Village Inspiration

Dispatch: Inspiration

I went to the village and was renewed. I always feel so inspired by going to the people who make the goods: to see their life, their struggles and the art they so carefully produce. It really amazes me, even all these years later..so much effort, so much struggle!

I filmed this man making a jamdani sari and interviewed him afterwards. He was 33 and almost completely illiterate – he could only sign his own name. I’ve interviewed dozens of weavers over the years and most of them prefer to stay in their village – they only want more weaving work.

While the domestic market for saris is always there, handloom weavers get paid approximately 20% more pay to work on export quality goods. It feels good to know that by just one bulk scarf order, I can employee hundreds of people…most of whom have few choices.

If the handloom market dries up – what choice does a landless, uneducated man or woman really have in India? The city is already clogged with millions desperate for work because they can no longer make a living in the rural areas.

This 74-year old man has been weaving for more than 50 years. He said in an interview that this is the only skill he has to support himself. His specialty is weaving khadi - which is hand-twisted, handwoven fabrics - which I will discuss in a future blog post.

Handloom is India’s second largest rural industry – behind farming. And in areas were the handloom industry has collapsed, there is upwards of 70% unemployment.

And if you really want to talk environment…just go into the area where weaving is on the decline. The first thing people do when they are desperate is attack their environment.

I notice that in the five years I have been coming into the region, the amount of logging has multipled at least 5 to 6 times. Some of it is legal and some of it is not…but all of it is dangerous if you consider how vulnerable this area is to flooding.

When you go into the villages, everywhere you look you see people involved with weaving. Walking along, you hear the clicking sound of weavers working the looms. You will find them inside people's homes, on their front porch and in clusters around the village.


I always find it rather soothing and gratifying. I have so many struggles to deal with: juggling funds, customer demands, production problems and meeting deadlines. But when I come to the village, and walk along the alleyways listening to the sound of weaving continuing, I feel renewed.