CHENNAI: A beautifully crafted paai or mat is a quintessential reminder of an afternoon nap at paati’s home, or for some it could be a picnic essential. Pattamadai near Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu has been the fountainhead of this woven craft. It is here that artisans have been creating these six feet three-inch masterpieces using a traditional grass called korai to make eco-friendly mats upon which we sleep and weave our dreams. Over a cup of coffee, A Kavva Beevi, a third-generation mat maker talks to us on the traditional art of paai making.
Weaving wonders
Kavva has been weaving mats since the age of 10. It’s been 30 years and she has around 20 women employed under her. “I grew up watching my mother and grandmother weave. The painstaking and meticulous process takes about five days for a normal mat — right from cutting the grass, drying, soaking, splitting and dyeing. The outer portion of the stem is used while the inner one is sliced off with a sharp knife. Strips of grass are dried, boiled in water and dried again. Then they’re made into bundles and soaked in water for three to seven days causing them to swell up three times the original size. After which, it’s dried again in the sun and then polished,” explains Kavva whose mats are sold at Crafts Council of India and selective silk stores in the city.
Among their specialities is pattu paai, which is a time-consuming and painstaking process. Starting from 100 counts going up to 140 counts is what makes these mats a thing of luxury. Most mats are generally gifted to the bride and groom during wedding ceremonies to bring prosperity. In some families, the newborn babies are placed on them during the initial days after their birth. The soft texture is said to be soothing for the baby. “We supply around 20-30 mats in selective stores. Summer is a good season for making and selling. When the business is low, we sell it in local markets for a meagre amount. What usually costs a thousand or two is sold for a few hundreds. The daily labour gets reduced because of this. If a mat is sold for `300, the artisan gets only `75 per day since each mat takes four days to be made. There is always a business to mats at least from local vendors but the price depends on bargain. My daughter will take care of this business after me but I’m afraid the art will lose its sheen after her. It has become a women’s business. Men do not work for such low labour cost,” she shares.
Mat matters
The common colours used are orange, green, violet, rose, and red. The patterns are usually traditional, with a streak or designs at the end. Keeping up with the times, the artisans have moved beyond conventional sleeping mats to korai grass shopping bags, coasters, table runners, yoga and sitting mats to cater to the market. Monotonous and pastel shades are used as per modern preference. The sides of the mat are stitched with an ikat or kalamkari fabric for a modern look.
“We need to survive by updating ourselves. Sometimes designs are given to us at the time of order otherwise we come up with our own. When the deadlines aren’t met, some cancel the order which puts us at a loss. The production period is challenging since we manually do it and mostly succumb to back pain,” rues Kavva. The women gather after household chores are complete and weave till evening.
The regular are available in a standard size of five feet and three inches. Pattu mats can be customised based on preference so there’s no standard size. They can be folded and kept in a safe place. Sizes and designs can be customised as per needs. It requires mild washing, dusting and drying once in a while, especially in the summer season. Now Kavva’s team is experimenting natural dyes extracted from mehndi, suruli flower, sevvarali plant, turmeric and more. Sleeping on these mats is said to absorb the body heat during summer. With the advent of powerloom, varieties have increased and mats are made in shorter time.Kavva is fighting against the use of chemical colours and alternative materials for these traditional beauties.
The korai mats are available at Kamala Stores and priced from Rs 1,500
