A sieve for the breeze - Kota Doria

Much to my glee , I had another opportunity of interaction with weavers. Post my explorations at Upasana in Madurai and my all too short interactions with  weavers in Saiha, Mizoram  , I had conveniently put these explorations on the back burner and made a dive into enjoying all that Saiha came with.

Back in Delhi now and Crafts Revival Trust was undertaking a documentation exercise on crafts clusters and I happily jumped into the bandwagon and worked on Kota. My last memories of Kota were of over 8 years ago. Me and my sister had decided to make some trips that year and Bundi was where we were headed. Fascinating waterfalls and lovely blue homes  that we  watched from the fort dominate my memory of the trip.This time however I was headed for Kaithun, a town about 20km from Kota , known for Kota Doria fabric or Kota Masuriya as it is locally known.

Sizing and a sluggish monkey

One of my first interactions was with the young son from a home of Master Weavers. We spent our day meeting with with  government officers and talking about the the various processes involved in the making of the fabric. At the end of the day I found myself being led into what I thought was a clump of some nasty thorny bushes. I couldn't see too far into the thicket  and my uneasiness subsided only when the bushes cleared  to reveal  a cool shaded but relatively open patch with several rows of yarn stretched out on rods.5 odd families were working on sizing the yarn , a process that renders it strength. Parvati a woman I met there was most welcoming and we met twice over my visit to speak about the work she does. Parvati and her girls worked juggled multiple kinds of work - as domestic helps , cooks and paan workers (the process of sizing). Paan work seemed to be bringing in the least to their purses.

Mashing the wild onions

Sizing needs thorough application of starch onto the yarn and the Koli community in Kota was known to do this in their own unique way. A wild variety of onions was collected during the monsoons from the forests (it cannot be cultivated they tell me) around Kota. As  Kota and smaller towns around it grow , the forests become further from the Kolis and collection doubly difficult with forest guards intervening.Paan work is extremely tedious , more so for the Koli community to whose basket of work collection and storage of the wild onions is added.

This Koli Kanda as the onion is locally known is stored for the whole year in their homes during the monsoons and used as per need. They are first boiled and brought to the site of work and mashed into water . This solution is  applied to the dyed yarns propped up on wooden supports through the length of this little space in the park.

A Brush from the far north

The brushes  used are a story in themselves. Weighing over a kilo in the least these brushes are not made locally. Parvati cannot seem to remember which place the brush makers come from , but she's certain its very far and the trees that provide for its bristles don't grow in Rajasthan. The brush makers visit Kota annually, though this frequency now is dwindling. I later read more on the process and realize they come from Kashmir.

Through the couple of days that i spent in Kota , was  able to meet with not just the weavers themselves  but graph designers, women engaged in the warping process, dyers and my sense of wonder on how many hands a Sari passes through before it gets made was constant.

Pinjra

At another point in the trip I was able to watch an old woman and her grandchild work on the warping or Taan. The yarn was wound around these Nallas and mounted on a frame. The ends of these yarns were hooked onto a paddle of sorts which was held by the grandmother. The duo made rounds with the frame and paddle around a poles and prepared the warp for 5 saris. I understand that close to 2800 yarns are required for the warp in one sari. While i flipped through some of the studies on the process of Kota Doria, i realized that this process of warping was considered quite dated and attempts to mechanize some parts of it were not taking of too smoothly. I recalled the soft and cautious tread of the woman and  her grandaughter around the poles. I wondered whether she could play a part in the new innovations proposed or whether the easier retired life would bring the kind of joys one assumes it would.

Women on the Loom

The working of the loom is largely left to the women of the Ansari community. Traditionally  most members of the family were engaged with the loom or the pre loom processes but with declining income the men of the household moved onto other work. The loom for many is no longer the only source of income. Women however are unwilling to let go of the loom, shares Bashiran a member of a a local weavers organization. Among various other reasons , she feels a strong one is the independence that weaving brings with it. Independence to travel and interact with different people, get a steady income in her control etc. Young girls prefer marriage within the community where there is a appreciation for her skill and independence to use it.

These were just some of the processes that i was able to skim through during my visit. On the way back , I recall being overwhelmed by how many hands yarn went through before this fabric emerged. A fabric as light as this , filtering the breeze and making the harsh summers more bearable. Reflections continue - on the people, the weave and the interactions.

Thanks Aamir, Sunny, Yash and Sharmilla  for your help on this and Ritu for remembering that I'd be interested in something like this.

