ABSTRACT
The acute crisis in the sari industry has meant that the burden on women has increased. The job work of sticking sequins on saris is provided by a whole range of middlemen. The impact of the crisis has been more acute on Muslim weavers, in a certain sense, than on Hindu weavers. For Muslims, weaving has been the sole occupation for a long time, while Hindu weavers, particularly in the surrounding rural areas, have often been combining weaving with agriculture. The powerloom weavers of Mau Mubarakpur have also been seriously affected by the crisis in the industry over the last three to four years. The most significant aspect of this crisis is that the changes it has wrought in gender relations have far-reaching implications. The fusion between the traditional artisanal world-view of the Julahas and an Islamic one and its perception of a certain complementarity of gender roles has been affected.
