Matka Production

The Murshidabad district was once known for its mulberry silk and matka (spun silk) production. Until a few years ago, there were more than 4000 looms weaving matka fabric around Islampur. Today, the number has come down to less than 100 looms. This has created severe unemployment as there are no other work opportunities, and men are forced to migrate and work as unskilled manual labour. The Covid19 crisis will add to the dire condition of people involved in this sector.

Matka is ahimsa (non-violent) silk, spun from pierced or waste mulberry cocoons that cannot be reeled. The cocoons come from Malda and Bangalore, and are spun in the Murshidabad region where the weather is conducive to spinning. The pierced cocoons are boiled with locally available banana ash to soften them. Then, using a takli, women start spinning very early in the morning and continue till 11 a.m., and again spin for a few hours before sunset when the moisture in the air supports the spinning. One kilogram of cocoons yields about 600 grams of yarn.

At Sarsabad village I saw groups of jolly women sitting together chatting while they spun the matka yarn. I was told there were about 3000 women in the village spinning regularly, and happy to earn around Rs.40 to 60 per day. Low as these wages are, they are valued as there is no other work. The mahajan (trader) provides them with 50 grams of cocoons and takes back 40 grams of yarn and they are paid a day’s wage. The delicate matka yarn is woven on a pit loom and the warp threads are brushed with water to prevent them from snapping. The bobbins for the weft are also dipped in water before weaving, which helps to compact the yarn to create uniformly even cloth.

The escalation in price has reduced the demand for this charming fabric. The cost of raw material has increased substantially even as the wages have remained unchanged. Till the 1990s, the cost of one metre of matka fabric was around Rs.145, which, depending on the quality, has increased to between Rs.900 and Rs.1200 per metre. A weaver weaves two to three metres of fabric per day and takes around five days to weave a 11.5 metre than (fabric length) and is paid Rs.1400. With two people at the loom, making the warp and the bobbins plus weaving, together they earn around Rs.250 a day. The good news is that there is a new, growing demand for matka fabrics, considered non-violent silk from the Jain community as well as Buddhists, specially from Japan.

September 6, 2021 view: 0 Categories: West Bengal By: Bandhejstore

About the Author

Archana Shah

Archana Shah graduated from the National Institute of Design (NID) in 1980. Soon after graduating from NID, she travelled to remote corners of the country to study, understand and experience the vast variety of weaving, dyeing, printing, embroidery and ornamentation techniques practised by different communities.

This proved to be a very enriching journey, and the unique skills of the people of various regions, their distinctive colour palettes, and rich design vocabulary became the base for all her future work.

In 1985, Archana started a clothing company, BANDHEJ, a label influenced by the traditional textiles and craft skills, created for Indian women, with a very Indian sensibility. Today, Bandhej is a recognised brand, with a chain of stores in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune and Cochin.

Apart from this, she has designed costumes for a few feature films such as Bhavni Bhavai, Mirch Masala, Hun, Hunshi, Hunsilal and costumes for theatre. 1985 – 1997 she also worked on Festival of India inaugurations at Paris, Moscow, Leningrad and Tashkent to design architectural textile installations to create an Indian mood.

More recently she has published a book - SHIFTING SANDS, Kutch: A Land in Transition. The book is a personal journey of discovery and about her association of over 30 years with the land, people and their craft.