Agartala: For 15 years, Rakhal Das has been running six handlooms in his small unit installed in his house. Das, in his forties, has no other source of income. Just like 300-odd families in the village called Taranagar located in Mohanpur under the West Tripura district, he is a professional handloom weaver and inherited the craft from his late father.
Then something changed, and many feared the worst. “We used to weave bandages, bed sheets for hospitals, saree for Anganwadis, attire for cleaning staff of Agartala Municipal Corporation and other municipal bodies. These products were procured by the state government through local weavers’ cooperative society called the Taranagar Taant Shilpi Samabay Samiti. But a few years ago, the number of government orders dwindled abysmally,” says Rakhal.
Thankfully, the open market stepped in to help.
Taranagar is located in Mohanpur under the West Tripura district and the weavers are mostly Bengalis. But thanks to years of living with the state’s indigenous population, the weavers are now adept at making indigenous attire too. One such product is ‘Risha‘, an inseparable part of indigenous clothing with multiple uses based on the occasion. Shaped like a scarf, Risha is used as headgear, neckwear, and during winters, as an alternative to a muffler.
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Such has been the product’s demand that its market now extends much beyond the indigenous customers. It has gained popularity in the Bengali-dominated areas and seen as a symbol of the state’s identity. Many people have credited former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb for the wide popularity of this specific product. He used Risha extensively in his political campaigns and continues to use them.
Other products the weavers of Taranagar are now making include ‘Rignai’ colloquially known as ‘Pasra’ for Tripuri, Manipuri and Chakma people. Rignai or Pasra is the primary dress code of the indigenous women in Tripura. Kamala Sarkar, who has a unit of ten looms at her house, told EastMojo that clothes weaved by her workers are now sold across the state. “We are sending our weaved clothes to Teliamura, Khowai, Agartala and other parts of the state. Wherever we get contracts, we send our products.”
Nabin Das, a young weaver working in his brother’s unit for the last six years, agreed. “We send our products according to the demand. The owners decide the quantity. Risha is the most popular thing now. We procure the threads from the open market and bring them to our looms. The Rishas are sold per consignment of 180 pieces each. For that, we have to spend around Rs 12,000. We earn about Rs 25,000 for about 180 pieces. The production value is high because many people are associated with the handloom and the end product is a collective effort of all the workers of the loom,” Das explained.
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Similar was the response from Nabin Das, a young weaver who has been working in his brother’s unit for the last six years. “We send our products according to the demand. The quantity is decided by the owners and then we supply that,” he said.
“Risha is the most popular thing now. We procure the threads from the open market and bring them to our looms. The rishas are sold per consignment of 180 pieces each. For that, we have to spend around Rs 12,000 and from the market we get somewhat close to Rs 25,000 for the 180 pieces. The production value is high because many people are associated with the handloom and the end product is a collective effort of all the workers of the loom,” Das explained.
On Rignai, Das said, “Different designs cost differently. There is no fixed price for it.”
Titan Sarkar, a contemporary of Nabin, said, “If everything runs smoothly, 10 to 15 Rishas could be weaved a day. It is a new product for us. In the last few years, it has worked wonders for the dying art of handloom.”
Gopesh Mandal, a weaver from the same village and also one of the executive members of Purbasha, the state-owned corporation responsible for the promotion and sale of handloom products of the state, said, “In the last four and half years, the demand for Risha has increased manifold. People, irrespective of caste and community, have made it a part of their lives. This has become possible after Bharatiya Janata Party came to power. Ultimately, our weaver brothers are also happy as they have found a scope of earning through this.”
Mandal also claimed that about 80 per cent of Rishas manufactured in the state are weaved in the handlooms of Taranagar village. “Apart from Risha, our weaver brothers also make lungi, saree, bandages, etc,” he added.
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When asked about the source of the thread, he said, “The bandage thread is purchased from NHIDC at 10 per cent subsidy. The other threads are purchased in bulk individually by the weavers from the open market.”
‘Open market has its own risks’
While the weavers are happy at the exposure in the open market, they still do not trust it as a long-term solution. Even as the BJP government has been encouraging local textiles, the government’s low procurement means people are slightly worried. They feel if the government does not procure, the competition in the open market will get tougher and give an unfair advantage to unscrupulous traders and stockists. After the money is invested, the weaver has to sell his product, otherwise, he would be unable to purchase threads or clear workers’ dues. Since the government market is shrinking, private businessmen are now bargaining for lower prices.
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“We used to work for Samiti (cooperative society) founded in 1979. Earlier, we did not have to worry about the open market because the government was procuring our stuff. Now, we rarely receive any order from the cooperative society. Now, since it is not working like before, we have been left at the market’s mercy. And, as per the market’s nature, the margin of sale is now dropping. If I go and sell my Risha at Rs 150, some other weaver who needs money may sell it at a lesser price. There is no fixed price for buying,” explained Kamala Sarkar.
Rakhal Das also demanded that the government procure their products directly for offices and events. “We haven’t raised the issue with the government so far. But, I feel if the government intervenes we could be saved from the exploitation of the open market,” he pointed out.
Sources in the handloom handicrafts said, “The state government has been procuring the bed sheets, bandages and other stuff that used to be purchased in bulk from Taranagar from other states at comparatively cheaper prices. However, the procurement has not stopped completely. A part of the total requirement is still being sourced from Taranagar society.”
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