THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The timeless persona of a Malayali woman with a riveting bindi and jasmine around her hair is only complete with the cream and gold kasavu sari. Known globally as the Kerala sari, designs of this colour scheme are made exclusively in Balaramapuram, a small, spirited weaving village.
Anka Fabrics was born over a year ago when Usha Devi Balakrishnan was the regional director of Kudumbashree, working hard to empower these weavers and their families. A self-taught designer, doctorate holder and ex-Managing Director of Kerala Transport Development Finance (KTDFC), Usha was in awe of handloom designs ever since she was a kid.
“Whenever I’m in a crowd, I notice what everyone is wearing”, she says jokingly. With the Balaramapuram weavers, she revisited her lifelong affection for handloom and added a splash of modern elegance to it.
Inspired by the Sanskrit word ‘ankavasthra’ which means ‘close to the body’, Anka’s designs come with the comfort of pure cotton and zari, which makes it ideal for the tropical climate. “With increasing global warming, we need sustainable fabric. Anka’s designs are made from locally-sourced cotton, and most of our lineups use thin cotton fabric that is much lighter and comfortable compared to silk,” says Usha. Though the colour and design palettes have expanded exuberantly, Anka Fabrics is grandeur in nostalgia and a sustainable change to consider.
Timeless weave
Anka has blended the long tradition of Balaramapuram weaving into new concept and design. Back in the 19th century, king Balarama Varma and his prime minister Ummini Thampi invited weavers from Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu to weave clothes for the royal family. The mundu and neriyathu that we see in most portraits drawn in that era come from this bloodline of pit loom weavers. This weave didn’t go through many changes over time, except for a few hand embroideries and differences in zari prints.
But, with Anka, Balaramapuram weaving has really evolved. Their previous designs feature light brown weaves with polkas, broad gold borders and thin stoles. Alekhya is the vibrant lineup with bright reds, blues, and mango greens. Nirvrithi is more of the serene, temple-going kasavu sari, with thin borders and fine designs in light blues and flowers. Every design subtly blends into the traditional frame. The label has a team of fine arts students working alongside Usha, and almost a dozen weaver families add their impeccable skill to it.
In vogue
The Balaramapuram weave has its own eclectic features that make it stand out. The first one being that there is no wrong side to these saris. This makes the material really expensive, as compared to single-sided Kanjeevaram or Benarasi silk. The only other material with this advantage would be Paithani from Maharashtra which is considered one of the richest fabrics in the country.Despite such specialities, the designer believes that Balaramapuram weavers are thoroughly under-represented.
Most regional exhibitions typically have few ‘Kerala saris’ from Palakkad or Coimbatore. Usha is trying to explore the potential of Balaramapuram weaving. “Most of them weave uniforms for a living, which is a great initiative by the authorities to sustain these families. But, a heritage weave and talent are being wasted. As someone who loves handloom, that is hard for me to watch”, she says. Though the weavers faced barely any physical damage, dropping sales numbers due to the floods raised some concern.
Anka was recently featured at an exhibition at Dastkari Haat Studio in Lodi Colony, New Delhi. “The response is only picking up. Years ago, when I bought Raw Mango sarees to Thiruvananthapuram, people didn’t buy it”, she says.Anka is currently available through Rahel Art Store in Thiruvananthapuram and Cult Modern in Fort Kochi.