Visit to Upasana- June 2010

I've been looking forward to developing an understanding of the work of some groups on crafts and textiles. In between some work engagements, travel and of course stealing time from being simply lulled by the tranquility that Saiha offers I contacted Upasana and discussed spending some time there.

I had visited Upasana in my last visit to Auroville in Dec 09 and was charmed by the initial impressions of the place. I finally made it in June again and I was to spend 15 days with them in understanding the functioning of some of their projects , supporting some documentation needs and brainstorming with the team some possible avenues for further engagement with communities that they partner with.

Was pleasantly surprised by an offer from Divya to pick me up at the Pondicherry bus station, almost as surprised as meeting success in communicating with shopkeepers in my eng-mal- tamil mix. After about a 10 km ride landed in Upasana to the soft and surprisingly soothing and languorous tinkle of gigantic wind chimes.

We were in time for Upasana’s Friday sharing with volunteers, a practice through which the team shares with each other what their week has been like. Apart from the Upasana team,  student interns from the various design schools were present and they were to spend between one to three months with Upasana.

Upasana Design Studio

It was a good start to the visit and the next morning began with some Auroville bakery bread , the taste of which I’d not really forgotten from last time. This was topped up by a feathered greeting at Upasana’s entrance - a magnificent peacock, and this one was pretty cat like in the knowledge of his goodlooks. Was cheered at the sight and puzzled too at its almost domesticated behavior, he didn’t seem unnecessarily agitated by our presence and was pecking at the grain Rama had laid out. We were humoured in almost all possible manners save a display of its feathers in a dance! Sigh….

Spent a couple of days reading and trying to make sense of counts, staple lengths and hand processes vis a vis mechanized and power driven processes. A lot of technical terminology  was decoded for me by the eager student interns and they had of course their volley of questions ready on what exactly was I doing here, my work etc. Through interactions with the interns and other members in the team learnt more  Upasanas works.

Upasana's skirts - for Fab India

Kapas

Upasana has been working on linking various organic processes in producing organic cotton fabric through a project called Kapas. It partners with other organizations for the production of organic cotton and weaving. Currently they are trying to work on streamlining a process of producing the  fabric with primacy given to organic and handloom techniques . Partnerships are underway with various organizations for hand spinning, weaving and organic dyeing. The team from Kapas and I headed to Madurai and spent time with the various organizations and communities in order to explore avenues for furthering Kapas’s engagement.

From Auroville we headed for a place called Natham just outside Madurai. I slept through the highways,  (much to my companions amusement) but was wide awake once we lost our way. The car spent hours around various villages and bypasses and I was plastered to the window taking in the green and often rocky hills that cut short my horizon. The cables on the roadside were dotted with kingfishers in plenty and what I think are rollers. We were lost many times during our trip and my usual hyperactive self was calmed by the light drizzles and sparkling dewy greens .

We stayed at CESCI .The rooms and the campus were beautiful understated and very peaceful despite being on a roadside. The ideal place to be back to after a day on the road.

 Our first visit was to the RTU  weaving unit located in a town close to Bathlagundu. The weavers present were largely women and I was able to spend some time with Mohanraj the manager of the unit in understanding a bit about the background of the project and discussions on the current capacity of the weavers etc.  By the end of the day my head was all wound up in knots trying to place what I was seeing with what I have been reading- counts, hanks , ply , winding ….the works.

In the following days we spent time with CCD. CCD has been working for over two decades with various communities by promoting enterprise based on the local resources and traditional skills. It supports the formation of federations and producer companies and provides them with business development services such as technical advice, market information, capacity building, quality control, marketing, branding, credit linkages etc.

CCD partners with Upasana in the production of organic cotton. Over two hundred households are currently engaged in organic cotton farming and CCD itself is experimenting with the cotton production from the cotton tree, to gauge its suitability for adoption by farmers. Tachinamurthy, from CCD who was with us through a major part of the visit shared experiences of his search for a particular variety of perennial cotton tree. I understand he finally found it in someone's backyard! 

Seed Cotton

We met with some organic cotton farmers in Valayankulam and Arsapattai.  There were discussions on the cropping patterns, the experience of organic growing, Kaps's work etc. It was interesting to note that most farmers shared that pesticides and fertilizers had not yet gained ground in the villages of the region and that mixed cropping was still prevalent. The transition to an out and out organic cultivation might not have been too difficult I understand.

