How Varanasi Weaver's Hub is trying to economically organise the sector

With a diverse social make up, rich cultural and literary heritage and a political hotspot, Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh can well be a miniature painting of everything that makes India what it is. It gave India the Benarasi weave that is making a comeback in the Indian wardrobes. Yet, a sector that is the second-largest employer in the country remains largely unorganised. Generation of weavers has been confined to the realm of the artisan and never elevated to the level of a designer or an entrepreneur.

To change these rules of engagement, the Varanasi Weavers and Artisans Society, also known as the Varanasi Weaver’s Hub, was established in 2015 by a group of social activists and former government employees. Their mission was simple — to promote “authentic handloom brocade products from Varanasi”. The society focuses purely on fair trade norms, organising weavers into a co-operative and allowing them to prosper as entrepreneurs. This as yet small NGO is trying to socially and economically organise the sector one weaver at a time. 

Based on a membership model, each weaver becomes a paid member of the society to gain access to its various business promotion initiatives. They then also become a part of the artisans’ directory, a ready reckoner for potential buyers looking for trusted suppliers. Currently, the Varanasi Weaver’s Hub has nearly 5,000 members from the weaving community, across the length and breadth of the weaving process chain — master weavers, dyers, card cutters, daily wagers and so on.

With board members such as Rathi Vinay Jha, former secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Roopa Mehta, CEO of Sasha Association for Craft Producers, Madhura Dutta of the All India Artisans and Craftworkers Welfare Association (AIACA), and textile designer Rema Kumar, Varanasi Weaver’s Hub is trying to inculcate the best practices of the textile industry and supply weavers with the much-needed business acumen. Weavers and artisans are regularly given access to workshops for design innovation and product development. They are taught how to run their workshops with systematic inventory management, while also making them financially literate and aware of the various schemes that offer credit support to the community.

One of the more significant and tangible enhancement to the handloom scenario is AIACA’s Craftmark, a trademark signifying that the fabric apparel it comes with is genuinely and completely handmade in India. But it isn’t just a label for the buyer to look out for. “Craftmark by design facilitates direct market linkages and we provide market facilitation support to all our members,” explains Dutta, executive director of AIACA. At the moment, only a few mainstream brands, including Fabindia, use the Craftmark for their apparel.

The biggest challenge to the handloom sector is, of course, a steady rise in the number of power looms. A weave created on the power loom can be significantly cheaper than those made on the handloom. Most buyers, quite naturally, get swayed away from the handloom item, making it economically unviable for weaving families to continue these tradtitions, especially when the foundation is mere nostalgia. To counter this, organisations like the Varanasi Weaver’s Hub are trying to offer a ready market to the weavers. 

Inside their office, there is a sense of professionalism that is lacking at most places. Prominently displayed are Benarasi weave designs with the name of the master weaver. While not its official showroom, an old steel almirah safely houses exquisite saris and yardage. What is striking is how light the fabric is and how different the designs are from the usual Benarasi motifs. Another sign of its business savvy approach is something as small as a credit card machine, meant to gain sales even from walk-ins and the smallest of transactions. Working directly with weaving clusters in Kotwa, Lohta and Ramnagar, techinicians from the Weaver’s Hub help master weavers conceptualise fabric that is at once traditional and contemporary. “We can’t simply rely on old designs. Unless the weaver innovates, he will not find a market,” explains the staff at the office.  

If this model can reach weaving hubs beyond Varanasi, it would perhaps truly be time to celebrate “make in India”.