It is a historical fact that the Indian handloom industry faced with the competition from cheap Manchester mill cloth imported from England and bearing the brunt of taxes on the domestic production by the British colonial state suffered immensely leading to the pauperisation of the weavers in this industry. Taking serious cognizance of this the nationalist movement put the handlooms on a priority on its agenda and the weavers reciprocated seeing a solution to their woes in the nationalist movement. The recurrent famines in Bengal during 1850 to 1904 and the popular resistance to this could be seen responded to by the British colonial state through the division of Bengal on the basis of religion.
The Indian nationalist leadership under the stalwarts like Dadabhai Naoroji, Ranade found it necessary to forge the Hindu- Muslim unity and chose to give a call for the ‘Boycott of foreign cloth’ as a means to achieve this objective and largely succeeded in mobilising the popular support. The boycott of the foreign goods was strategized as an effective way of strengthening the nationalist movement. Thus the swadeshi was a major slogan in uniting
Indian people by transcending the caste, communal and regional divisions. During the colonial rule it is the handloom weavers who suffered the maximum as the yarn produced in the spinning mills was supplied on a priority basis to the mills ignoring the requirements of the handlooms thus causing the yarn shortage leading to the loss of livelihoods to the weaver communities.
The choice of charkha as the symbol of the national self-identity and respect and also self-sufficiency by Mahatma Gandhi is a response to the British policy. Yarn scarcity was sought to be addressed through the production of yarn required by the handloom weavers on the charkhas by every household in the country. The scarcity of hank yarn during the First World War caused immense damage to the handloom weavers on account of the colonial policy. The Indian National Congress in its Amritsar Conference in 1919 passed the resolution to support the handlooms by producing yarn on charka and thus address the weavers’ woes. This was demonstrative of Gandhiji’s unwavering support to the protection of handlooms as against the mill and powerloom sectors.
Reviewing the dire economic and political conditions existing in India as a consequence of the British repressive and exploitative colonial policies in the Bezawada( in Andhra) meeting during March 31 to April1, 1921 it was resolved to collect donations for the Tilak Swaraj Nidhi so that twenty lakh charkas could be bought and distributed in the Indian villages so that the colonial policy created yarn crisis could be addressed through peoples participation in the manufacturing of yarn. This was the demonstration of the decisiveness on the part of the Congress in translating the call of boycotting the foreign cloth and assisting the domestic industry and safeguarding the weavers livelihoods. Gandhiji inspired decision also resolved to conduct hartals and picketings before the shops selling the foreign cloth. The follow-up of this move resulted in the decision to boycott even the cloth manufactured in the domestic mill and power loom sectors which led to the burning of mill cloth in front of Elphenstone Gate on 31 July, 1921and later in the second phase on 9 October, 1921. The struggles of the handloom weavers form an important part of the Indian independence movement. For instance, the struggle of MALEGAON weavers against the imposition of restriction on handloom cloth production which led to a ten month long trial of 300 Muslim weavers, five Hindu weavers in Malegaon eventually leading to the death sentence on four Muslim weaver heroes on July1, 1923 in Pune jail. Ten weavers heroes were sentenced to three to seven years of imprisonment.
In the present context of the crisis in the handloom industry it is important to remember this heroic history and remember July 31, 1921 burning of foreign cloth under the inspiration of Gandhiji and celebrate it as the Handloom day. We appeal all the Indian nationalist patriots to participate in the celebration of National Handloom Protection Day on July 31st and support the handloom weavers in their struggle for justice and thus strive for the protection of the Swadeshi Handloom Industry.
Mohan Rao Macherla
National Federation of Hadloom and Handicrafts (NFHH)
Andhra Pradesh
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