Weaving a success story

D.V.L. Padma Priya
http://www.hindu.com/2009/01/12/stories/2009011251040200.htm

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Eight youths from the weaver community, employed in odd jobs, find a viable vocation after training in weaving and dyeing

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New skills: Youths from Kolluru village in Adilabad district attending a design workshop.

HYDERABAD: It was a skill that literally ran in their blood. But it was an opportunity that was missing for a good 20 years. For these eight rural youth from Kolluru village in Adilabad District, weaving might not have been a natural livelihood choice, but it surely paved a way out of their poverty.

For D. Bhaskar, A. Suresh, D. Damodar, D. Mahesh, D. Chandrashekar, D. Sampath. V. Nagesh and R. Srinivas, the wheel of fortune turned in their favour when they were identified by Dastkar Andhra (DA), a city-based NGO. Aged between 20 and 24, the eight hailing from the weaver community were living in abject poverty. Many had dropped out of school and had been employed in odd jobs.

Motivation

Their condition was brought to the notice of DA in 2006 when an older group of weavers in nearby Chennur informed them. A year’s training in weaving and dyeing, and the youth were all set to weave their own fortunes. “They were quick in grasping what was taught,” says V. Dharmender, in-charge, DA Production & Design, DA. Apart from appointing a master weaver to train them, DA also paid them a monthly stipend of Rs.1,000. “What motivated us to take up weaving was the fact that we didn’t have to work under anybody,” says D. Chandrasekhar.

Even after graduation, D. Sampath, a former teacher at a government school, finds weaving a sustainable livelihood optionHere to participate in a DA design workshop, they swear by their new found profession. Now named ‘Individual Weavers Co-operative Society’ as a group, they now earn anything between Rs. 6,000 to Rs. 9,000 individually per month.

“They are very confident now and have even paid back their bank loans,” says Ravinder of DA. He said they were identifying similar youngsters from backward regions of Andhra Pradesh. “As long as they are interested in learning weaving, DA is ready to assist them,” he says.”

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Also see

http://www.dastkarandhra.org/

http://pankaj-atcrossroads.blogspot.com/2008/10/plight-of-indias-unskilled-weavers.html

Maheshwari Sarees from REHWA

from Jan 8-12, 2009
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also

Gadwal and Narayanpet sarees in natural dyes and contemporary designs.
Dates: 1st to 15th January



Gadwal sarees

July 2008 - 1st anniversary celebrations of dāram

dāram celebrated its first anniversary on the 2nd of July with a day full of programs and activities. here are some pictures:

bablu ganguly of the Timbaktu Collective launched timbaktu organic's organic foods in daram. timbaktu organic products are now available for the first time in Hyderabad

bablu ganguly speaks to those gathered for the evening's program

a display of the various products from timbaktu organic

there was a cooking demonstration, followed by snacks made of millets and other products from timbaktu organic

friends, wellwishers and partners of daram who had gathered for the occassion

the evening concluded with an enthralling carnatic music concert by Sangeeta Shivkumar

Kurtas in Gold (Khari) prints

A short note on Dastkar Andhra

DASTKAR ANDHRA

Dastkar Andhra (DA) initiated its activities in 1989, as an off shoot of Dastkar Delhi. In 1996 DA was incorporated as a public charitable trust with the objectives of promoting artisan industries suited to ownership by the primary producers.

Dastkar Andhra's Objectives

1. To establish viability of Handloom – as Livelihood, as Product and as Technology
2. To work with weaver, weaver institution, market and state in achieving this
3. Create a supportive policy process and environment
4. To work with producer institutions that are equitable by design and in operation; strengthen institutions at the rural level, by making co-operatives more accountable to its members
5. Impact the bargaining power of the weaver both in his immediate context (within co-op and other networks), with the market and the state
6. Innovate on handloom market development and work on models for risk-taking and promotion
7. Participate in industry growth by the training and dissemination routes, as well as the above

Facilitating participation and equity within and demonstrating the viability of the handloom industry are the long term aims of Dastkar Andhra. Its engagement with weaver communities is based on these principles, insisting on the need for transparency in transactions at all levels and control of different aspects of the production process by the producers themselves.

(dāram is an initiative of Dastkar Andhra (DA), the Dastkar Andhra Marketing Association (DAMA) and partner co-operatives, it is an effort to promote the handloom process and at the same time make good quality garments available to the customer at a reasonable price.)

This January...

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