Thirubuvanam sarees losing out to GenNext rivals

TIRUCHY: The invasion of power loom products in the textile industry, the non-availability of rebates for the customers, and poor support from the government have resulted in the piling up of traditional Thirubuvanam handloom sarees, which have gone unsold so far.

The sarees valued up to Rs 102 crore, the highest ever in the history of the Thirubuvanam Silk Handloom Weavers Co-operative (THICO) Society established in 1955, have hit a roadblock.

The weavers who have depended on this for generations fear that this industry might witness a closure one day and have started appealing to the government for support at least to ensure their livelihood.

According to tradition, the weavers from the Saurashtra community had settled in Thirubuvanam to make sarees of various designs as per the request by the erstwhile rulers like Nayak and Serfoji kings. These weavers were known for innovation in designs as suggested by the rulers.

These weavers, even today, are good at weaving handloom sarees, and now, with 1,800 memberships, the THICO Society through which the silk sarees are marketed has around 1,500 looms maintained by more than 1,500 families.

These workers undertake weaving with raw materials distributed through THICO Society and weave silk sarees ranging between Rs 7,000 and Rs 1.50 lakh depending on the quality and designs.

Usually, they sell sarees worth Rs 50 crore every month through as many as 28 branches across the State. However, presently except for a few in Madurai and Karaikudi, others suffer, due to poor sales.

“Earlier we were given raw materials for at least 60 sarees per year through the societies but presently, we are given material for just six sarees for 110 days which could be completed within 45 to 50 days and the rest of the days, we sit idle with no business and earning and now, we are allotted the raw materials for the maximum of 18 sarees citing the poor sale,” G Manimurthy, the Secretary of Silk Saree Weavers’ Association told DT Next.

He claims that the sale dropped due to the encroachment of powerlooms in place of handlooms. “The products by the powerloom comparatively cost less than the handloom sarees and at the same time there is less rebate in the handloom products. For the past several years, the condition persists and we have been keeping on approaching both Centre and State governments but nothing is heard,” Manimurthy said.

Meanwhile NB Nagendran, THICO Society secretary (CITU) told DT Next that rebates in the products play a crucial role in the sale of the handloom sarees.

“The government should lift the sealing of the rebate and announce a 30 per cent rebate. When Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister, she announced a 30 per cent rebate. Since then, no one cared to provide the rebate which will resurrect the dying ancestral employment,” he said.

He said that usually Rs 50 crore worth of sarees would be in the backlog but now, due to various reasons, the stocks worth Rs 102 crore have been piled up across the branches.

Nagendran also said that the price of the raw materials had gone steeply high but the life standard of the weavers has not improved.

“The silk yarn was sold at Rs 3,600 per kg till 2022 but now, it has increased to Rs 7,000 per kg. While the 240 grams (set of four bobbins) zari was sold at Rs 11,000 now it is sold at Rs 18,000, so the production cost increases. On the whole, the price of pure silk sarees is based on the gold and silver rate in the market,” Nagendran said.

He appealed to the government to look at the plight of the silk saree weavers and uplift them by fulfilling their demands.

“We need a permanent Managing Director for us so that he might speak for us otherwise, the silk saree weavers should find new jobs which we need to learn from the basics,” added Nagendran.

Ellorukkum Pattu scheme yet to reach people

To boost the sale of silk sarees, the concept of Ellarukkum Pattu (Silk for all) scheme was to ensure owning a silk saree with less burden. For the salaried class this scheme, which provides easy instalments and discounts, could help in purchasing silk sarees but the Weavers Society members claim that the concept is yet to pick up as the government has not initiated it well.

According to the Ellorukkum Pattu scheme, the THICO Society provided 11 EMIs for the customers with a minimum EMI of Rs 1,000 that can be multiplied by Rs 1,000.

It is like a savings scheme in which the customers are offered 50 per cent discount in the final month during which the member would be considered as a VIP customer and would get an additional 5 per cent discount as a bonus.

The scheme is applicable for availing the usual 10 to 55 per cent discount and this facility is available in the branches of THICO silk showrooms across the State. Money can be sent via RTGS, G-Pay, and Paytm options, according to officials from the THICO society.

However, the weavers said that the scheme has not reached the people. “If the scheme was carried to the knowledge of the customers, these huge stocks of sarees could be avoided,” NB Nagendran, Secretary (CITU) THICO Society said.

He claimed that the appointment of a permanent official to take care of the scheme an improve publicity.

High in demand abroad, govt urged to tap its export potential

Thirubuvanam traditional silks are in high demand not only locally but also internationally as the Tamil diaspora across the world prefers wearing the traditional silk sarees during any important functions including social gatherings and festivals. The need of the hour is to boost proper sales tactics.

According to G Pakkirisamy, secretary of the THICO Society union, several people living abroad prefer traditional silk sarees in any get-together, particularly weddings.

“We have a few regular customers from the US, Canada, and Australia who would never miss a chance to visit our showrooms and purchase traditional rich silk sarees. We have heard them say that the trends have increased and interest in wearing the ethnic dress, particularly traditional silk sarees have increased and so they use to make bulk purchases whenever they visit our showrooms,” Pakkirisamy said.

He also said that a few regular customers inform the showroom well in advance and ask the salespersons to ensure the availability of particular designs.

“If they inform us in advance, we make sure that the particular design is ready when they arrive. These customers do not care about the price but are particular about the design and we ensure it by all means,” he said.

As there is a growing demand for silk sarees due to many ethnic associations convening regular meetings, there is a good potential to export these traditional sarees.

“It is up to the government to train the people involved in this business. They can also train the weavers in it and make them exporters which would take the traditional work to the next level,” Pakkirisamy added.