Crafting Yarns, Crafting Control: Exploring Power Dynamics and Labour Relations in the Handloom Industry of Banaras.

Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Banaras, this paper attempts to understand and analyse the labour relations and production process in a burgeoning Handloom Karkhana in Banaras. Due to the changing demand and supply market for the handloom saree and the hegemony over market which is created over years by powerful class of merchants, handloom weavers fluctuate between the status of being weaver, jobless or even unskilled temporary casual labour to meet their needs of survival. This paper provides insights into the everyday life of weavers, division of labour, gendered spaces, social and production relations in the Karkhana. It traces the life trajectories and experiences of weavers and allied workers to get a more grounded understanding of weaver’s and allied workers agency over their skill, labour, and actions. The social location, community network and benefactor image of Gaddidar who owns this Karkhana plays out a key role in running of this Karkhana. It discusses the subtle ways in which mechanisms of control and surveillance take place during production in Karkhana. The flexible conditions of work, no better opportunity for work in and around and the system of advances and baki ensure the weaver remains bonded by the owner. The nexus of state, market, and ownership of capital continues to deepen the socio-economic inequality between the owners and weavers who, although being highly skilled, work as labourers with little or no space provided for negotiations. Non-Participant observation and Qualitative unstructured and semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data on the field.