Traditional hank sizing technique, Phulia, West Bengal

Introduction

Dastkar Andhra is an organization which works with in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh promoting the interests of producer communities with in handloom weaving industry. The Main objective being " to explore practically, the possibilities of craft production as a contemporary economic activity based on traditional skills and resources, and to develop forms of organization that would ensure wide dispersal of economic returns among the producers”. After working for more than two decades Dastkar Andhra could realize the problem with the pre-loom processes as people who practices the skill either turn older or look for other easy alternatives and earn better. So it is very important to address the issues involved in pre-loom processes. Any problem in the pre-loom process will make the weaving miserable for the weaver. It is also evident that No. of weavers per society are getting less day by day inspire of the increase in the consumption of handloom fabrics.

So Dastkar Andhra asked Kora Designs Pvt ltd, Hyderabad to study the the various issues in depth involved in pre-loom processes, look into traditional techniques followed by various handloom clusters across the country who deal with single's count and other easy alternatives practiced etc. and then come up with a proposal which could help to the handloom industry to sustain and more people can get back into this age old tradition.

As a part of this research it happened that we (i and my NID friend Rudranil das) visited Shantipur and Phulia Cluster to understand the unique traditional hank sizing process done for 100's count yarn. The process is far different from the hank sizing process done in South India. 

Phulia, About the place and the craft

Phulia Railway Station, Route from Kolkata to Phulia

Shantipur and Phulia are the most renowned Bengal handloom sari weaving centers in WestBengal. The Sarees made in Shantipur and Phulia are household names across India.

Shantipur is historically famous way back from 9th Century for its Sanskrit Literature and medic learning and the first recorded reference of the place as a handloom weaving center is over 500 years old. Phulia in contrast shot to fame as a centre of handloom sari weaving banking on immigrant weavers from Bangladesh, past East pakistan.

The Shantipur / Phulia region has over 125,000 handlooms, churning out Shantipuri, Tangail, and Jamdani handloom sarees in a variety of yarns like cotton, tussar and silk. Products like Dhotis, dress materials, stoles and scarves are also woven in these clusters along with saris.

The geographical twins Shantipur and Phulia could not be more different. The first, a handloom weaving centre over 500 years old. The second came to flourish only  after Partition. Yet, their destinies are linked together – the Shantipur and Phulia saree go with the success of Bengal handloom.

Weaving Unit at Phulia

Woman winding sized hanks on to a big bobbin

Jamdani loom, A weaver drawing on the warp, as a reference to the pattern repeat.

Space dyed yarn

With the guidance Mr. Paul, Weavers Service Center, New Delhi we took an appointment with Mr. Ramanand Basak to show us the process of Traditional Hank sizing process. Coincidently he is a Master Weaver who work with my dear friend, Sadhu and Rudranil closely. So it was easy talking to him. He was so busy with his weavers and still he could spend time with us explaining the processes involved in weaving. At last he gave us time to come early in the morning to see how the women does  the process of hank sizing.

Ramanand Basak showing us the products they make

Pulia is a small village where they do not have any proper hotels to stay. After through enquiry we could locate two places, a guest house in Shantipur and another guest house 3 kms away from Phulia. As we have to reach Ramanandji in the early morning we stayed in the nearest guest house. 

Next day morning we could reach Ramanand ji's place by 5.15 AM. By the time we reached the artisans cluster the women has finished the sizing part and are ready to wind them into bobbins. We walked along the street and could not find one who's sizing work was pending to document. So Ramanand ji tried his best to make us understand the whole process step by step in detail. But when we insisted him that we would like to see the process to avoid a chance of misinterpretation interms of material used, time spent on application or the process followed. When he was talking about "khai" ( rice other form) i was thinking about puffed rice and when we looked at it it was different. So we explained him after spending so much time it will not make sense if we just note down the process without seeing it. We told him we can stay for one more day to properly document the process.

At last  Mr. Ramanand Basak himself showed us the whole process of Hank sizing manually. Instead of taking kora yarn he took dark colour yarn which could absorb water fast and be ready for manual hank sizing. He could demonstrate the whole process in half an hour using 100's count yarn.

Taking water in a bucket and putting yarn hanks into the it that are to be hank sized.

Mr. Basak throughly washing it in water so that the hank can absorb water throughly to further size it.

Taking the yarn out of the bucket and squeezing the hank to remove excess water.

After squeezing, leaving the yarn into water till it gets settled down into the bucket, which means yarn could absorb water completely.

Taking good amount of rice, applying it manually by hand and further mix the whole carefully so that rice paste get onto yarn of the hank.

Popped rice locally called "khai" is kept in water for a while.

Wet "khai" is made into paste and further mixed with a pinch of limestone that makes the whole mixture very sticky to further use for sizing.

The Khai + limestone mixture is made as a ball and kept to further used for hank sizing and even for finishing the woven warp.

3% of Khai to rice used is taken along with water and throughly mixed will and see yarn get evenly sized. 

The hank is spread, some water is added and mixed well further. This helps the size to get deeper into the hank.

Excess water is squeezed out. Sized 100's count cotton hank

Hank sized finished yarns.

Sized hanks are wind on to the bobbin. The excess rice size is removed in the process when the yarn is passed tight inbetween the fingers.

Sized hank wind on to a wooden bobbin 

Further the hanks are given to sectional warping beam to do the warping as per the warp pattern. 

The process of hank sizing is far different from the process done in South India. Though the process here is little time consuming and laborious, the cluster is following the same old process since ages.  The risk factor in this kind of sizing is very less. It is just not about the process, but the understanding of the material to be used for sizing is amazing. They would have tried so many options and ultimately stick to rice and khai, which is not only cheap but also easily available locally. 

The ball made of Khai + lime  is used to rub the finished fabric on loom to get a good gloss finish.

A Visit to IIHT, Phulia

Few months back Central Government has started Indian Institute of Handloom Technology in Phulia Colony for the weavers. There is a weaving training program happening at the Institute. In a month they are going to introduce a hank sizing machine to the weavers which is easy to operate and can do sizing up to 100's count.

IIHT, Phulia

IIHT Main Building

Mr. Prabhat Basak, A master craftsman and a trainer at IHTT, Phulia. HeDemonstrating of two shuttle loom.

Mt Prabhat Basak, a Technician who worked with my friend Rudranil has his own workshop at Phulia. He also works as a trainer at IIHT. He could take us through the institute and showed us what all they are doing. He is technically soo good he can talk about any thing regarding weaving. He could also show us the new sizing machines installed at  IIHT. The Institute is going to train weavers in machanised hank sizing from November. 

Mechanised hank sizing machine

Charkha to wind four hanks from 4 bobbins at a time

Hank sizing machine video

The three day trip to Phulia was worth as it gave an opportunity to learn and understand a new technique of hank sizing.

special thanks to Ramanand ji for showing the whole process in detail in spite of his busy schedule. The process has surprised me and i could realise my understanding varied when he ( Ramanand ji) explained me the process and when he demonstrated the same process. It was worth waiting to see the whole process and could learn something new by the end of the day. 

Even Prabhat Basak who gave his time to showed and demonstated the machines and  at IIHT, Phulia. He is technically very good and his services can be used by any NGO's or Organisations for the betterment of the Handloom Industry.

( This is an information to learn and understand; not meant to COPY)
 KORA/ Dastkar Andhra