The End of Hand Weaving in India?

[stashpanache]

Progress.  Ain't it Grand??  Ancient Indian Craft Left in Tatters.   This article in the Washington Post about the march of technology and competition from China as it relates to weaving in India is very interesting.  Sad....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/05/AR2007060502858.html

Stash

[Liana]

This is so terribly sad.  And when the fashion changes, and handwoven saris are once again prized and sought-after, these weavers will be no more.  It's amazing just how quickly they're going from status and security to abject poverty with no hope in sight.

[RuthieK]

a very sad story, hopefully the marketing campaigns will be successful in improving the demand for the saris made by these poor people.

I notice though that the 'cheap British machine-made cloth' of Ghandi's time is no longer competition. The mill towns of England lost their business to India among other places and unemployment is still higher in those areas (and the ex mining and steel areas) than other parts of the UK.The mill buildings are stilll there and some are used by catalogue companies as warehouses, for indoor rock climbing or converted into housing, but mostly they are derelict.