From being ‘Manchester of Kerala’ to fighting for survival: Kannur’s handloom sector seeks a future beyond nostalgia

The sector is battling delayed wages, mounting financial losses, dwindling workers, shrinking cooperative societies, and the relentless march of power looms. Kerala, which once had nearly 25,000-30,000 handloom workers, now has only about 18,000, while the number of cooperative societies has fallen from around 600 to around 450