Location of the community: Bhagalpur, Bihar

Name of the local entrepreneur/NGO/master craftsman: Manas Sinha

Number of artisan: 25

About the group:

Bhagalpur, in Bihar, India is famous worldwide for its silk production. The silk industry in this city is hundreds of years old and a whole clan exist that has been producing silk for generations. But with the introduction of mechanized looms, the traditional hand weaving communities are gradually losing their livelihood.

CFM Market Linkages is working with 25 weavers belonging to the minority community in Nathnagar (Bhagalpur), Bihar. It is a cottage industry and both the men and women are involved in the weaving process called 'TanaBana' or warp and weft. A combination of hand processes ensures a range of special effects that give each product a distinctive finish, impossible to recreate. Women are involved in the straightening of the threads, loading the loom and arranging the threads which results in the final product.