Raj - 75 Years of Weaving Traditions

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The looms at R aj run tirelessly to create a striking range
of products. While woven carpets are created on handlooms, durries and
kilim carpets are created on panja looms.
In the near-silent environs of the looms, there is nevertheless a rush of creative
energy, difficult to explain in words but experienced at the plant. Even an idle
piece of machinery, framed in a soundless moment, can appear as a work of art.

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Pitlooms are an important
part of the legacy of woven
carpets at Raj. This is a type of
traditional loom that is partially installed
in a sunken pit with the rest above ground.
The weaver sits in the pit, operating two
pedals that open the warp threads to allow

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the weft shuffle, which is used for shuffling
the thread, to pass to and fro. This type
of loom is frequently used in farms and
villages to make carpets, chair covers and
other woven crafts. At Raj, several of these
looms have been modified to function
outside pits.

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Kilim weaving is an art
whose traditional techniques
and legacy are passed on from
father to son. It is believed that this
art cannot be done without years of
practice and ancestral guidance. The
skillful weavers at Raj use photographic
references and creative ideas generated
by the design team to make the carpets.

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My father taught me the art of panja weaving, that’s what we call kilim weaving at home.
It is something that a father teaches his son at an early age so that it is easier to understand.
It requires a fair amount of practice and some years to grasp the technique. At Badhoi, there is
a loom in every home, so weaving comes naturally to someone like me. But the next generation
of my family do not aspire to be weavers. They want to study in the cities and create a better
livelihood for themselves. I fear that, after our generation, the technique of panja weaving might
just fail to continue. It is something so beautiful, but sadly it is also a dying art.

Ram Janak | From Badhoi, Uttar Padesh | Master in the kilim weaving section | With Raj for 15 years

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After the kilims are woven, they are finished by a process
of surface burning and washing. Small pieces of yarn left entwined in
the carpet during the weaving process are torched with blazing heat and
then brushed off. The kilims are then thoroughly washed and dried.

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At Raj, the entire company comes together to solve the
minutest error and the biggest mistake. Even in the darkest
hour, this mutual hope seems to bring light and energy.
The camaraderie between employees and employers has
grown into mutual respect, unspoken adulation, and trust.

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The braided rugs at Raj start out in these braiding machines.
Jute yarn is braided into plaits that are stitched together on a sewing machine
to make the rugs. Jute fibre, also known as “Golden Fibre”, is known for
both its durability and comfort underfoot. These braided rugs’ classic
natural look make them a great addition to the Raj floor furnishing range.

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The bath mat section at Raj Group is headed
by Tilak, who is visually impaired. He was earlier
employed as a supervisor in the section. One day, after an
acute bout of illness, he lost his vision. For the Raj family,
the decision to have Tilak rejoin as an employee was not given
a second thought; it was something they believed was possible.
As Tilak regained physical strength, he was made the offer to
continue work as production head for the entire bath mat section.
Back then, he did not believe it would be possible for practical
reasons. However, over a period of time and with the support of
fellow employers, he managed what seemed impossible.

It is one thing to do something charitable and
humanitarian, and yet another to uplift someone
who has lost everything. The Raj family did what
few can imagine. They risked their business by
making a decision in favour of me. Today I can say
in all assurance that I have better confidence and
understanding of my work, even better than before I
lost my vision.

Tilak | From Panipat | Head, Bath Mat Section | With Raj for over a decade

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Environmental conservation has always been
given prominence at Raj, ensuring recycling and reuse
in the production of floor furnishings. The plants use
various recyclable materials, like denim, rice husk and
recycled plastic bottles, to make carpets, rugs and durries.
As they continue to find alternative materials to blend into their
production lines, another significant achievement is their entry
into solar and wind power generation ventures. The company has
always believed in giving back to its environment, and through
this contribution it hopes to influence other entrepreneurs to help
make India a pollution free nation.

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Recycled denim
and wool blend carpets

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Recycled rice-husk durrie

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Recycled jute durries

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Screen printed rugs at Raj are created
using the traditional printing technique, wherein
a woven mesh is used to support an ink-blocking
stencil to receive a desired image onto the fabric.

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And the journey comes to an end
as farewell is bid to each piece that
makes its journey across continents to
begin a new life with another family.

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Legend has it that Panipat was one of the five prasthas
(cities) founded by the Pandava brothers during the Mahabharata.
‘Panduprastha’ was the name given to Panipat in the epic, and the city was
also the ground for three great battles that were to shape India’s history.

Today, Panipat is a city of textiles and carpets. It is among the biggest centres for
yarn in the world, and the biggest center for quality blankets and carpets in India.

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Before partition, Panipat town was home factory. There was a problem with the in-built scissor as it would
to around 40,000 people. The city was populated get blunt quickly. Eventually the problem was resolved and we
by both Hindus and Muslims. While the former began producing hand tufted carpets. We supplied these carpets
lived mainly in the old town and in villages around to the emerging hotel industry of India for some time and later
Panipat, the Muslim community, mostly artisans and craftsmen, decided to venture into exports. My brother Ashok Nath took
dominated the outskirts of the town. the initiative of giving Raj an exposure to the foreign market. We
have since continued exporting and today are leading exports of
Then Panipat thrived on the blanket weaving industry. A large various floor furnishings.
wool mandi or whole-sale market existed in Panipat, and wool
came from areas in Hisar and Rajasthan. The wool was hand As exports increased, the demand for yarn increased. Apart from
carded and hand spun into yarn by women. This yarn was woven tufted carpets we also decided to bring in the handloom and
into blankets. pitloom. Thus many spinning factories were established. Later,
we also set up a dyeing unit, to dye the yarn being produced in-
My father came from an affluent family of lawyers; however his house. As production grew and our export business flourished,
inclination was towards setting up a venture of his own. So in we focused attention on using fibres other than wool. Acrylic
1939, he decided to start a wool-spinning plant in Panipat. This nylon, rayon, polypropylene, jute and hemp were some that we
was the third spinning plant in the entire country. The yarn from experimented with. The use of such materials in the hand woven
this plant was used to make blankets and carpets at Mirzapur and rugs and carpets was seen as unique and innovative. There was a
Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh. demand for our products from across the world. The 90s were a
golden period for Raj Group as we expanded, experimented and
During the Second World War, there was an increased demand ventured into newer territories of the floor furnishing industry.
of blankets for the soldiers at war. As the demand for blankets
increased, so did the demand for yarn which was being produced While our company grew as an organization, other businesses
at our factory. The factory saw significant growth and success. in Panipat also saw significant growth. The influx of migratory
I pursued higher education in Australia and returned to join the labourers helped these industries maintain their supply of products.
family business. A chain reaction of events gradually saw the city transform from
a historical town into an industrial city. Panipat had progressed
In the early 80’s my father brought a tufting gadget from Japan. over 4 decades to become a city of weavers, with a leading industry
It weighed about 300 grams and tufted woollen yarn on stretched of textiles and carpets.
canvas. The tufting gun was expensive to import, so my father
decided to have it replicated. This was done locally, within the Text by Deepak Nath | Senior Managing Partner | Raj Group

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