Saath Livelihoods

At 48, Manju Ben Parmar has been weaving for nearly half her life. The cluster lead for a group of Tangaliya weavers, her job is to encourage more participation among the members. Tangaliya or Daana weaving is a craft unique to the Dangasia community of Surendranagar, Gujarat which, in recent times, is being revived by the government. Manju Ben and her family are among a small group of weavers living in the district who continue to engage in this 700-year-old weaving tradition.

While speaking about her first experience with weaving, she recalls how her father had been reluctant to teach her. But being the only girl with five brothers did not have any bearing on Manju Ben who was determined to learn the craft and so she would hurry through the day’s chores and join her father in front of the loom every night to watch him work. Sigani village where she lived with her parents was famous for its Tangaliya craft; the fine workmanship evident in the exquisite shawls that her father wove.

For all his reluctance, he taught her well. Today, she works on complicated patterns without anyone’s assistance. She also supervises her brother-in-law’s work and is helping him improve his weaving skills. “She is a much better weaver than I am, ” said Hasu Bhai of his wife who mainly works on stoles.

Chandu Bhai Rathod, a Tangaliya weaver, is from Surendranagar, Gujarat where the craft is practised traditionally by the Dangasia community. A seasoned hand at the loom, he has been awarded a National Merit Certificate (handloom weavers) for his excellent work and outstanding designs.

During his youth, he used to pick cotton for a living but eventually learnt how to weave. At 45, he has more than 12 years of experience weaving fabric from cotton and silk threads and is now training his son to follow in his footsteps.

With a keen eye for detail, he creates his own designs incorporating attractive motifs in beautiful colours. When we visited his workshop, he told us that one buyer was so fascinated by an exquisite shawl with elaborate dana-work (knots formed out of yarn) that he offered him Rs.1 lakh for it. However, Chandu Bhai was not to be parted from what was going to be his entry for a handloom award and politely turned the gentleman down by telling him that it was priceless and therefore, not for sale.