From five thousand looms to just four hundred in Pathrail: Tangail's handloom industry fights for survival

"Chomchom, tomtom and saree — these three make Tangail home." Those who were born to the clatter of looms know that the scent of history is woven into every saree. Tangail Sadar, Kalihati and Delduar upazilas produce the largest number of handloom sarees. But with the passage of time, this traditional industry is now on the verge of disappearing.

Most looms are now closed, and many owners have sold theirs off. Weaving is not just a profession; it is part of the region's centuries-old heritage and culture. There was a time when children learned to weave at the hands of the family's elders. That continuity has now waned.

Rising prices, low wages, competition from machine-made cloth, halted exports and uncertain employment are turning the younger generation away from the industry. The income from sitting at a loom all day is no longer enough to run a household. So some are going into business, some into jobs, and others are choosing entirely different professions.

Tangail's villages once echoed with the clatter of looms in house after house. As incomes fall, the number of looms is shrinking on one side, while skills passed down through generations are being lost on the other.

Local weavers say it has become difficult to run a family on what they earn after working all day. Many have been forced to leave weaving for other work. They also say women no longer want to wear handloom sarees because three-piece outfits have come into the market. According to the weavers, soaring prices, a worker shortage, poor market management and the failure to get fair prices are pushing the handloom industry towards destruction.

Handloom traders say the traditional Pathrail area of Tangail once had around five thousand looms. That number has now fallen to just four hundred. They believe effective government intervention is needed to inspire the new generation to join the industry. Without it, keeping Tangail's traditional handloom industry alive will become difficult.

Weaver Rashid Mia says he has been making handloom sarees for 30 years. Many have left the profession, and no new weavers are being made. Handloom sarees no longer sell as they used to. Running his family on the wages he receives has become a struggle, and because wages are low, no one new is coming in, he said.

Another weaver, Akbar, says his family can no longer get by properly in this profession and he feels he made a mistake by entering it. The money he earns for his labour is not enough to run the household. He will not bring his sons into the trade. Many who left the profession are now driving rickshaws or have moved to other work.

Zaidur Rahman, liaison officer of the Bangladesh Handloom Board Basic Centre in Tangail, said the board works primarily with weavers, providing them with technical support and financial assistance. But the handloom industry in Tangail is shrinking day by day, for two reasons: a worker crisis and the inability to sell products at the right price. While the prices of yarn, dye and chemicals keep rising, the prices of sarees, lungis and gamchhas are not rising accordingly. As a result, weavers are passing through a critical moment, and many are leaving the profession for other work.

Zaidur Rahman added that to keep weavers in the profession, the Bangladesh Handloom Board has opened a training centre in Tangail, where weavers are being trained in weaving and marketing. To preserve Tangail's heritage, a new project to establish a weavers' village and a handloom sales centre has been presented to the ministry, and that process is ongoing.

According to handloom traders, if modern technology, easy loans, training, fair wages and opportunities to expand the market can be created, it will be possible to bring young people back to the handloom industry.