CHENNAI: After a long wait, Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul locks and Kandangi sarees have received Geographical Indication (GI) tags.
The certificates will be issued on Thursday. The Dindigul Lock, Hardware and Steel Furniture Workers Industrial Co-operative Society, and the Amrar Rajiv Gandhi Handloom Weavers Cooperative Production and Sales Society now have the exclusive rights over these products.
The lock-making industry in Dindigul is said to be over 150 years old, started by the Sankaralingachari brothers, and spread over five villages in the district. They make over 50 varieties of locks. Similarly, the hand-woven Kandangi sarees also have a 150-year-old tradition, and its history is interwoven with the story of the influential business community of Chettiars.
The Geographical Indication sign is used on products which correspond to a specific geographical location. The use of a geographical indication may act as a certification that the product possesses certain qualities, enjoys a certain reputation, due to its geographical origin.
The Dindigul Lock, Hardware and Steel Furniture Workers Industrial Co-operative Society Ltd, in a petition filed before the Registry in 2013, submitted that the lock industry was in Dindigul for more than 150 years.
The lock making unit was set up by Sankaralingachari brothers in Dindigul more than 150 years ago. Lock making is a popular cottage industry. The industry in Dindigul is more than 100 years old and spread over five villages. It has evolved its unique craftsmanship distinct from other lock making hubs, such as Aligarh in UP and Das Nagar in West Bengal.
Every lock is designed and possesses a unique style and special name such as Mango Lock, Door Lock, Almirah Lock, Export Lock, Excise Lock. Trick Locks, Mango Seven Lever Locks, Mango Nine Levers Locks, Drawer Lock and Square lock. Craftsmen also make twin keys or three keys for a single lock and lock with the multi-locking system. Every lock possesses a unique style.
Kandangi Sarees
Amrar Rajiv Gandhi Handloom Weavers Cooperative Production and Sales Society Ltd in a petition filed before the Registry in 2013, submitted that Karaikudi is the home for products like the hand-woven Kandangi sarees.
The town has magnificent temples and lavish Chettinad houses. Kandangi sarees are hand-woven by highly skilled weavers in the town. They take nearly a week to make an exquisite saree. Kandangi cotton sarees are made by weavers of Devanga Chettiars for women of Chettiar community, also referred to as Nakarathars or Nattukottai Chettiars.
The sarees are being made in the town for more than 150-years. Traditionally, Kandangi sarees were all brick-red, black and mustard, a combination that flatters any type of complexion. The traditional Kandangi cotton saree is known to be distinctly characterised in the border by the design of temple checks.