FLOOD MAKES LIFE OF WEAVERS MORE MISERABLE

The rhythmic chatter of looms provided the background track to Tapan Sahoo(64) of Dihasahi village under Garadapur block in Kendrapada district for the last two decades. But in the recent flood, the sound of the looms was replaced by the ominous silence of hunger and despair.

Looms, yarn and spindles are the things they handled everyday.  Weaving is their activities. Any other pursuit does not fetch them their daily bread, at least that is their belief. Market competition, exploitation, chronic diseases and poverty are the hurdles they cross on a daily basic. Now, nature's fury has only made their life more miserable.  At least four thousand weavers living in Kalaboda, Korua, Dihasahi, Arjunpur, Ramachandrapur, Haripur, Gaudia  and other villages under the worst affected Garadapur and Marsaghai blocks of Kendrapada district have lost everything in the recent flood.

"The recent flood has thrown us out of the house. All my three looms were washed away in the swirling water of the river Chitrotola on last Saturday .I do not think we will survive ", said Arakhita Sahoo (56) a weaver of village Dihasahi.
 
" I was earning Rs 4000 a month, but all my two looms have been damaged after the mud-walled house collapsed  in the gushing flood water ", said a dejected weaver  Mahadev Sahoo of village Arjunpur .
I have barely save anything  for the marriage of my daughter.  I hoped to earn few thousand in the coming Puja by selling clothes in the market. But the flood water damaged my two looms and washed away all the clothes  ", said Sanatan Sahoo(52) another weaver of village Haripur.

The tale of Chandramani Sahoo(16)  a weaver of village Gaudia makes a sad reading . His  father Nabaghan Sahoo , a weaver could not pursue the age-old family profession due to his illness  and knee pain.  With a view to supporting the family , Chandramani discontinued studies and started learning weaving last year. His 54- year old uncle also assists him. Now the family has been living on the river embankment for a week , watching their house in floodwater at a distance.     

"The forces of liberalization invaded many prosperous weavers' villages of the district about ten years back. Given the unorganized nature of the small sector loom sector with its neglect of modernization, education and progressive business practices  the outcome was inevitable and  this flood added the woes of the weavers as many weavers lost their looms in the flood water", said Sankarsan Sahoo the secretary of Maa Sarala Weavers' Cooperative society of Kusiapala village.

Hundreds of looms have been damaged in the flood, as most of weavers live in mud-walled houses in the riverside village.  Many looms buried in the mud.  "I cannot afford to run my looms any more and nobody wants to rent them. Not ever the Kabadiwallas are willing to buy them today", said Sangram Sahoo (54) a weaver of village Ramachandrapur pointing out his buried loom in the mud.
"A tragedy of mammoth proportions is unfolding just in many weavers' families of the coastal district of Kendrapada  in the recent flood.. Many weavers have been pushed into the abyss of unemployment after flood water damaged their looms.

"We decided to migrate to major textile cities like Surat, Ahamedbad, Ludhiana  and other areas in search of greener pasture", said Nilakantha Sahoo (43) a weaver of village Kalaboda.

"With its floating labour force and complete disregard for legalities, the weaving sector  was in a position to produce  cloth, towels and other cotton items at rock-bottom rates. But the flood water washed away all their hopes to  eke out their livings  " said Narayan Prasad Swain the Panchayat Samiti member of Kalaboda Gram Panchayat.