Kaimund or Konakam or wage labour. Some of them even went as coolies and Kachattam, which usually was broad 0.1524 m and their looms remained idle for want of capital and 0.6096 m long for covering the secret body parts of market. In 6 different traditional territorial 52 INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL. 7, No. 1, JANUARY 2008

jurisdictions of Kerala, there existed about 96 weavers. A weaver or a craftsman will not desire that weavers’ streets exclusively belonging to the Saliyas his son or daughter should follow him in the same or weaving community. The handloom industry occupation. It does not bring the craftsman a deplorably got destroyed. From 1824 to 1836, it is substantial family wage. Thus, in many of the waving estimated that, there was an increase from one million centres, the families are in search of other to 64 million yarns. At the same time, the production opportunities. For many, the great tradition of of Dacca muslin fell from 150000 to 20000. In craftsmanship had been lost forever, the factory 1860’s, there were technological reforms in the system with its plus and minus points has dominated weaving as introduced by the Basel Missionaries. the production process in the handloom. Further, a When these missionaries in Malabar converted the weaver has to face health hazards, related to labouring class into their religious fold or respiratory system. The particles of cotton, the Christianity, its members lost their traditional chemical ingredients from the yarn manufactured occupation. Thus many of them opted for weaving. form the mills, continuous hand exercise, etc. make The Basel Industrial Mission started to reform the pit his health deteriorated and old age pitiable without looms by substituting wooden framed looms social protection. But as a craftsman, he has constructed on four wooden poles. By using man responsible to inherit a great tradition of textiles, hand power to mobilise the weaving shuttles as flying into spun and hand woven, enriched through centuries. a shuttle box, they introduced a new technology. Kerala is a region where even now the hand weave Here, electricity or steam power was substituted by clothes are known for their durability, finishing, man power. However, the cost of wooden framed charming colours and smoothness. looms was much higher than those of the pit looms. Conclusion Many poor families could not adopt this technology. The Government of Kerala has introduced some One major improvement was that a weaver could special programmes for the development of handloom produce several yards of broad clothes and he could industry. Many of the individuals engaged in this earn more wages. traditional industry are brought under the Another improvement was that, simultaneously the management of co-operative societies. The society weaving process came into a factory system, as a makes necessary supplies of yarn and receives back capitalist mode of production. The craftsmen were the finished goods. The marketing is undertaken by alienated from the means of production and were the society. On particular festival occasions, converted into wage labourers. The Basel Government permits to claim a rebate of 30% on their missionaries started a number of weaving factories sales and reimburses such claim to the respective with their capital at Calicut, Mangalore and other society. Such rebate system of subsidy encourages the places. They continued as commonwealth factories. production in the handloom industry from its They produced a new variety of cloth known as Kakki moribund situation. Recently, the Government has in brown colour for police and defence forces. They also requested its employees, students and teachers to also manufactured bed spreads etc. for European wear hand woven dress on Saturdays to promote the markets. It was an intermediary technology industry. Further, special textile institutes are also incorporated in the traditional handloom weaving and organised to conduct research and new designing to at the later stage came the introduction of power attract international market for cotton-hand weave looms in India. Both wooden framed looms and pit material. However, the handloom industry as such looms co-existed in the traditional weaving centres for faces a great crisis from the competition initiated by several decades. During the Indian struggle for the power looms and their cheap commodity freedom, Khadi, a variety of hand-woven cloth was production based on mechanisation. However the popularised as a cottage industry. This situation gave handloom survives as one of the largest sectors of new opportunity to the handloom industry also. After employment, particularly consisting of weaker independence, there had been substantial effort in sections of wage labourers. Kerala to promote handloom by organising co- operative societies and their apex societies. Even with References the subsidies from the Government. The industry 1 Krishnan Pattiyam O, Kerala Padma Saliya Samuham could not flourish or incorporate large number of (Malayalam, Talasserry), 1997, 153