(i) Certain groups of weavers were in a better position than others to survive the completion of mill industries. Amongst weavers, some produced course cloth, while others wove finer varieties.
(ii) The demand for the finer varieties bought by the well-to-do was more stable. The rich could buy these even when the poor starved.
(iii) Famines didn't affect the sale of Banarasi or Baluchari saris.
(iv) Moreover, mills could not imitate specialized weavers.
(v) Saris with woven borders or the famous lungis and handkerchiefs of Madras, could not be easily displaced by mill production.
