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The history of handloom weaving in Bodoland
is as ancient as the land itself. As in
the state of Assam, where, legend has it
that no women of marriageable as would be
considered eligible for marriage if she
did not have adequate knowledge of weaving
so also in BTC every young women has taken
up weaving to weave their own cloth and
also earn an income from it.
When Mahatma Gandhi visited Sualkushi,
one handloom weaver requested him to stand
and pose for five minutes and this weaver
weaved Mahatma Gandhi’s image into
the cloth he was weaving, much to the great
man’s astonishment.
The Bodo women are among the earliest
traditional weavers, who have over the centuries
weaved magic in the clothes they wore. However,
their skills need to be honed up and improve
the art day by day so that weaving not only
becomes enjoyable but that it is developed
into a serious culture that would help encourage
the weavers to earn precious revenue and
improve the socio-economic condition of
the people at large. For this, the weavers
must take weaving as a profession and for
this reason the Handloom & Textiles
Department is committed to make this sector
organised by imparting modern techniques
introduce latest machinery and pump in sufficient
funds to significantly increase productivity
and earn precious revenue.
| The main objectives
of the Handloom & Textiles department
are : |
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a) |
Achieve significant target
by cloth production under organised
and unorganised sectors. |
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b) |
To make handloom weaving in Bodoland
a major revenue earning sector in the
rural economy. |
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c)
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To increase socio-economic development
of the weaker section especially women
by focusing on emppowerment, trainings,
holding of exhibitions/fairs/handloom
melas and by sending batches of trained
women to visit important plasces in
the country, where the handloom sector
operates in a more organised manner,
thereby to return to their own areas
and increase productivity keeping in
mind the latest designs and quality
a must in the modern bazaar. |
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d) |
To train weavers with induction of modern
techniques and use the latest handloom
weaving machinery. |
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e) |
To develop infrastructure by increasing
better working conditions for the women
weavers. |
BTC sanctioned Rs. 1.40 crores to the department
during the year 2004-05. With this amount
various schemes were taken up which includes
exhibition for motivation of common people
with an aim to encourage growth for marketing
of handloom goods and also to provide a platform
thereby encouraging the weavers to show their
skills to the common people. During the year
infrastructure development of the department
like repairing departmental offices which
required urgent renovation took place. Fund
were also allotted for help and welfare of
the weavers that includes supply of looms
and accessories and yarn as grants-in-aid.
One time grant in cash was also released to
weavers under “Health Package Scheme”
for women waevers that includes treatment
for eye ailments, expenses on maternity grounds
and treatment of some specific diseases. Fund
was also provided to purchase expensive books
on textiles, designs and other topics of like
nature to be used in the handloom training
institutes. Moreover, to develop and encourage
handloom co-operative societies the department
provided funds.
During the year 2005-06 the department
was sanctioned Rs. 1.54 crores to take up
schemes like grants to handloom co-operative
societies in cash and kinds, grants-in-aid
to poor individual weavers, construction
of 5 (five) new Common Facilitation Centres
to be used by weavers and also to construct
a new office building of the Director of
Handloom & Textiles and the district
office infrastructure at Kokrajhar.
The Hon’ble Executive Member, Handloom
and Textiles, Sri Hitesh Basumatary along
with the officers and staff remain committed
to fulfill the dreams of development of
BTC in the Handloom & Textiles sector.
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