Once known for weaving magic, the artisans of the silk town of Sualkuchi in Assam have fallen on bad days unable to face competition from modern technology.
The silk woven in the town, situated some 35 kms from here on the banks on Brahmaputra, was once a craze not only in the country, but various parts of the world, particularly the European market.With the fast-growing modern weaving techniques having revolutionized the industry in other centres where silk production had flourished, the produce of the Sualkuchi town, depending on age-old and traditional methods of weaving, started to see its downfall.
Considering the potential of the industry, the authorities of Kamrup district in Assam decided to set up a fashion technology institute in collaboration with the North Eastern Council (N.E.C.) and National Institute of Fashion Technology (N.I.F.T.), Kolkata.
The Sualkuchi Institute of Fashion Technology (S.I.F.T.) is providing a common platform for fashion and design education, research and training.
Weavers here have hardly been successful in finding a market for the products.
According to officials, resistance to using modern technology was the main reason behind the decline. Despite demands for silk attires in the European market, the weavers failed to meet the growing demand due to technological stagnation and lack of interest to introduce innovations.
The main objective of the institute was to enhance the livelihood of the weavers and to create a new brand for Sualkuchi silk in the market.
District administration sources said the institute would cover areas of conducting intensive integrated training program on fashion and textile designing and exploration of a design bank specific to Sualkuchi through computer-aided designing programs.
The construction of lecture rooms, seminar hall and separate hostel facilities for boys and girls is over.
P.S. Barbora who has been appointed the first principal of the institute said the duration of the program has been initially fixed for six weeks per batch which will have 25 trainees.
The N.I.F.T., Kolkata, will implement the integrated training program on fashion and textile design by deputing experienced faculty members and experts.
Sushma Baishya, a 60-year-old weaver who has been throughout her life working on her loom in the backyard of her house in central Sualkuchi said the project has injected fresh lease of hope for the weavers.
“I hope my children will not have to suffer like me because traditional methods of weaving have become redundant and production was less while cost was more,” she said.
The silk woven in the town, situated some 35 kms from here on the banks on Brahmaputra, was once a craze not only in the country, but various parts of the world, particularly the European market.With the fast-growing modern weaving techniques having revolutionized the industry in other centres where silk production had flourished, the produce of the Sualkuchi town, depending on age-old and traditional methods of weaving, started to see its downfall.
Considering the potential of the industry, the authorities of Kamrup district in Assam decided to set up a fashion technology institute in collaboration with the North Eastern Council (N.E.C.) and National Institute of Fashion Technology (N.I.F.T.), Kolkata.
The Sualkuchi Institute of Fashion Technology (S.I.F.T.) is providing a common platform for fashion and design education, research and training.
Weavers here have hardly been successful in finding a market for the products.
According to officials, resistance to using modern technology was the main reason behind the decline. Despite demands for silk attires in the European market, the weavers failed to meet the growing demand due to technological stagnation and lack of interest to introduce innovations.
The main objective of the institute was to enhance the livelihood of the weavers and to create a new brand for Sualkuchi silk in the market.
District administration sources said the institute would cover areas of conducting intensive integrated training program on fashion and textile designing and exploration of a design bank specific to Sualkuchi through computer-aided designing programs.
The construction of lecture rooms, seminar hall and separate hostel facilities for boys and girls is over.
P.S. Barbora who has been appointed the first principal of the institute said the duration of the program has been initially fixed for six weeks per batch which will have 25 trainees.
The N.I.F.T., Kolkata, will implement the integrated training program on fashion and textile design by deputing experienced faculty members and experts.
Sushma Baishya, a 60-year-old weaver who has been throughout her life working on her loom in the backyard of her house in central Sualkuchi said the project has injected fresh lease of hope for the weavers.
“I hope my children will not have to suffer like me because traditional methods of weaving have become redundant and production was less while cost was more,” she said.
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