Silk- The pride of Assam

Assam, a place of different cultures and natural resources. Among all the resources, the silk production can be placed in top priority. Sualkuchi, an amazing place situated in the bank of the river Brahmaputra, is famous worldwide for the production of silk.

Silk originates from Assam and silk producing industry is set up for three main silks – Muga Silk, Pat Silk and Eri Silk. Pat silk usually comes in pure white or off-white shades. The Pat Silk fabric is derived from Mulberry Silkworms and is known for its distinctive whiteness, high quality and stable nature, therefore known as Mulberry Silk.

The fabric is primarily used for local consumption. However, the sericulture and Silk weaving community of commercial weavers buy 25 thousand kilograms of twisted mulberry Silk from the southern state of Karnataka in order to produce Pat sarees for clients outside Assam and abroad. Although the Mulberry Silk is light in weight and appears to be delicate, it is very durable in nature.

In Assam, Pat is mainly used to make traditional dresses such as Mekhela Chador (traditional wedding dress), Dhoti etc. Therefore, another limiting factor is the fact that the Pat handloom products have a very limited range as the industry has not adopted contemporary styles and apparel.

Muga silk, which is mainly produced by the Garo community of Assam, is obtained from semi-domesticated multivoltine silkworm, Antheraea Assamensis. These silkworms feed on the leaves of Som and Soalu plants and the silk produced from them is known for its glossy texture and durability.

The golden colour and shine of the fabric is one of the most unique features of Muga silk. In fact, the shine of the fabric is said to improve after each wash making it a product that will last you a lifetime, and also making it one of the costliest silks in the world.

A Muga Mekhela Chador, the traditional dress of Assamese women remains one of the most coveted fashion items for locals.

Mekhela chadors, a two-piece saree and the traditional outfit of Assamese women, often worn during weddings, and the five-yard saree are the biggest varieties of this fabric. You also get the silk in “reeha”, which is a piece of fabric that is worn on special occasions like pujas, weddings and festivals. You also see the Muga silk used in making shawls and dress material.

Muga silk has the Geographical Indication status, which helps in ensuring authentic products and controlling quality in the market. In the last year alone, India produced 158 tonnes of Muga silk, out of which 136 tonnes was produced in Assam. India’s totally output that very year was 28,708 tonnes.

Muga silk remains a classic item that every woman desires to own, however its traditional outlook, and non-versatility (it hasn’t really evolved much beyond the traditional Mekhela chadors), makes the demand a little niche.

Nevertheless, the fabric does have a global connect especially in Japan where designers are using it to make kimonos and other traditional Japanese dresses.

Reference-

1. http://gaatha.com/the-silk-village-sualkuchi-aasam/

2. https://www.utsavpedia.com/textiles/the-sparkling-exquisiteness-of-pat-silk-sarees/

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