Weaving a tradition

The village of Maruthamunai was very severely affected by the tsunami of December 26, 2004. But the spirit of the weavers has proven to be indomitable. By January 2005, a mere month after the disaster, the weavers were back at work, using their hands and their hearts to recover from the destruction and sorrow, and re-create beauty through their art.

"Our products are not only natural, handmade and affordable, but they are also unparallel in their beauty," says Vinitha Senevirathne, the Director of Textiles, attached to the Ministry of Small and Rural Industries. "Weaving is the ultimate skill," she says.

Watching the dexterity and sheer talent required, to produce cloth woven on the loom, one cannot help but agree. The timeless art of weaving has been practised in rural Sri Lanka for centuries. This craft, passed down from generation to generation, has suffered a few setbacks over the years.

Looking back Senevirathne remembers, "during the 1960s, almost every village in Sri Lanka had at least one or two handloom centres. Though production was high throughout the 1970s, at that time the focus was more on quantity and not on quality. This approach, led to the industry's decline in the ensuring years due to stiff competition, especially from India. But now our weavers have captured a niche for their products and are focused on evolving with the trade."

Walking the tight rope between preserving the uniqueness of the craft and incorporating the latest trends in fashion has indeed been a challenge for the weavers. But the Government of Sri Lanka has facilitated the process by providing technical support by engaging master weavers to conduct training programmes and by providing marketing knowledge and exposure to those in the industry, estimated at 600 weavers.

Maruthamunai, the only handloom village in the country, located in the Ampara district, is famous for its weaving tradition. In Sri Lanka the weavers tend to be women, but in Maruthamunai it is the men who weave.

Uma Moulana, a weaving project coordinator from Maruthamunai speaks of his craft with pride. "Though Indian handlooms are popular in Sri Lanka, they can never match our quality. Weavers in this village are known to have been producing handlooms since the early 18th century.

So all that knowledge and skill has been passed down through the years. The truth is - weaving is in our blood." Sarongs from Maruthamunai are greatly sought after, and the weavers are slowly breaking into the linen market as well.

R. S. Balanathan, a winner of the presidential award for export quality oriental handlooms, says his area of expertise is silk saris. "My kolanga saris are now in high demand. One thing about hand woven silk is that by nature, our creations cannot be made available 'on demand', because this process cannot be automated. Every strand, every thread has to be touched, positioned and woven in. But if you look at what we produce in the end you will see that it's worth the wait."

Y. G. Premachandra of Thalagune is the head of one of the nine families who produce unique handlooms in Udu Dumbara. "Our village is recorded to have produced the first Sri Lankan handloom," he says.

"My ancestors grew cotton, produced thread and dye; in fact they even invented some of our weaving machines. I learnt my craft from my great grandfather. The tablecloths woven by us are so famous that a cloth woven by my family has found its way to the palace of the King of Bhutan."

Tapestries and tablecloths produced in Thalagune have distinct geometric designs that captivate the eye.

Despite severe competition from colourful Indian handlooms and a comparatively slower supply rate from local producers, Sri Lanka's hand woven textile-sector shows promising signs of acceptance in global textile markets. Evidence for this can be found in the rising export revenue figures.

In her capacity as the Director of Textiles, Vinitha Senevirathne is optimistic. "The growth of our industry depends on our ability to evolve with global marketing trends.

In the past though we have lacked the capacity to adapt, we have never lacked the talent. So, I am confident that given the right kind of support our weavers can and will, break into the world market."

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