Behrampur, one of the oldest and largest cities of Orissa is famous for its pure silk saris. However, silk sari weavers are facing tough days. For example, even if four members in the family work together for a whole week, they earn only Rs 2,000. So many are leaving the profession and moving to other occupations. Making a silk sari takes a week. It involves cleaning the silk threads, dyeing and weaving.

In order to install the machine used for weaving, weavers have to make a hole on the floor one foot deep and two feet wide. It is not a problem for weavers who work at their own houses but those living in rented rooms are not allowed to make the hole. This is also a reason why many weavers are leaving the occupation.

Indeed, some weavers have been provided with machines that allow them to work standing but maintenance of these machines is not easy. One needs to be careful while working on these machines and if there is any problem in the machines, repairing takes a lot of time.

Most weavers have seen little increase in their wages for years. This has directly affected the rate of production of saris. A decade ago, silk saris worth Rs 1.5 crores were annually produced in the city but now the figure has come down to Rs 25 to Rs 30 lakh.