The woven gamchha (bathing cotton towels) industry of Sirajganj holds a legacy of more than three centuries and bagged global fame for its type and design.
Once the handloom gamchha industry of this locality was the driving force of the local economy.
From dawn to dusk, once, most of the villages of this district had been buzzed with the sound of the handloom machineries.
With the rapid evolve and appearances of the electricity driven garment industries, the handloom industry is now facing multifocal challenges. The handloom weavers are now struggling to earn their livelihood and protect the century-long heritage that they taught from their ancestors.
The weavers said they have been accustomed with this profession since decades and the handloom industry is not only a way of their livelihood earning but also their traditional and cultural identity and as a result there are specialized markets for handloom gamchhas which buy fame for the Sirajganj too.
Rafiqul Islam, a resident of Pachila village under Ullapara upazila who is also a weaver in profession, expressed the struggle and challenges of the profession, reports BSS.
He said: “A weaver knits 8 to 10 towels a day but earns only Tk120 in exchange. This amount is too little to bear the basic needs of a family.”
“We now do not have any alternative option where we could switch our profession and this is why we are continuing the handloom profession,” Rafiqul added.
Mamunur Rahman, a wholesale woven gamchha businessman at Belkhuchi, said he has been selling woven gamchhas across the country for 20 years. “The marginal profit is gradually climbing down and we are having difficulties to meet the production costs,” he added.
To protect the traditional handloom, the weavers now expect assistance from the government.
Mohammad Selim, another handloom gamchha businessman, said government initiatives like allowing handloom weavers to have bank loan with minimum interest rate, arrange workshops and training on new technologies and monitor the market prices of yarn and color on a regular basis may help revive the industry again.
“Such government initiatives could bring back the buzzing sounds of handloom machineries again in the localities of Sirajganj,” he added.
Noting the initiatives taken by Sirajganj Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Saidur Rahman Bacchu, president of the organisation, said: “Sirajganj is rich in the heritage of the handloom industry. Despite numerous challenges, local weavers have kept this traditional craft alive.”
“If the prices of raw materials can be kept under control, the industry has the potential to regain its former glory,” he added.
“The demand for handloom gamchhas has risen significantly, not only within the country but also in international markets,” he continued.
“We are providing all possible support to the weavers. With government assistance, the bathing cotton towel industry in the district can flourish once again,” Bacchu noted.
Amid both financial struggle and price hike of necessary goods, the handloom weavers are now eyeing for government assistance to come forward and revive the history of traditional handloom industry.
