Kaithoon
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A tradition comes to an end
2023
Mudita Girotra, Oct 22, 2023: The Times of India
Kota in Rajasthan has a thriving coaching industry today, but just 20km away its older claim to fame – the Kota Doria fabric made in the weaver village of Kaithoon – is struggling.
The village of roughly 20,000 people has at least 1,500 weavers, mostly women from the Muslim Ansari community, as the men have switched to other occupations like furniture-making. They say weaving doesn’t pay enough anymore. “Here, one sari sells for Rs 5,000 max, but the city showrooms sell it for much more. Weavers don’t get enough,” says Imran Khan, who ships saris across the country. He has started selling saris online through a Facebook page.
Although the Kota Doria fabric – a blend of silk and cotton – has been selected for the Centre’s ‘One District One Product’ scheme that aims to brand and promote at least one product from each district, the weavers say what they need is celebrity promotion.
“The business perks up when some celebrity wears a Kota Doria sari… We need promotion,” says Imran. His friend recalls how sales rose when former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje visited the village in 2010.
Centuries-Old Craft
Weaving has been part of life in Kaithoon since the 17th century when weavers from Mysore settled here. “I am not sure when it all began, but this tradition has been handed down countless generations... Marwari girls drape themselves in Kota Doria saris for their weddings. Phera nahi hota iske bina (marriage rituals are incomplete without it),” says 60-year-old Shakula Banu, a weaver.
Seated on the floor at her home, Shakula weaves intricate Kota Doria saris on a traditional loom surrounded with yarn and other materials. She works from dawn to night, resting in the same room. Her family have been weavers for generations and it’s been her routine since childhood.
“Earlier, men in the village also wove saris,” says Shakula whose late husband was a skilled craftsman. “But today’s generation doesn’t wish to pursue our ancestral craft as it doesn’t pay well.” Her sons have moved to the furniture business.
Saddam Hussain, 29, specialises in the intricate thread work of Kota Doria saris. A simple sari consumes two to three days of his time while an intricate design demands more than two weeks.
“I’m not familiar with any other trade. A year ago, I underwent heart surgery, so I cannot do physically demanding work like furniture-making,” he says, adding, “I earn Rs 200 for each sari. The man who taught me and many others has left the village and gone to Kuwait as there’s no money in this business.”
Talib Hussain, 45, from the village sells saris door to door in cities like Delhi, Hyderabad and Jaipur. “I come back after they are all sold,” he says.
Six Weeks For A Sari
In Kaithoon, women weave in the hours between household chores.
“One simple sari requires a minimum of one week to make, while a heavier one typically takes around six weeks,” says Shakula. She uses the leftover material to make herself a suit. When she gets tired, her daughter-in-law Salma takes over. Salma, who grew up in Kaithoon, says, “Everybody in the village is a weaver. I used to watch my mother weave and wanted to learn.”
Shabnam Banu, 34, came to Kaithoon from Kota as a bride 15 years ago. She has been weaving for 10 years now. “My sister-in-law and mother-in-law taught me,” she says. “I started learning the craft after my first child was born. It took me a year and a half to get a hang of it… It is a good timepass.”
But weaving also supplements the family income, says Shakula. “We work for someone. They provide us with the material and assign us the design. My nephew handles the orders and later, the saris we craft are sold in the market. I get Rs 1,000 for one sari that takes a week to make.”
When she started decades ago, Shakula says, she was paid Rs 30 for six saris. “Earlier, we used to work on one design. There used to be one colour. Now, there are different patterns…”
If the money is meagre, why does Shakula continue weaving saris? “What would I do, if not this? I am not educated. We can sit at home and weave saris...don’t have to go out.” Besides, she says, she enjoys weaving like the other women in Kaithoon.
Last Of Their Line?
Shakula’s son Mohammad Raees was in class 9 when he was sent to work at a shop as the family needed money. Now 33, he says, “Din bhar ka kaam hai, hum karna hi nahi chahte (it is a day-long job. We don’t want to do it).” He gets furniture made in Kota and ships it to parts of Rajasthan. His wife and other women in the village still weave saris. “If our daughters get educated, they will do other jobs...they won’t make saris,” Mohammad says.
