Surat: Not many people know that apart from being a diamond hub, Surat is also known as the Silk City, with a monopoly in ‘twisted fabric’ like georgette and chiffon.
The fact that the ‘twisted fabric’ industry here rests solely on the shoulders of skilled Odia artisans is also not very well known. Having a great fall, drape and feel, they are used in the manufacturing of ladies garments and sarees.
Skilled Odia artisans have both preserved and protected them since 1970. Surat owes its leadership role in twisted fabrics to skilled Odia power-loom workers who specialise in weaving both on conventional power loom as well as high-speed water jets and Rapier machines. About 95 per cent of the twisted fabrics used for garments are supplied from Surat, Times Of India (TOI) reported quoting industry sources.
About 4 lakh dedicated workers from Odisha’s Ganjam and Berhampur district have specialised in the skill of manufacturing twisted fabric in the industry. Out of the total 6.5 lakh power-loom machines, twisted fabric is manufactured on about 5 lakh machines with a daily production of 3 crore metres before the Coronavirus induced lockdowns.
Chairman of the Indian Art Silk Weaving Industry, Bharat Gandhi told TOI, “Twisted fabrics comprise 75 per cent of the total production of MMF in Surat. The special skill that Odia workers have cultivated is their forte and has remained exclusive to them only. No workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have been able to imitate them.”
Rajesh Modi, a textile engineer associated with the power-loom industry told TOI that without the contribution of Odia workers, Surat would not have gained the monopoly it enjoys in twisted fabrics.
COVID-19 has dealt a hard blow to the twisted fabrics industry here with most of the Odia workers returning to their hometowns. The challenge now to bring them back and retain Surat’s leadership in the twisted fabrics industry. With the workers gone, the industry is currently producing less than 10 lakh metres of twisted fabric per day with a strength of only 50,000 Odia workers.
Asish Gujarati, leader of the power loom industry told TOI, “We require 300 special trains to bring the migrant Odia workers to protect our monopoly fabric which is a daunting task.”
