Source: www.washingtontimes.com
WASHINGTON D.C., APRIL 22, 2010: Silk is second nature to the Indian woman who dreams of that red sari she’ll wear on her wedding day. Yet, the way that silk is produced has energized Hindus, some of whom are saying it’s far more honoring to their faith to use more humane alternatives, such as nylon, polyester and rayon.
Sericulture, or silk production, in China goes back more than 5,000 years. China is the world’s largest silk-producing country, accounting for 71 percent of total world production, and India is the world’s largest silk consumer.
Silk comes from tiny eggs laid by female silk moths that hatch into larvae that feed on chopped mulberry leaves. These silkworms secrete from salivary glands a viscous fluid that hardens into a filament on contact with air. Spinning around in figure eights, the worms cocoon themselves with a single filament that can measure up to 300 feet long. Before the worm can hatch, the cocoon is dropped into boiling water. That’s where the rub is. An estimated 50,000 cocoons are needed to make one sari.
For the tender of conscience, there is a specialty material called “ahimsa silk” from cocoons collected after the moths have emerged. But even that variety has its problems, as fake versions have cropped up and there’s no way to certify ahimsa products that do no violence to the silk moth or larva.
[HPI adds: See the article “The Magic of Silk: At What Cost?” of Hinduism Today magazine here. ]