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Sushil Kumar Basak is a popular name in Pathrail union under Delduar upazila, Tangail. His family has been involved with the Tangail taant handloom trade for generations. Infact, Basak is the third-generation artisan to the ancient trade. However, Basak is having divided thoughts about introducing his next generation to the hereditary occupation because according to the manufacturer, the future looks bleak.
“Yes, once upon a time, the handloom taant was at its peak. But then came the powerloom variant, parallel to any other sector in the textile industry. That’s when we had the hardest time to compete, because powerlooms have the capacity and capability to yield in greater quantity.
“But thankfully with time, people recognised the superiority of the Tangail taant (handloom cotton and silk), which is much more comfortable to wear and more durable. Plus, sari-types like the famous Tantuz could only be handcrafted and produced manually via the handloom and skilled artisans; there are no powerloom alternatives. That’s when business peaked again and power looms failed to compete; in fact, they went onto produce a huge amount when the demand fell short, causing many of the powerlooms to shut down,” Basak revealed.
The story seemed very uplifting and provided directions to a promising future for the taant industry. When suddenly the pandemic broke out and turned everything including the business topsy-turvy.