Minakshi Mishra

 AS PROMISED, WE WILL BE TRACKING DOWN WEAVERS FROM ASSAM WHO ARE IN DIRESTRAITS, WITH FLOODS AND COVID SITUATION WORESEING IN ASSAM THESE WEAVERS NEED HELP. BE KIND TO HELP THESE WEAVERS BY PROMOTING THEIR WORK AND SPREADING THE WORD. THIS PROJECT WONT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE HELP OF MINAKSHI MISHRA, WHO’S EARLIER EXPERIENCE INCLUDES WORKING IN THE PRINT MEDIA IN ASSAM. CURRENTLY SHE BLOGS FOR HER WEBSITE Justmyscribblings.com AND CREATES CONTENT FOR VARIOUS WEBSITES AND DIGITAL PLATFORMS. WITH HER CONTRIBUTION AS A GUEST BLOGGER IN POWDER ROOM STORIES, WE COULD BRING TO YOU ALL THE WEAVERS STORIES FROM ASSAM. THANKYOU MINAKSHI ANANYA FOR POWDERROOMSTORIES.COM Muga Silk: Tracing the Roots BY : MINAKSHI MISHRA Muga is a metaphor for the unique culture of Assam. Muga evokes visions of shimmery woven gold timeless, mesmerizing and priceless beauty. Mahatma Gandhi once remarked that Assamese women weave fairy tales in their clothes, and it is a fact that has only gained more weight through time. An Ancient Apparel No one knows for sure about the origin of the Muga silk industry of Assam. As far as public memory goes, it has been in existence since time immemorial. Reference to Muga silk exists in Kautilya's Arthashastra, where he has mentioned about the production of 'Dukula' a kind of silk fabric, produced from cocoons of certain species of insects, in ancient Assam. The golden threads of Muga are nature's gift created by the unique species Antheraea assamensis, the Muga silkworm which is endemic to Assam. It is alone capable of producing the one of a kind golden lustre of Muga fabrics. Patronized By Ahom Kings Some claims also credit the rearing of silkworms to China and the subsequent knowledge reaching ancient Assam through Chinese migrants. However, the art of silkworm rearing and propagation of the silk industry flourished and progressed during the Ahom regime -) under the patronage of the Ahom kings. The royal patronage encouraged the Muga silk industry. During the Ahom reign, muga was the fabric used in the formal attire of Ahom kings, queens and other officials. Muga was called Rojahghoria Vastra or royal garments and hence beyond the reach of the commoners. The royal ladies and queens personally supervised the rearing, reeling weaving, and making of the garments from cocoons to fabric. In ancient times the best fabrics came from Muga silkworms reared on Mejankari or Adakuri trees or Chapa or Champa trees. These fabrics were exclusively for the Ahom kings. Today due to the loss of many forest resources, the Muga silkworms are reared on 'Som', 'Sualu' and 'Dighlati' trees. The Ahom kings designated special rearing areas as feeding areas for the precious silkworms and appointed people to look after the plants, rearing, reeling, and weaving of the fabric. Nurturing weavers and the industry They sourced expert female weavers from all over the state to operate Royal or 'Rojagharia looms' for producing silk fabrics exclusively for the Royal family. The skilled weavers received land and other grants by the patrons. The royal family would also exempt them from the personal labour exacted by the state from all other classes. Under the patronage and guidance of Ahom rulers, Muslim experts in embroidery work came from Delhi to Assam. Assamese weavers learnt the art of embroidery and enriched their craft. The rulers also welcomed new ideas, techniques & designs from other regions of contemporary India. Records show that there was a flourishing silk trade with the neighbouring hill states and Bengal.Weaving was an indispensable profession of every Assamese household. All marriageable women were supposed to know weaving skills.This flourishing industry had a setback during the colonial period, as tea was more in demand. Tea plantations also brought in changes that adversely affected the host plants of Muga silkworms. Today the rearers battle global warming, erosion threats, loss of host plants, lack of funds and exploitation by the middlemen. Despite such difficulties, the weavers of this beautiful land continue weaving dreams in golden threads in their looms. Muga Silk: Journey From Cocoon to Couture Rearing Muga silkworms is an intricate and time-consuming process toughest of all types of silkworm rearing because it has to be done outdoors on Som and Soalu trees. The first stage starts indoors when eggs are kept for incubation after the egg-laying process by the moths. After hatching the tiny worms feed on water, tender Som plant leaves placed on trays under specific temperature-controlled conditions. Once the larvae reach the second instar, they are transferred to standing trees outside in between 4-5 PM during winter and 5-6 PM during summer. The process requires specially made tools of bamboo which come handy to transfer the worms, the larvae then crawl up and start eating the tree leaves. As they grow in size, they start moulting fast. At times the larvae crawl down, so the rearers keep a close eye on them to collect them in bamboo sieves and placing them carefully on the trees. The rearers face a tough time keeping the larvae safe from rough weather, temperature fluctuations, predators such as birds, lizards, and natural disasters like forest fires and cyclones. The voracious silkworms feed continuously. Roughly 1000 silkworms need one big tree or two medium-sized trees during their entire larval