On a scorching hot day Vishalakshi Padmanabhan and I entered the "goodu factory" in Kanakapura, Karnataka. "Goodu" roughly translates to cocoons, or nest in this context. Small yellow and white shells woven by worms raised and fed by rural farmers. We got to interact with multiple stakeholders, understand how the bidding system works and how the rural sector has organised itself around this industry. Besides minor rainfed agricultural practices like ragi cultivation many farmers in the Kanakapura region have adopted mulberry cultivation and sericulture as their primary occupation.

A strong smell hung around the building as we entered. The air felt thick, laced with the smell of silkworm cocoons which seemed mildly fishy to my senses, pesticide and the humidity. Inside was a sea of cocoons sorted in different crates. To an untrained eye they all would look the same, but a trained eye would know that the quality varies, which is based on visual, smell and taste check. 

The process of silk production is called sericulture, wherein the silkworm (Bombyx mori) is bred, fed mulberry leaves and left to cocoon itself with fiber it produces. Sericulture remains to be a popular livelihood activity among the rural farmers across India. Mulberry production relies upon the nature of soil, climatic conditions besides efficient pest management. Not confined to clothing, silk was used for a number of other applications including paper. Farmers embraced mulberry cultivation and sericulture as their primary occupation for generations. Some pass it on, some prefer that their children choose a better career through education.

That doesn’t stop the children from learning the tricks of the trade. A young boy, who studies in the 8th grade, had accompanied his mother to the market. He quickly realised that I knew nothing about the trade and took it upon himself to teach me the basics of the trade. He began by showing me a video of the life cycle of silkworms he had made for a school assignment.

This field trip and research is part of an ongoing initiative by Buffalo Back Collective, Bangalore (India) to provide livelihood and economic opportunities for rural women in Ragihalli with the potential that sericulture offers in making handicrafts.
Scan the QR code to know more about the initiative.

He said his science teacher encouraged him to make one, whom he had acknowledged in the end of the video. He then pointed to the floor with hordes of maggots like insects, “uzi fly” he said. At that moment I couldn’t say in what language he was speaking. A common pest that attacks the silkworm in the larval stage causing significant economic losses to the silkworm crop. The entire floor of the building was spotted with them, with every step I could hear some pop under my feet. 

His mother, Rupa, said she wishes he pursued a different line of work and not toil in the unpredictable silk industry, that she knows of nothing better to do and wouldn’t want the same fate for her son. It was fascinating to watch her consult her son when the time came to put their lot of cocoons up for auction, and to watch her son help her decide. They sold their 27.630kilo goods at Rupees 335 a Kilo, for a total of Rs 9163/- that day. Some days are better than others.