Assams Pride Muga Silk has become dependent on Chinese Yarns.
The use of Muga and eri silk is quite closely associated with the culture of Assamese society and occupies a unique place in the socio economic life of the people of Assam. It is not possible to ascertain correctly the exact nature of how weaving was first introduced in Assam but in the olden days every Assamese house reverberated with the shuttles of looms and each and every women of Assam knew the art of weaving. Men folk in those days only wore those clothes which were woven by their mothers, wives or sisters. This may be attributed to the patriotic bent of the people of Assam in olden days and also deliberate measure by the government at that time for it was obligatory on the part of every Assamese household to contribute to the royal stores one seer of home spun silk annually. Today the name and fame of Assamese silks have spread far and wide and tourists make it a point to take home a sample of these woven magic. But sadly today due to the shortage of Muga silk yarn about 3,000 muga sector handlooms are depending on the cheap Chinese tassar yarns. According to scientists of the Central Silk Board (CSB) SN Mishra, there are about 50 kgs of muga yarn annually. Assam produces around 100 MTs of raw Muga silk yarn annually. With such a quantity of raw muga yarn, only 2,000 handlooms can be operated therefore the operators are left with the other alternative, that is the Chinese silk which is available in much cheaper rates as low as 1,500 per kg, against Rs 4,500 of muga yarn. Prohibition of this practice at present is not a solution as it would be damaging for the people engaged in these looms. The government should aim for higher production of muga yarn in order to keep these weavers employed and only then think of reducing the use of Chinese silk.Depending on the chinese yarn which is far inferior than the indigenous one will only diminish the muga legacy of Assam. The Assam government and the CSB plans to produce 250 MTs of muga silk yarn and 1000 MTs of Eri yarn annually by the end of the Eleventh Five Year Plan. The state has around 20,000 commercial silk handlooms engaged in this sector where many are even producing ‘kesa paat’ (raw silk) fabrics.. India is trying to develop bivoltine mulberry silk races for increasing silk production. The chinese invasion in our mulberry sector should be thwarted before it takes over the silk markets. India needs to make this venture a success and hold on to its own muga, undeterred and of course unadulterated
Random Stories
30 Aug 2012 - 3:02am |
editor
Bandh calls would be off for the one month. Courtesy Dispur. The Assam government on Wednesday declared all bandh calls as illegal. The decision against bandhs was taken at a high-level meeting...
17 Jul 2015 - 3:09pm |
Gunamoni Sarmah
Thousands of people from all walks of life, including the ministers, bureaucrats, officials, bankers, policemen, tourists, parents, children and persons with disabilities participated in the 2nd...
18 Jan 2016 - 4:18pm |
Hantigiri Narzary
Only few hours has left to accord witness of PM Modi’s step in Bodoland. Kokrajhar is throbbing with the preparations to receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is arriving in the BTAD’s...
28 Jun 2014 - 7:58am |
AT News
The NDRF team deployed in relief and rescue operations in the flood-hit in Guwahati on Saturday fished out the body of Vivek Shah a day after the youth was washed away by the Bharalu river....
Other Contents by Author
The festival season has been set into motion with the celebration of Eid-Ul-Fitr today. The Muslims the world over assemble in various mosques and Iddgahs in order to offer Namaj and express their gratitude to Allah on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. The preparations for this joyous occasion start days in advance as devout muslims end the month long Ramadan fast. The word Eid signifies “greatest happiness” and Fitr stands for ‘breaking Fast”. The month of Ramadan is a sacred one for the Muslims, because it was in this month that the revealation of the holy Quran began and fasting as an obligatory institution was prescribed by Allah.But today the celebrations and...
The media which is a mirror of society has been broken into shards by the the guns of millitants in Manipur. The newspapers were missing from their usual stands in Manipur following threats and counter threats by rival factions of rebel organisation PREPAK over publication of a statement. According to the All Manipur Working Journalists Union the media was torn over a decision to publish a statement which a faction of the PREPAK wanted to publish while another opposed and threatened to react violently if published.The journalists fearing for their lives sought safety in the Imphal Press clubs instead of their homes for fear of persecution. But this is not unusual in manipur as earlier also...
