Tangail saree, made of weaving is considered as the brand of Tangail district, is a leading choice of Bengali women.
The three festivals like Eid, Puja and Boishakh are peak time of the saree and the source of additional income for the weavers throughout the year. This is the time when the saree is in high demand, being appreciated and used more.
Moreover, Tangail Tant Saree is always on the market with its exterior design and novelty. But, currently the time is not going well and the scenario is fully different from other times. Since there are no buyers, the clothes made by them are just lying in showrooms or factories. Though it is possible to reopen some looms after a long hiatus due to the Corona situation, most of the factories are closed.
There are about 25,000 loom owners in Tangail. And there are millions of weavers. With the closure of these factories, long-experienced weavers are turning to other professions.
However, researchers say that it is possible to increase the demand of this weaved saree if the quality of yarn and innovative designs of fabrics are brought in line by times.
Azharul Islam, Assistant Professor of Dept of Textile Engineering of Maulana Bhasani, University of Science and Technology, said not only fabrics, but also thane cloth, three-pieces, lungi and one-piece cloth have to be made. Then these clothes will be more in demand than saree, said
Pathrail, Chai, Belta and Putiajani of Delduar Upazila and Bajitpur of Tangail Sadar Upazila and Balla, Rampur, Singair, Behalabari, Mominnagar, Darikshila and Kazibari of Tangail Sadar Upazila are known as the capital of Tangail saree. But this year, Tangail's traditional weaving industry is under high-threat.
The loom owners said that the loom cloth is not being sold at present. They have to count the losses in production as they are not sold. If such a situation continues, the handloom weaving industry will disappear shortly.
Ashutosh, owner of a loom machine, said, “Out of my 14 loom machines, 6 are currently running. Although there is no demand for clothes, I am making something.
Maybe I can drive like this for a while. If not sold, I will shut down the loom within a few days.”
Weaver Chandan Badyakar said, “Weaving machines are not running as before and we are not getting paid as before. We have a few machines running here. Many weavers are currently operating auto-CNG.”
Raghunath Basak, proprietor of Yageshnar & Co. and president of the Weavers 'Owners' Association, said weavers are not paying much attention to saree weaving as there is no demand for cloth. “We are giving enough encouragement to retain the weavers in this profession. We, the weavers, are able to operate the looms for nine months of the year,” he added.
He further said that if the government tries to keep this loom for the remaining three months by marketing the saree, then it is possible to save the vulnerable Tatees. By the facilities of the government loan arrangement, the loom workers spend more lazy time by skipping work. This is not helping properly in protecting the loom saree. In this situation, only government strong initiatives can sustain this industry.
Rabiul Islam, liaison officer of the Tangail Weaving Board, said the industry needs to be sustained by making not only making saree but also by traditional silk fabrics including three-piece, panjabis and more like these.