The production of Murshidabad silk is going down because of the low earnings of the sari-makers.

Many weavers have stopped production altogether and moved to different professions, especially construction work, which often pays double.

The young generation does not want to learn the traditional art.

The khadi societies approved by the central and state governments promote the production of indigo on which the silkworms are raised. The societies also help with the production of the silk and the making of the saris.

The silk and the saris used to be produced most in Dangapara, Chawk, Nagar and Sherpur localities. Half of the looms, sometimes much more, now lie abandoned in these places.

Five years ago, Dangapara village boasted of 400 looms. Now there are only 70.

Gautam Saha is a sari-weaver from Dangapara village. He makes saris for the Chandrakant Lalit Mohan Resham Khadi Society, one of the largest khadi societies in the state. His wife Dolly and mother Malati help him to weave the saris. They take four days to weave the 5.5-metre length of silk and earn only Rs 400, which is Rs 100 a day.

Gautam Saha sticks to his trade only because he is ill and cannot venture into anything else. Achintya Saha, 35, of Dangapara was a well-regarded artisan of the society, till a year ago. Then he left his trade to become a master mason. Now he earns Rs 220 per day. Rajkumar Sarkar of Dangapara, too, has become a master mason.

Those who still work at the looms are above 50 or ailing or weak — those who cannot switch to another job.

Bhikhuram Mandal in the village has five sons. Each worked at a loom. Now all the sons are away. Only the 60-year-old Bhikhuram works on saris. The sons have taken up construction work or tailoring.

Dangapara gram panchayat member Rabindranath Sarkar says that hundreds of sari workers are leaving the business because of the low earnings. “A family cannot live on less than Rs 200 a day,” he said.

Nityananda Chowdhury, secretary of Chandrakant Lalit Mohan Resham Khadi Society, said the wages of sari workers are determined by the national khadi and village industries commission. It raised the wages in November. So it’s not as if the government is not doing anything.

It’s a vicious cycle. A further increase in the wages would lead to an increase in the price of saris, which may affect their sale, feels the society.

Anup De, the district officer at the state-run khadi and village industries board, said: “There are about 120 societies for khadi workers in the state approved by the state and Centre. Every society suffers from the same problem: they cannot hold the artisans back because of the low wages. Wages have not increased in the khadi sector in the same ratio as with other sectors. I have sent a report on the matter to the state authorities in August.”