CHENNAI: Akka, we don’t have money to purchase milk or vegetables. We have a stockpile of saris, but we haven’t been able to sell them.” A month ago, Bharathy Harish, head of Madhurya Creations, a revival boutique in south Bengaluru, got a call from a distressed weaver, pleading that something be done to help them out. Harish and her team swung into action, reaching out to individuals, impressing upon them the help they will render by purchasing a Chettinad cotton sari woven by weavers in Tamil Nadu.
“What the weavers now require are bulk orders to have their looms retained and come out with new ones for the upcoming festivals,” says Harish, whose boutique that supports more than 1,000 weaver families across India, is reaching out to people who can help place orders for Chettinad cotton saris, for sailing the weavers across the rough waters.
Just five years ago, Chettinad cotton saris won the ‘India Handloom’ tag for its unique designs and identity from the Union Ministry of Handlooms and Textiles, after passing through five rigorous quality tests to earn the branding. “Let alone the sad history of how the powerloom threw handloom weavers out of their jobs, the latest blow to the weaver community is the pandemic that has denied them their usual share of orders during the last one year. Until the lockdown, there were retailers who would purchase in large numbers. But with everything having come to a standstill, it has been hard for us to make bulk purchases,” Harish explains.
The Chettinad cotton saris that are normally sold for Rs 1,600+ are now being sold by the weavers for Rs 890 (including delivery charges). “Their monthly household needs add up to about R5,000, but it has become hard for them to make ends meet. During pre-Covid times, they would turn servers at weddings, which would give them some additional income,” she says.
The biggest challenge that Harish is facing at the moment is logistics. “Second, weavers in villages don’t have access to the best technology to take high-quality photographs. So, buyers will not be able to choose the colour of the saris but can only select the quantity. The weavers will send saris in a mix of colours,” Harish says, adding that the saris are available in vibrant tones, don’t run colour or shrink after washing. “We’re hoping that this initiative will help weavers get back on their feet in a month or two,” she notes.
For details, log onto the Madhurya Creations website.
A tag for design
Just five years ago, the Chettinad cotton saris won the ‘India Handloom’ tag for its unique designs and identity from the Union Ministry of Handlooms and Textiles, after passing through five rigorous quality tests to earn the branding.