The groups shared information with us animatedly but as the day wound up I was left with image of an elderly ayya sharing that 20 years earlier they were confident and proud of their work and produce. Currently the interest in working on farms is dwindling as there is not much surety of gaining monetarily and quality of the soil and seed is not what it used to be. Apparently many farmers have sold their fields and moved out of agriculture.

During most of our journey we could see various road repair activities underway and presumably a lot of it was under NREGS. Interestingly when some other options for engagement were discussed at Valayankulam and Arsapattai  most people were clear that they would be able to spare time only if there was no major NREGS activities underway. NREGS gets priority over their farms and other sources of income.   

In the spinning unit of CCD in Sevayur, the process of making yarn from cotton pods was underway. Ginning, carding , winding and some very noisy spinning! Fluffy balls to white yarn in hanks and cones. Tachina shared the roadblocks in processing the relatively short staple organic cotton that was being produced.

Before our return to Auroville , we met with some handloom weavers in a village close to Coimbatore. En route we touched the T Shirt Capital Tirpur and slowly moved onto T.M Pallayam and Puliyampatti. Almost every other household in the localities that we visited had a loom. Some were being worked on and others catching dust. The youngsters in some of these households found it easier to work in the textile mills and factories around the village as opposed to the uncertain returns of the tedious handweaving at home. Most members however did contribute to the weaving at different stages of the process.

The looms in these homes  stretched across about 15-20 feet and creamy off white yarn was being woven into cloth. Our contact person was referring to the weavers as Khadi weavers. However, I get fuzzy in my understanding of what exactly Khadi weaving means and different people seem to have different answers to this.

In about 5 days we completed these visits and returned to Auroville where we had further discussions on the project . In Auroville I also met with The Colours of Nature, an organization focusing its efforts on natural dyeing and attempting to revive traditional organic processes of dyeing. Jesus , the founder of TCoN , has been working on natural dyeing processes for over 15 years now. He shared of his initial experiences and surprise in finding that the  knowledge of  non polluting processes traditionally practiced are not a part of the memory of the current generation engaged in dyeing. By examining some historical records and discussions with communities , Jesus shares that he has been able to develop natural and non polluting dyes which he hopes industries catering to a larger scale can use. 

I had a lot to chew on from this trip. I could finally see (as opposed to reading) the process of developing a fabric from cotton.  From growing it, to the ginning, carding, winding, spinning dyeing and finally weaving processes and  the many variations within them. The impact of industries that has overtime has taken away the craft from communities, leaving households with a relatively alienated experience in the weaving of a fabric. Not to forget the more than significant economic and social impacts this must have had on the communities. 

The space provided by Upasana for these brief explorations and the warmth extended by the team has added to my list of experiences that I'm grateful for.    

Thanks - Dhanalaksmi , Prabhakaran , Vivek, Divya , Tachinamurthy ,Katherine and Inge!  Its been a valuable fortnight!

Meeting Weavers- Chakhang

While loitering around in the streets and bazaars of Saiha and Aizwal and (of course on the many mini stops the Sumos took on the way ) we'd seen many a bag , skirts / wrap around, sling pouches on sale both on the street and in handicraft shops. My fascination with them has been seamless and after many trips and queries made by us , we were now also able to distinguish between the Mara and Mizo weaves. Well, at least some of it!

 We have been asking most of these shops, especially in the smaller towns and villages, questions about where all these goods were coming from.  We unfailingly met with the same response – Aizwal or in some cases, Burma. The girls selling their wares in Saiha, shops in Phura and Thenzawl, Handicraft shops in Aizwal all had either of these two as responses. So if what we know as Mara weaves are all being made by the Maras across the border is there no Mara weaving industry on this side? From folktales to short stories and other writings, all seem to speak of weaving being common place. So what has happened to mara weaving on this side of the border? Or if the weaves are supplied from Aizwal then what is happening to the various tribe specific weaving designs techniques etc? I had plenty of such queries, but didn’t consciously move around seeking answers. Each village that we visited I’d hoped that there would be someone we could talk to about this. Or better still if we could witness the weaving process itself.

The first interaction in that direction is what this post is about. Sharing the joy I felt in the interaction with an enthusiastic  group of women weavers in Chakhang.  

We were on our way back from Mawma Tlang after a steep and arduous (enjoyable nonetheless) trail uphill and having managed not to tumble down the steep descent I was finally walking through the village to get to a tea stall, along with youth from the local MTP.

