The Handloom Weaving Culture of Sualkuchi, Assam

Yarn suppliers mostly operate from home, procuring silk cocoons and yarn from individual producers.

Handloom fabrics are an intrinsic part of Assamese culture. Each indigenous tribe has its distinct style of weaving, and ceremonial and ritual offerings across the state always use traditional textiles.

Home to Assam’s commercial handloom weaving, Sualkuchi is a maze of narrow streets full of houses, handloom units and weaving workshops.

While production is for commerce, the town has a rural atmosphere.

It is often difficult to tell apart a home extension housing a loom or a family run establishment from a purely commercial workshed.

As in other parts of Assam, women often have a loom at home. The difference here is that production is not only for self-consumption, it is mostly for sale.

Another difference is the absence of the back-strap loom. In its place is the wooden frame loom with or without a fly-shuttle.

Many of the workshops are family run. Ram Bayan, in the picture, has a weaving unit where his family members work alongside workers on wages.

He himself does ancillary tasks like yarn preparation while supervising production.

It is a common sight to see spinning and weaving in village homes.

Various family members participate in these activities.

In most of Assam, weaving continues to be a home based activity, women weaving their exquisite textiles alongside all their other household work.

Sualkuchi is the most concentrated centre of commercial handloom production in the state. Its hybrid culture lies somewhere between its rural neighbourhood and what one would expect of a commercial town.