TANGAIL, Bangladesh – Bangladesh’s Tangail sari is fighting for survival as weavers warn that automation and economic pressures are pushing the centuries-old craft to the brink despite its global acclaim.
The detailed designs and fine textures of the garments made in the central Tangail city won UNESCO recognition in December as intangible cultural heritage reflecting “local social and cultural practices.”
But it has brought little relief to crowded local workshops where a shift to automated looms, evolving fashion choices, unstable yarn prices and a lack of government support have squeezed weavers at every turn.
Ajit Kumar Roy, who spends the day interlacing warp and weft threads while paddling the shuttle back and forth, says the honour has done little to ease his daily hardship.
“It’s all hard work,” the 35-year-old weaver told AFP as he worked the handloom he has operated for nearly two decades.
“Hands, legs and eyes must move together. If I make a mistake then there is a problem.”
Men typically lead the weaving, dyeing and design work, while women prepare threads, apply rice starch and add finishing touches.
Once considered a well-paying profession, weaving has suffered from a market slump that began during the Covid-19 pandemic and never recovered.
Roy said his factory owner used to run 20 handlooms but now has only 10.
“Some factories have shut down entirely,” Roy said.
With demand falling and costs rising, many weavers have abandoned the craft, turning to driving or construction work to survive.
“We earn 700 taka ($6) per sari, and it takes at least two days to make one. How can a family of four live on 350 taka a day?”
Raghunath Basak, president of a local sari traders’ association, whose family has preserved Tangail weaving for generations, fears the craft may end with him.
