AIADMK still has sheen for Kancheepuram silk weavers

Chennai: In the early 1950s, when hunger forced handloom weavers of Srivilliputhur in Virudhunagar district to go to community gruel centres, it triggered the beginning of the cooperative movement. Their voices were clear: they didn't want to go down that road again.

In 2002, when the cooperative societies collapsed, the weavers were back on the streets. A socio-economic issue took a political turn when the then AIADMK government withdrew the 18-yearold Janata cloth scheme, under which dhotis and saris were distributed to the poor during Pongal. DMK and AIADMK tried to play saviours by distributing gruel, biriyani and eggs.

In 2016, silence prevails.While the weavers in various districts continue to produce colourful silks, their issues seem to lack the sheen for politicians. "Every party manifesto has tried to outdo the other by promising us more power supply. This shows their lack of understanding of how the sector works.What about social welfare schemes? How do they intend to expand the market for our work?" asks Lakshmi V, a weaver from Vadamanapakkam village, about 30km from Kancheepuram.

Tamil Nadu accounts for nearly 30 per cent of the country's handloom textiles production and 50 per cent of exports. The state has more than five lakh handloom units and 1,500 cooperative societies. Handloom weaving is a common occupation throughout the state, except in the Nilgiris district.

Weavers on Nagareeswarar Koil Street in Kancheepuram seemed oblivious to the din of campaigning outside. "Elections will come and go.We learned our lesson a long time ago. If we raise issues, they just become political with no lasting solution," said E Muthukumar, who heads a weavers' cooperative. When asked who he would vote for, his response was quick: AIADMK. "We have been AIADMK supporters from MGR's time," said the 54year-old. After a moment's thought, he added, "In the last five years, we have seen a lot of development. So long people didn't know where their saris came from. We have a face now," he said. Muthukumar was alluding to Tamil Nadu Handloom Weavers' Cooperative Society's (Co-optex) initiative of labelling saris with details of the weavers. Weavers say Co-optex's online presence has also opened up the market for them. "The government has reduced electricity tariffs," said Muthukumar's neighbor S Ganesan.

While all political parties have tried to woo voters with have tried to woo voters with freebies, the wind still blows in AIADMK's favour. "She seems to be doing lot for women," said L Sarvanan, 45, a weaver in Pillayar Palayam, a colony which has close to 70 households engaged in silk weaving. When asked which schemes he was referring to, Sarvanan looked bemused. "A lot of women can relate to her because she's a woman too," he said. Some weavers said that several promises made during the last Assembly elections, like providing loans, remain on paper. "We can confidently say progress has been made the day our children feel secure enough to take up the profession after us," said Selvakumar K, 47.