Self Help Group- Handloom - a board jumped out at me and I stopped dead in my tracks only to recover and get to the window of the home bearing that tag – weaving finally! The woman at the loom was surprised by our curiosity and told us she’d be happy to meet us and talk the following day. So there I was the next morning, leaving our hosts home half an hour late from the scheduled time- and I met a neighbor telling me that the women of the SHG were ready and waiting! Guilt ridden I reached there to find six women busy at their looms. All around on clotheslines were spread different pieces made by them.

Pleasantries over, the chairperson pointedly told me (a tad disappointedly too) that the Mara sling pouch I was using was a duplicate (i think she meant machine woven). Dismissing it she took us around the workshop and showed us what the real goods were. A while later, Nimesh and his colleague left for their work with the schools and I was left without any translation help and sea of questions bottled up inside me. 
Over cups of tea, Kua and Cigarettes, in broken English, Hindi Mara and Mizo, dotted with ample laughter, we had animated exchanges on  what I’m doing in Saiha, who buys these fabrics, designs  etc. Gesturing wildly and playing a kind of charades we tried to get our questions and answers across.   

I inquired about a particular piece that had held my eye from the time I walked in. They not only told me what the design was called but sat me through the names and bits of history of each of the designs. On seeing me jot down some names, they peered at the sheet / scrap of paper and corrected spellings. Noticing that I only had a scrap to scribble on they offered a hymn sheet which I initially refused and subsequently accepted as the alternative seemed to be a young woman running off to the market to buy me a note pad.

While walking me through the available fabrics and their origins, one woman told me how a particular design was her original creation, she also I think was trying to explain how the weaving on these looms is different as all the designs exist in the weavers memory or imagination unlike the mechanized looms. Seeing my jaw drop at the cost of one wrap around (Rs 10,000) she laughed and explained that it was a traditional Mara design and it took her over a year to weave it. Looking at it closely I could well understand why. Patterns were woven into every inch of this colorful piece making it heavier too than most others.  
There were bags, pouches, neck ties and blouses slung on clothes lines all around the place , I was itching to know more yet strangely content as whatever was taking place was a good beginning.

For long while after the initial excitement had died down I planted myself at a window and watched the colorful patterns emerge from the loom, standing in stark contrast to the dry dusty and scorched land outside(monsoons would be such a respite). The tools used were made of wood , bamboo, deerskin, porcupine thorns etc.

The periodic thuds marking the end of one line, looping threads through each other to generate intricate motifs, , frequent combing through the yards of threads with grooved wooden sticks and bristles  ensuring a tangle free flow was all mesmerizing to watch but possibly back breaking to undertake. The loom on one end was pegged to the wall and on the other end a belt held it to the weavers waist. A couple of hours hunched over the details of the weave must take some effort. 

  Earlier in the day I had also seen a loom spread out in the sun, being prepared, it seemed for some action. It belonged to a woman of over 50 years of age. In this group too the majority seemed over 40 in the least and a discussion with a young woman in the MTP too had revealed that not many youngsters are keen on weaving. From what I have been seeing around its possibly because these skirts/wrap arounds are not as popular with the younger generation it seems to be  worn only on  special occasions, cultural events or to church etc. Also cheaper and trendy designs are easily available in the market. 

There however  were two young girls in the workshop though. They repeatedly came upto the older women when they got stuck with a patch on their loom.  The younger girl was adamant on learning a particular design and older one explained in a laughing and halting English that they were both still learning and were excited about learning more and faster. I could relate to their impatience, I was also overwhelmed by the urge to understand better, what everyone seemed to be telling, to ask all questions i've been holding in, to get answers there and then. 

Within a few days of our return from Chakhang, we were in Aizwal. We made the long pending trip to the state museum. The loin loom and the other implements displayed there were similar to the ones used in Chakhang. Nimesh and I went through each in detail and tried to understand what we could. 

Sometime soon I tell myself, I’ll get down to reading and understanding more. I realize now that as much as my queries are still largely unanswered I have found the first step in understanding more- what has been the best part of the deal is that- no book or research reading could have boosted my desire to learn and understand more about handlooms and the changes that have taken place with regard to weaving . A heartfelt thanks to the group I met in Chakhang.

In the meanwhile, if anyone reading any of this can point me to some person , organization , group etc. I’d be thrilled to explore.