The Gazetteers Department

Tailoring is generally the principal profession of the tailors, though a few of them depend for their livelihood on a subsidiary occupation like farming in rural areas. Tailoring shops arc widely spread in Sholapur city and in other towns of the district. Though bigger villages have one or two tailoring shops, the same cannot be said of very small villages.

The tailors in villages are usually semi-skilled, but those in towns are skilled in stitching of shirts, pants, etc. Some of the tailors in Sholapur city are found to have taken the tailoring diploma.

With rising income from this profession many persons are attracted to this profession and hence, it has become an important avenue of employment. In the past this profession was a hereditary one and the personnel belonged to the ' Shimpi' community of Hindus or ' Darji ' community of Muslims. But now-a-days this occupation is followed by persons from the other communities also.

According to Census of 1961 there were 5,013 persons engaged in the occupation of tailors, dress-makers and garment-makers, of whom 4,377 persons were males and the rest were females. The ratio of tailors and dress-makers was 270 persons to one lakh people in the year 1961 in this district.

Sewing machine, a pair of scissors and measuring tapes are the essential equipment for this occupation. A sewing machine costs about Rs. 400 to Rs. 475, one pair of scissors costs about Rs. 8 and one measuring tape costs about Rs. 3. The tailor requires a tablc or pat for cutting the cloth. One table costs about Rs. 70 to Rs. 100. He also requires a cupboard for keeping the cloth received from customers or clothes ready for delivery. Some tailors in the villages establish their occupation in their dwellings also.

The fixed capital of an establishment in this occupation depends upon the nature and size of the establishment. It generally comprises investment in furniture and sewing machines. The fixed capital of the surveyed establishments ranged from Rs. 3,500 to Rs. 6,000 for big shops, from Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 3,000 for a medium-size establishment and from Rs. 600 to Rs. 1,200 for a small establishment.

The income of a tailor depends on the size of his shop. It was found to be fluctuating between Rs. 500 and Rs. 700 in a big unit; between Rs. 350 and Rs. 750 in a medium unit and between Rs. 150 and Rs. 300 in a small unit per month. The charges of a tailor depend upon the locality of the establishment and the skill he possesses Generally the charges for stitching are as under:-for terene pant about Rs. 22 to Rs. 25, for terene shirt or bush shirt or manila about Rs. 8 to Rs. 10, for cotton pant about Rs. 10, for cotton shirt about Rs. 4.50 and for blouse about Rs. 2. The rates of stitching in village are less than the rates in towns. The workers engaged in this occupation in big units are paid on daily wage basis or monthly wage basis, or on piece-work basis.

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