Weavers of Maheshwari Sari

Artisans—when looked from a closer quarter—usually present a sorry face. Theirs remain an eternal story of poverty and suffering, if not losing the means of livelihood entirely to an automated and organized competitor. And that’s where the weavers of Maheswari Sari are so special, because they improvised every aspect of weaving and marketing according to the need of the day. First they got rid of the heavy wooden looms and started using light and movable looms made with aluminum frames. So now in a small room they can accommodate four looms instead of one-- which means involvement of four members of a single family at the same time-- resulting in production four times more. In all sense they have taken the challenge collectively. They operate through co-operatives and therefore the entire yield remains with them. Every family can now afford to send their boys and girls to schools and colleges and so an enlightened young generation—when they are getting involved—are bringing in much freshness to products and operation. Changing themselves constantly the weavers of Maheshwari  Sari could raise the demand for their product manifold and at the same time could effectively diminish the production cost.  They can now invest the surplus to educating their young and flourishing in a meaningful way.