Page 2 - World Bazaar Holiday 2022

DESERT WEAVERS OF INDIA

The art of weaving has done far more for the Desert Weavers of India than provide
an income. It has woven together a community that encourages women to grow,
offers career training to men, provides stability to its schoolchildren and offers
families a means of stability during the most challenging of times.

Founded in 1987 by a group of 30 weavers, the Urmul Marusthali Bunkar Vikas
Samiti (UMBVS) — which translates to Development Committee of Desert Weavers
— has spread to 90 villages and supports more than 170 families. Through the art of
traditional weaving techniques, the guild has shared skills, supplies and knowledge
with local residents, providing them with career paths and a means of supporting
their families.

“My forefathers have all been weavers, and they taught me the art while I was
growing up. Being a member of Desert Weavers of India gave me opportunity to
learn new designs, use different kinds of yarn and, most importantly, the crucial
aspect of quality and perfection,” says Mularam, a member of the guild.

The UMBVS changed the centuries’ old tradition that forbade women from working
at the loom and offered them an opportunity to learn the craft. Allowing women to
perform this trade has helped to ensure the financial security of families who might
otherwise become destitute. Women like Pappu Devi have ensured the stability of
their households.
“Now when I cannot weave due to ill health, we no longer have to ask for help from
neighbors. Pappu Devi weaves just as well as I do, and we get by,” says her husband.

The true strength of the Desert Weavers guild is its ability to reach out to the
community to provide education, health services, relief, social security and
advocacy for the weakest. It runs schools and provides vaccinations, and helps
during natural disasters and public health crises — truly weaving its community
together.

See Desert Weavers of India products online at:

worldbazaar.roadscholar.org/desert-weavers-of-india

#132228
(see online)

#224758 (see online)
2 Road Scholar World Bazaar