Digging deep

'Kosa Katha', a book by Nimisha Jha and Meetu Gupta, weaves in multifaceted accounts of the various processes and stages of creation, from cocoon cultivation to silk yarn production. There are multiple stakeholders all along the assembly line, which means it generates layers of employment opportunities in silk manufacturing as an industry. The book also highlights the impact of 'kosa' on the local population and discusses its socio-economic aspects, the way it affects livelihood, the importance of women in the sector and its wider effects on the environment. Emphasis has been placed on best practices in the business and the use of technology and also underlining the emergence of mechanised techniques, thus making it a lucrative profession and establishing silk as the real queen of textiles.

The idea behind 'Kosa Katha' is to compile information to address the existing gaps caused by poor documentation, incomplete literature and distorted figures, which have not been able to give a holistic view of this flourishing trade. The book also gives valuable suggestions so that the 'kosa' sector turns out to be a highly rewarding and respectable vocation in times to come. In a bid to sustain the positive efforts in the sericulture industry, the hope is to connect the dots so that 'kosa' can find its place in an environment, where production is declining and weavers are gradually vanishing from the forefront.