Malkha and the Idea of the commons

The Malkha Commons is a conceptual space where hand-woven cloth is seen as the outcome of the weaver’s knowledge. It is also a physical space where the different stages of Malkha fabric from the raw cotton to the finished fabric are shown and its difference from other hand-woven and machine-woven cloth explained, particularly how the elimination of baling affects the qualities of cloth hand-woven from the unbaled Malkha yarn can be appreciated.

The Malkha Commons respects the knowledge of the makers, and promotes an interchange of information between the farmers, the spinners and the weavers as members of a community. The Malkha Commons invites the buyers and wearers of Malkha to share that respect, and enjoy the specific qualities – the springiness and breathability – of Malkha fabric.

Another barrier in the cotton textile chain is the one between cotton farmers and cotton weavers. The market puts these in a mutually antagonistic position, with each seeking to maximize its gains at the expense of the other. There have been instances of farmers burning their crops rather than accept the low rates the market offers, while at the same time cotton spinners and weavers are protesting high raw material prices. There is no opportunity for cotton growers and cotton spinners and weavers to meet and iron out their differences.

Malkha has provided such an opportunity in Jangaon, where the Malkha small-scale spinning mill is located close to farmers’ fields. Here the farmers are able to see what happens to their cotton once it leaves their hands. They have visited the spinners and weavers of their cotton; they have bought the cloth made from it and are wearing it with pride.

The physical space of the Malkha shop has been reorganised to make it more conducive to building the Commons. As far as possible, large free-flowing spaces have been created to hold gatherings of like-minded people and groups and to hold more frequent exhibitions or workshops. We propose to bring people and organisations together who care about the knowledge of the handmade, who are environmental activists, or those involved in alternative health and educational practices to bring their materials and archives to the Malkha space so that we can put their work in dialogue with the handloom.

Uzramma
21 October 2025