We are celebrating Wild life week but as we read this hundreds of animals are falling prey to the poacher’s gun, succumbing to the onslaught of floods or becoming senseless victims of man’s cruelty. Destruction of natural habitat is a serious threat to wild life which deprives these wild animals of food shelter and water. Their quest for survival brings them in the proximity of human dwellings which in turn puts them in danger of being pelted with stones, bludgeoned by machetes or simply shot at point blank range. Indians are not abreast with the techniques of handling wild animals which stray into human habitation. Rough handling and terror of being attacked leads people to...
“I shall work for an India in which the poorest shall feel that it is their country, in whose making they have an effective voice, an India in which there shall be no high class and low class of people; an India in which all communities shall live in perfect harmony. There can be no room in such an India for the curse of untouchability, or the curse of intoxicating drinks ad drugs. Women will enjoy the same rights as men. We shall be at peace with all the rest of the world. This is the India of my dreams”. Mohandas Karam Chand GandhiSadly we Indians have failed to live up to the India of the mahatma’s dreams. For India is still afflicted by the maladies that the Mahatma...
The Assam Lekhika Santha, a forum of women writers from the state organized a two day North East women writer’s meet on September 30 and October 1 in Shilpa Gram Panjabari Guwahati. The aim of the meet is to promote integrity among the north-eastern states and to provide a common platform to the women writers from the region.The eminent writers who were to grace the occasion are Mamang Dai and Nanni Dai from Arunachal Pradesh, Dr Limattula and Dr Temsula Ao from Nagaland, Dr Shanti Kshetri from Sikkim, Dr Shilaramani Changkham from Manipur, Karabi Deb Barman from Tripura, P Kolongungi from Mizoram, Patricia Mukhim and Al Varin Dokher from Meghalaya and other noted writers from the...
The paeans had not yet subsided regarding the communal and ethnic unity and harmony that the Indian Idol finalists had brought about in the states of Sikim and Meghalaya and the northeast for that matter that pandemonium broke loose. The fans of newly crowned Indian Idol Prashant Tamang erupted in fury at jibes made on their idol by a Radio Jockey of a Delhi based FM station. The 2000 odd fans of Tamang undertook a procession in Siliguri to submit a memorandum to the local SDO but the march turned into mayhem as they indulged into a controversy regarding the passage of an ambulance carrying a patient. The tiff led to widespread arson and triggered a chain of violence which brought in the...
Lucky Mahanta was a handsome lad in his school days, always ahead of his class academically and a bright boy indeed. After passing his Higher Secondary from a reputed boy’s school in Assam he went on to pursue higher studies in the capital city of India, a trend that is an in thing these days and gaining popularity by the day. But soon Lucky’s disposition changed his grades fell and so did his friend circle. He started hanging out with shady characters and formed a group of his own. Slowly he started borrowing money from his college mates and sometimes even begged for a couple of bucks. He sold his car and other expensive belongings to make ends meet. Vicky is now a mere shadow...
Indian television is experiencing a new revolution in the form of reality shows. There is a deluge of reality shows in each and every channel that you turn on. MTV Roadies, Popstar ki khoj in Channel V, Big Boss a rip off from the British show called Big Brother of Shilpa Shetty fame, and the plethora of singing contests from Voice of India in Star Plus, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, challenge in ZEE to the Indian Idol in Sony reality shows have captured the viewers imagination. The northeast has not yet forgotten the frenzy created by Debojit Saha’s victory in one such contest that catapulted the struggling singer into a house hold name overnight and now the northeast people are in crossroads once...
The rising price of onions is bringing real tears in the eyes of the consumers. The onion vendors are pricing them at exorbitant prices forcing the public to opt for an onion free diet. Onions are an inherent part of Indian cuisine hence such a situation greatly distresses the common people.The price rise is a direct outcome of the delay of trains bringing consignments of onions coming from outside the state.The All Guwahati Potato Onion Merchants’ Association (AGPOMA) has allegedly approached Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav to look into the matter. The late arrival has also led to the damage of thousands of these products further escalating the prices of these perishables....
Manipur’s human rights activist Irom Sharmila who has been on a fast-unto-death since November, 2000 seeking the repressive Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act repealed. She opposes the Act that gives draconian powers to the security forces and has repeatedly been used with brazen brutality in the Northeast. For five years, she has been imprisoned and force-fed by the State for her ‘crime’. Irom Sharmila’s lone battle against the government is a proof of the grit and determination of a woman scorned.Popularly known as the iron lady of Manipur Irom Sharmila has approached UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi for help by handing over a letter addressed to Sonia Gandhi to Sandeep...
Comments
Pages
Add new comment