Watch video: Weavers who are running the last 'shuttles' of Santipur

Santipur city in Nadia district of West Bengal is located approximately 90 kilometres from Kolkata. The city and its neighbouring towns have for long been renowned for their soft and fine handloom saris.

The demand for handloom fabric in India as well as in other countries remains significant. But because of competition from powerlooms and falling incomes, among other factors, skilled weavers across the country have been struggling to survive for years. Many in Santipur too have abandoned their looms and migrated in search of other livelihoods.

The handloom sarees woven in Nadia district of West Bengal are known as Santipuri sarees. Thousands of handloom clusters in the Santipur-Fulia region make Santipuri tant , tangail, and jamdani handloom sarees in a variety of yarns like cotton, tussar and silk.

Perforated graphs such as these are given by artists to the weavers, which help them insert threads into the loom
PHOTO • Sinchita Maaji
From such threads emerge, after a multi-level intricate process, exquisite Santipuri handloom sarees
PHOTO • Sinchita Maaji

Left: Perforated graphs such as these are given by artists to the weavers, which help them insert threads into the loom. Right: From such threads emerge, after a multi-level intricate process, exquisite Santipuri handloom sarees

This video and story were done as part of Sinchita Maji's 2015-16 PARI fellowship.

Sinchita Maji

Sinchita Maji is a Senior Video Editor at the People’s Archive of Rural India, and a freelance photographer and documentary filmmaker.

Other stories by Sinchita Maji
Text Editor : Sharmila Joshi

Sharmila Joshi is former Executive Editor, People's Archive of Rural India, and a writer and occasional teacher.

Other stories by Sharmila Joshi