weavers' interest Vs worms' interest

During Deepavali entire T. Nagar Silk textiles are breath takingly crowded.Many women purchase nothing but silk sarees for every Deepavali.It is a matter of excitement, joy, pride and prestige.Gold becoming unaffordable , now ornaments made of silk threads have become an attraction for young women.


Silk is a natural fibre produced by silk worms and the history of silk is dated back to 27th Century B.C.As in the case of many worms, the silk worms too have 4 stages of life-egg,caterpiller,cocoon and the moth,the total life time extending upto 2 months only.
The caterpiller feeds on mulberry leaves for a month & it is at this stage it secretes a viscous liquid containing fibrocin(silk) and sericin(gum) and winds itself into the cocoon.Each cocoon will yield around 2000 ft of silk.

Under normal process, these cocoons are immersed into boiling water along with the caterpillers or steamed and bleached to get a microscopic thin thread,which is stun into yarn,dyed and then woven into sarees or other fabrics.
It is learnt that they need nearly 10,000 cocoons to weave a 6yrds silk saree weighing about 1.5Kg.

A saree we are wearing is made out of the sacrifice of 10,000 caterpillers.We can very well imagine how many creatures are killed in the whole industry as such.
There are thousands and thousands of weavers who earn their daily bread only through this industry.If all the people shun the silk totally having a sympathy for the innocent silk worms,the survival of silk weavers ,who have no other alternate source of employment will be a question mark!

'Ahimsa pattu 'introduced about 50 years ago,involves waiting for a week more for the moth to come out automatically out of the cocoon.Here the moth survives,no need to feel guilty. But as the cocoon is damaged, the thread is not continuous and the quantity of silk is reduced to nearly 50%..It takes a longer time for spinning too.As a result the Ahimsa silk is doubly costly and has a few takers only.As the threads are very short, we find many knots of threads throughout the length of saree and is a little bit rough.

The weavers argue" we have no other source of income.We can't survive out of the slow,costly industry of Ahimsa Pattu.The moth which comes out of the coccoon will survive only for one week and it will not be of any use to any one.Many of the male species are thrown into dust bin after they lose their virility.It is no big deal to kill the caterpiller, considering the interest of thousands of weavers in mind ."

India produces over 1,500 metric tons of wild silk annually.



Ahimsa Silk sells a range of fabrics for fashion and furniture, including a line of shawls, scarves and stoles. All are made from cocoons naturally discarded by emerging silk moths, who live through the process.

It should be noted that ahimsa silk producers are doing their best to provide assurances that their products do not involve violence to the silk moth or larva. But there is no certification scheme to reference, as there is with organic produce, for example. So for the consumer, it is a matter of trust.


The supporters of Ahimsa Pattu argue"All creatures are God made & they have got full right to live their full life. Human beings ,out of greed & monetary consideration don't have value for life.One week is around 12.5% of the silk worm's life. If any�human being is destined to live for 80 years,shall we ask him to die at 70 just because he has completed around 90% of his life�or he is not of�any practical importance to anybody?They also complain that animal activists who ban leather products,do not take a serious view of the silk worms & the awareness regarding the inhuman method of spinning silk has not been created among the public."

It is strange that people who advocate strict vegetarianisms don't raise any objection for silks, and in fact insist on silk clothes, since they are considered very pure and madi( pollution free).In Saradambal temple maintained by Shringeri mutt, they accept only kanchipuram pattu sarees from devotees as an offering to Goddess.
People who believe in achaarams ,wear silk sarees and dhotis during pooja and ceremonies and change to ordinary clothing before they take food.Eating with silk clothes on, is stated to pollute the silk.Many people wear the same silk for many years without washing it.



If the dress becomes so dirty that it needs to be washed they wash it either on Amavasya or on Sundays only to make it acceptable as pooja ( madi) wear.What a belief!
It is said new clothes, specially silks and gold ornaments spread positive energy among us and that is why people dress in their best while visiting temples.

People cannot be considered very noble or sympathetic just because they avoid silk.There are many persons who advocate Ahimsa silk�and leave their old parents at the old age homes!

Every industry has its own problems. Polyester industries need not kill silkworms but they have necessarily to pollute the green atmosphere as they use organic (carbonic products) for this industry.



Is it weavers' interest or worms' interest?

Jayasala 42

 

Dear Ramya,
This is the reality. Silk Industry has been doing this all along, not only in India but in other nations like China too.However decisions will favour Industries only notwithstanding Animal Right activists' protest.
Jayasala 42

 

Dear Viji,
I understand social customs. Though the dress we wear does not actually matter,we are forced to observe certain formalities just for the sake of avoiding certain gossips and talks.
Jayasala 42

 

Dear Bmaquarius,
I understand your thought process.Since it is Deepavali season and much talk is about new silk sarees in the market, I wrote the snippet with special reference to silkworms. I entirely agree with you that if we have a soft corner for all the live stock , so many industries have to be closed down.You are right.Recently there were many discussions in our snippet forum relating to ban on beef.
These are all sensitive areas in politics where both the Govt and industrialists have to exercise caution while exchanging discussions.Always people start quoting from provisions of constitution quoting clauses relating to'right to live' and'right to live with dignity'.

Jayasala 42

 

Dear Girvani,
Hope diwali went on well. Thank you for the message.We , within our limits can minimise the usage of silk.
Reg milk, in big cities we don't see cows/buffaloes .We receive pasturised milk in packets.The milk mostly contains only powdered milk.Human beings cannot live without milk or vegetables,the plants also living creatures.
Even the vegetarians bring some hurt or other to many creatures in their lives.
Can it be taken that we help the plants and animals do sacrifice on our behalf and get punya out of it/
Perhaps this is what Darwin meant by'struggle for existence' and survival of the fittest'.
Some of my friends used to say,"if all the people stop eating fish, chicken and other non vegetarian food items, there will be an unimaginable number of these animals wandering around and we may not have enough food supply to feed them.They may ultimately die out of starvation.Why not better use them for our food now itself, while they are hale and healthy?Vegetarians should profusely thank us non vegetarians, for not depriving them of their vegetable quotas".

With all the agricultural lands being converted into industrial zones and residential colonies, already very few greenery is left.Notwithstanding two child norms, the impact of growing population is quite heavy on the economy of the nation .
My snippet on silk worms had made many share their thoughts in allied areas.
Jayasala 42