For weavers, loom is the language they understand best. If they have a story, they tell it through threads. The struggle, though, has always been about being heard. This was exacerbated during last year’s lockdown, following the Coronavirus infection outbreak.

Santosh Kewat, who lives in the small town of Maheshwar, in Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh, remembers how his 10 looms fell silent. The “seths” who used to give them bulk orders for their stores, had shut shop. This put the brakes on their finances, which though a paltry sum of R10,000-15,000 each month, ensured that the joint family had food on their table. “Reams of material were lying unused at home, and there was no money to keep our looms running,” shares Santosh, in a telephonic interview.