COIMBATORE: When the first batch of silk traders left on their pioneering journey over 2,000 years ago through the Silk Route, little would have the brightest mandarin of the Han dynasty (2nd century BCE China) imagined that one day their toil would weave together two great nations. While unfurling a silk shawl presented to him by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the informal Mamallapuram Summit on Saturday, Chinese premier Xi Jinping was marking a fresh chapter in the continual history of Indo-Sino cultural and scientific exchange. That the silk shawl was woven at Sirumugai in the district only hinted at the depth of the relationship.
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The weavers from Sirumugai are basking in the glory of the instant global fame their ornate, meticulous and painstaking efforts have brought to this nondescript town. The team — designer M Dharmaraj and weavers A Shanmugasundaram and E Manoj Kumar of Sirumugaipudur Sri Ramalinga Sowdambgai Handloom Weavers Co-operative P&S Society — worked tirelessly for over 15 days to weave the shawl based on the order made by the Department of Handlooms and Textiles (DHT) ahead of the summit.
“It is a dream come true moment for us to work on a shawl that has been presented to a world leader,” says Dharmaraj. The team wove the portrait of the Chinese premier on a bright red silk shawl. So how did they do it? “The work entailed hours of toil spread over many days,” the weavers said, adding that they made 24,100 card punches (Jacquard loom, a device incorporated in special looms to control individual warp yarns used for intricate woven patterns) to attain the full design. “The shawl, given its cloth variety and the peculiar work, might cost anywhere between Rs 45,000 and Rs 50,000,” they added.
President of the society V Ravikumar said that they delivered the order to the DHT, Coimbatore, on October 9. Later, the shawl was sent to Chennai to be kept ready for the Saturday’s event. They also wove a shawl for the Prime Minister. It has been put on the display for the Mamallapuram event. In case you are wondering that this is a one-off work of art from the society, wait till you see the intricately designed sarees like Mayilthogai, Thirukural and Manamakkal. They also have a saree with the portrait of M K Gandhi woven into it.
‘Gandhi saree’
The weavers also have a saree with the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi woven into it