CHENNAI: In early October, the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at Mamallapuram, caught the attention of the whole world. In line with the occasion, the Chinese President was gifted a bright red-gold-coloured shawl by Modi with the former’s portrait weaved on it. Soon, the weavers and the town — Sirumugai — responsible for the exquisite handiwork came into the limelight. CE traces the life and livelihoods of these weavers.
The project was assigned to weavers from Sri Ramalinga Sowdambigai Handloom Weavers’ Cooperative Society by the Department of Handlooms and Textiles, and completed within 30 days. “We knitted the shawl without any break for 30 days to achieve the perfect design. Initially, we made it in blue colour and later we were asked to replicate it in red. The weavers had to make nearly 24,100 card punches to attain the full design. The shawl, based on the fabric and labour, might cost anything between `45,000 and `50,000,” shares M Dharmaraj, the brain behind the shawl’s design. A Shanmugasundaram and E Manoj Kumar were the weavers who interlaced the threads.
While most traditional industries have seen a downfall in their business due to the entry of machinery, the handloom sari industry in Sirumugai seems to be thriving without any glitches. The reason, the artisans in the neighbourhood say, is the spike in the number of people who prefer handloom saris over power loom saris. “In the last five years, our sales have increased. We have good sales throughout the year, and during festivals and the wedding season, it shoots up. People in and around Coimbatore prefer Sirumugai saris for their quality and affordability,” says Dharmaraj.
“Sirumugai saris are known for their soft quality silk. It is pure silk where the silk has only water finishing and no starch. It gives a lustrous sheen and characteristic to it. It also has small slubs running horizontally across the fabric. It falls in soft folds when draped and is the most versatile fabric we have. People from across the world come here to the purchase and some dealers are involved in the exporting process too,” says Gopala Krishnan P, owner of Shakthivel Silks, Sirumugai.
The raw materials are procured from Karnataka. It is then dyed and weaved into saris. Around ten villages in the town panchayat including Moolathurai, Mookanur and Bagadur are involved in weaving these saris. “The weavers are paid a daily wage of anything between `1,200 and `1,500. It takes around two days to weave a single handloom sari with simple designs,” explains Krishnan. In addition to the Sirumugai silk saris, peacock silk saris, Saamuthrika Empose silk saris, Arani silk saris, wedding silk saris,cotton handloom saris and pattu pavadai are also famous in the town panchayat. “Sirumugai specialises in the manufacture, supply, export and trade of an array of pure silk saris. The handlooms are prepared with the utmost precision to provide a blend of contemporary and traditional weaves.
We have different designers to cater to the design-based needs of the customers,” says Ganapathy, a shopkeeper at Kariappa Silks in Sirumugai. The saris here are priced keeping in mind the affordability quotient. The price range starts from `1,000 onwards. Recently, the Mayilthogai sari, Thirukural sari, Manamakkal sari, and a portrait knitted sari were trending in the markets of Sirumugai.
“Handlooms involve a lot of manual labour and take a lot of time in the making process. We believe that the handloom saris exhibit the tradition of the Kongu belt. The Sirumugai saris have been popular for more than five decades and it has gained more traction in the last five years. Especially after the Modi-Xi meet, people from the United States, China and London are also showing interest to purchase the saris.
We feel proud that the weavers from Sirumugai have achieved this feat and are being recognised,” beams Ganapathy. There are are no middle men in Sirumugai. The textile owners distribute yarns and collect saris from the weavers directly. “The money we earn through weaving is enough to take care of ourselves and our family. During rains, when the pits become unusable, we start looking for other daily-wage jobs,” says Padmavathy S, a weaver.
Despite being a thriving industry, the number of weavers in the villages in and around Sirumugai has dwindled from 3,500 to 1,800. “The next generation has started looking for other job opportunities. Though they know to weave, they want to move from here and explore other careers. That might be the reason for the decline,” she adds.