With few months left for Bengal’s greatest festival Durga puja, thousands of handlooms and power looms of Begumpur, remains quiet with no activities as the pandemic has rendered 5000 weavers jobless.
The usual demand and placement of new orders for Begumpur handloom sarees are missing this year as more than 5000 handloom and power loom weavers of Begumpur are practical with no work since the last five months.
The weavers feel that timely intervention of state chief minister Mamata Banerjee can revive the handloom sari industry here and save them hundreds of weavers who are passing days in utter poverty. Some, in search of livelihood, are now working in small way-side hotels, grocery shops etc.
The varieties of Begumpur handloom saris such as Naksa, Rangabati, Kata Naksha, Taat kata etc. are not just in demand in Bengal but also in other states of India. Handloom weavers such as Sambhu Nath Dutta, Surjo Dutta, Chandan Kar, Boloram Bhar, rued that the lockdown hit the industry and led to the closure of the prime wholesale markets of handloom sarees such as the Mangla haat and the Howrah haat, for the last five months.
Hence, there are no buyers for handloom saris and no business transactions which can fetch hefty demand and order placements.
Meanwhile, the ‘Mahajans’ who act as a middleman with the co-operative and the handloom weavers at the grass-root level, and provides yarns to the handloom weavers, have not yet communicated with the weavers even though few months are left for Durga puja.
“It is our earnest request to state chief minister Mamata Banerjee to direct Tantushree to place orders for Begumpur handloom saris and in phases, open the Mangla haat and Howrah haat,” said a handloom weaver.