period. Cocoons cradling dreams Soon they crawl down and enter the cocoon spinning stage. Then larvae are picked up by the rearers who place them in baskets of dry leaves to complete their cocoon spinning process in 7 to 10 days. The larvae reach the pupa stage in three weeks during summer and four months in winter. Reeling Golden Threads The pupae are then doused in hot water so that the growing silk moth cannot cut through. After a time-consuming process, the precious silk goes through reeling. This labour-intensive activity requires at least two persons. The length of the thread depends on the number of cocoons. Traditional reeling takes tedious 8 hours a day to reel 500 cocoons to produce 100 grams of yarn. Today advanced equipment facilitates faster reeling. Weaving Dreams in Gold Finally, the threads are ready to be woven into the most beauteous of garments. Even today the master weavers prefer traditional looms using both fly and throw the shuttle. Days of weaving creates magnificently beautiful Mekhela Sador, the pride of Assam. Elegant, durable, lustrous and a treasured heirloom through generations. Rarest of Silk When you drape a Muga silk sari, you should know that it takes about 1000 cocoons to generate 125 grams of silk and around 1000 grams of silk for a sari. Hours of painstaking labour over two months produces one single sari right from rearing the silkworm to the finished product. The exquisite silk that makes you look like a diva is the result of ten days of weaving by an unknown weaver somewhere in the plains of Assam. Some unique qualities of this rare natural silk, endemic to Assam are its lustrous golden hue, its strength and durability, it's the ability to accept dyes, the capability to be an all-season garment, it's antifungal properties and low maintenance. All these together make the fabric one of a kind and unparalleled in the world. Weaving tales from Dhemaji Assam silk be it Muga, Eri or Pat makes one think of Sualkuchi the Manchester of Assam, famous globally as the weaving village of Assam. Very few outsiders know that the weavers of Sualkuchi procure most cocoons from Dhemaji district in Upper Assam which produces nearly three crore cocoons every year. Although Dhemaji itself has skilled weavers who can create magical dreams in silk, many rearers sell the precious Muga cocoons to buyers from Sualkuchi due to poor economic conditions.So why is a major Muga growing area like Dhemaji district in northern Assam where about 98% of the people live in the rural areas with agriculture and sericulture being the principal occupation for more than 85% of the people should get little exposure compared to Sualkuchi? Woes of the Weavers Sericulture is a principal occupation playing a very vital role in the socio-economic development of the weaker section of the rural population especially, during their off-agricultural season. But the vagaries of nature like perennial floods, poor infrastructure, erosion of cultivable land and ecological factors like global warming affecting the rearing of Muga silkworms force the economically-hit people to sell the precious Muga cocoons to outsiders from Guwahati and Sualkuchi. Will they get their Due? Many weavers also sell woven yarns of Muga silk to traders who later profit by selling them in upscale boutiques, the client's in cities, says Purabi Gogoi a weaver and Muga rearer from Paschim Dhemaji, Ghoguwa. Purabi is one of the lucky ones to own almost four bighas of Sumoni( muga rearing land with Som trees). She has been cultivating Muga silkworms to procure cocoons since 2000. Skilled in weaving she spends her time in the labour-intensive activity that involves all the family members of her household who are involved in silkworm rearing, silk reeling and weaving, says Purabi Gogoi. She also engages a few women who help her in reeling and weaving when the demand for woven Muga is high. Need for proper exposure While talking to this writer, Purabi revealed that she earns a small margin by selling plain Muga Mekhela Sador which fetch Rs 14,000 to 15,000 to her regular clients. She also sells woven fabric to the Buyers from Guwahati. She says that it is heart-wrenching to see less fortunate rearers selling the cocoons at throwaway prices in times of need. Weavers like Purabi from Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts have little exposure to the international and national markets which have a very high demand for this woven treasure from Assam. The simple folk from the interiors of Dhemaji and Dhakuakhana rearing Muga silk (Antheraea assamensis) and Eri Silkworm (Samia cynthia ricini) and production of silk yarn and fabric lack proper infrastructure and appropriate marketing facility. Hence, this valuable industry is yet to grow to its full potential despite considerable efforts by the government. Keeping Traditions Alive Purabi follows the age-old, highly respected practices involving every step and stage of muga culture. These traditional methods have been handed down orally through generations and are essential to preserving the quality of the fabric. But many new culturists ignore the old practices and might dilute the traditional beauty of the Muga weaving. Purabi believes that the traditional designs, practices and weaving culture will benefit if there is a concerted effort towards getting the weaving community of Dhemaji the much-needed national and international exposure.