"I Am Spinning The Silk Threads Of My Story,
Weaving The Fabric Of My World."
~Laurie Halse Anderson
India, a nation that is well-known for its intricate weaves and gorgeous textile production, has the oldest evidence of weaving, which dates to the Indus Valley Civilization, around 3000 BC. The major objective of that time is to create clothing for daily use. But over the years it has grown into a form of art.
Even though the traditional art of weaving is fading due to modernity, one of the mills in Delhi’s Sundernagri still upholds it, through its craftsmanship. Traditional handloom colonies began to develop in and around Sundenagri, Bharat Nagar, and Nandnagri areas. They started their own looms which gradually developed into factories. The locals say, there was a time when each and every house in the area had handloom. But with the advent of ready-made products and technology in the market, they shifted to other kinds of work.
The process of weaving starts, when the charkha (spinning wheel) is used to make yarn from fabrics. After that, the fabrics are warped on a wooden frame called “Chaukta”, to make into a fine sheet of yarn. These yarns are rolled into pipes and sent to looms. The sheets are laid on the looms and the long thread, (tana) is weaved with the shorter ones (bana) by a shuttle movement controlled by a foot pedal. Hence the weaving is also called “Tana-bana”.
There used to be six mills inside The Delhi State Cooperative Bank Ltd, at Sundernagri’s weaver's colony, but there is only one left now. Under a large studio-type apartment building, there are 8 old traditional handlooms and yarns where aged people can be seen working. Speaking with a few of the workers of the only mill in Sundernagri, they say-. "The new generation doesn’t want to join this line as there is no money or career."
Their art has created a separate family for them. They love the work they do and enjoy staying among themselves. Few of them don’t even return home, they live there. Even in this unstable condition where jobs and money are less, they thrive on.
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