For ages, Tangail has remained one of the most prominent hubs for the finest hand-made cotton sarees. Though the number of looms has come down to one-third since 1992, the demand for traditional Tangail sarees at home and abroad has shot up remarkably.
The last-surviving artisans and weavers, mostly women, are unwavering to carry forward the tradition though it takes more time in a pit loom or Chittaranjan loom than in power looms to make a saree, with the rise in yarn price.
A lack of weavers in the localities is another reason why this traditional business is stumbling since the young generation in many families opts for other businesses or jobs.
The lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic affected the weavers severely in 2020-21, but many weavers have covered up the losses by expanding their businesses beyond the border. Now wholesalers and suppliers are visiting Tangail with foreign orders while retail sellers and customers also like to buy sarees directly from the Tantpallis.
Dhaka TribuneSince the beginning of Ramadan, the crowd of buyers is increasing and the weavers are given extra wages to complete the orders on time.
The Pathrail village under Delduar Upazila is such a popular village for handloom sarees. It is located only seven kilometres from the district town. Anyone passing by the roads would hear the sound of loom weaving coming from both sides.
Rows of cars are crowding the sales centres of Pathrail. Retail and wholesale buyers are coming from different parts of the country.
According to the artisans and weavers engaged in the business for decades, the looms used to be installed inside the weavers' houses in the 90s. around two-thirds of those houses had five looms, while the rest had six to twelve looms.
According to the 1992 census, there were more than 100,000 handlooms in the district and the number of weavers was 150,000. In 2008, the number of looms came down to 37,222 looms but it was 60,000 in 2013. Currently, there are around 34,000 looms.
Apart from sarees, these looms also make lungi and towels.
Veteran weaver Sachin Rajbangshi said: “The demand for Tangail sarees was at a peak at one time. Due to various problems, that situation is not there now. It takes more time to make a saree on a pit loom. Accordingly, wages cannot be paid to the artisans. As a result, artisans are turning to Chittaranjan and power looms.”
Traders say that wholesale buyers from different parts of the country are buying sarees. The Tangail loom sarees are now being exported to various countries including India, the USA, the UK, Italy, and Saudi Arabia.
Dhaka TribuneSorhab Hossain, owner of Tantpalli sales centre, said: “The main business of Tangail's loom sarees is centred around Eid and Puja. But the production continues around the year. This time too, we expect sales to increase before Eid.”
The artisans and weavers said they are paid a fixed rate of wages for making each saree. But depending on the skill and design, the wages are more or less.
Raghunath Basak is the former president of Tangail Tantshilpa Owners' Association and owner of "Jattoshwar & Co.". He said public-private sponsorship is needed to sustain this traditional cottage industry.
“When Eid comes, the damnd for Tangail handloom sarees increases more than other times. Every year, we attempt to bring variety and innovation to the designs,” he added.