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Manipuri clothing weavers in Moulvibazar and Sylhet are passing busy days ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr, which will be celebrated in colour for the first time in two years thanks to the easing of coronavirus restrictions.
Sales of manipuri garment items typically peak during festival seasons and so, weavers usually target the EId and Puja markets.
The Sreemangal and Kamalganj upazilas of Moulvibazar, and Mirjajangal and Machimpur areas of Sylhet city are famous for Manipuri clothing.
Here, weavers stitch together saris, bedsheets, panjabis and other traditional apparel items to cater to the demand of hundreds of tourists and traders who visit each day, said Rabi Singha Rajesh, member secretary of the Manipuri Cultural Academy.
“As Eid-ul-Fitr is approaching, the weavers of Manipuri weaving village are having busy days,” he said.
Around 90-95 per cent of the people living in Manipuri communities are engaged in the weaving business, however, between 10 per cent and 20 per cent of them have left the profession due to a lack of capital, Rajesh added.
Sadek Mia, a trader in Sreemangal, said each house in the Manipuri community can be likened to a factory.
Thousands of people in the local Manipuri community are involved in the weaving industry.
“Manipuri women in particular weave clothes while men market and procure raw materials,” he added.
Sabita Sinha, a weaver from Ramnagar Manipuripara in Sreemangal, said she did not have much business for the last two years due to Covid-19.
“Although saris were made, buyers did not come. In a word, it is a collapse in our profession,” she added.
Popi Singha, a weaver of Adampur in Kamalganj upazila of Moulvibazar, said during the coronavirus pandemic, the government gave incentives to people of different professions.
“But this was not in our destiny as other industries were given support while we are struggling to make ends meet as the prices of yarn, dye and other accessories have gone up,” Popi said.
Ananda Mohan Singh, leader of the Manipuri community in Moulvibazar, said that the entrepreneurs involved in the Manipuri weaving industry are working to keep this traditional industry alive in spite of various adversities.
“They are the ones who have contributed to the survival of the industry, especially in the last two years, despite many threat from Covid-19,” added Singh, who is also a decorated freedom fighter.
He went on to say that the training centre of Lalit Kala Academy is closed and needs to be reopened.
“Apart from that, training activities have not started yet in the modern training centre built in Madhapur. Demand for this specialty has grown significantly as a result of recent corporate scandals. Especially Manipuri Jamdani can be more enterprising in making saris,” he said.
Entrepreneur Bhuvan Singh said that it is now important for the government to provide interest free incentives or financial assistance as it will be difficult to keep the weaving industry alive otherwise.
Jaya Sharma, another leader of the Manipuri community, said that with a little help, her people can survive with this industry while the government would also get revenue.
Sharma further said that the cost of collecting raw material for a simple sari is Tk 1,000.
And if it is made with improved yarn, the cost will be more than Tk 20,000 while a Manipuri Jamdani would cost about Tk 4,000 to make.
In this regard, Sreemangal upazila Nirbahi Officer Nazrul Islam said the Manipuri weaving industry is widespread in the region.
The traditional garment items are in demand in different parts of the country and so, the government is working to keep this industry alive.
“In the meantime, a training centre has been set up in Kamalganj,” Islam added.
Contacted, Barkat Ullah, liaison officer of the Bangladesh Handloom Board in Kamalganj, said people of the Manipuri community live in different villages.
This includes Ramnagar Manipuripara, and Tikriya Manipuripara of Sreemangal upazila, Madhabpur, Adampur, Tetigaon, Ghoramara, and Tilakpur of Kamalganj upazila, and Lamabazar, Machimpur and Zindabazar of Sylhet city.
At one time, 90 per cent of the households in these areas had Manipuri looms.
“So far we have facilitated loans for about 1,265 Manipuri weavers. According to our list, the total number of Manipuri weavers in Sylhet stands at 3,000,” Ullah added.
(TDS)
