ABSTRACT
Handlooms constitute a timeless facet of the rich cultural heritage of India. Traditionally, village enterprises in India were structured in the form of clusters, where specialised products were manufactured with raw material and labour inputs available in the village. The dynamism and economic success of numerous small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) clusters in the 1990s kindled the interest of researchers and policymakers in India, and clustering was revisited as a tool of development of SMEs in India. This essay is based on the mapping of the Thenzawl cluster, a remote town in Mizoram, which has developed as an important centre of weaving. The central aim of this essay is to present a case study of a remote cluster in North-East India where a paradigm shift has occurred in the work pattern of weaving as an occupation, from a domestic chore to a commercial activity, giving remarkable economic returns to the tribal women in the cluster. This study underlines the importance of developing enterprises at the local level, leveraging on the knowledge and skills embedded in the socio-cultural systems in tribal societies. Finally, the essay touts the need for state agencies to initiate appropriate cluster intervention strategies to enable this ‘made in India’ endeavour sustain and grow.
