SIDDIPET: The handloom workers of Siddipet, of late, are weaving magic. The silk sarees that they are making are stealing the hearts of the women of not only the poor and middle-class sections but also those from fashion-conscious affluent sections. They have an innovative design with an appeal to attract women of any strata of society. The sarees produced by them are very enticing and tempting, the whole nine yards — from kongu to kuchillu.
In the past, cotton sarees woven by handloom workers were not bought by women of higher echelons of society. These sarees are so exquisitely woven that they find them irresistible. The images that are woven into sarees appear as if they have been painted after weaving. With help from Netha Sahakara Sangham, workers have recently started custom-weaving silk sarees. The society asked the weavers to weave the image of Ramappa Temple into a saree and they did so with stunning finesse. While one worker wove the design of the Ramappa Temple, another wove the dancing figurines on the Ramappa Temple on a silk saree.
Recently, the government honoured three workers who wove silk sarees with consummate skill. The government felicitated Pattipaka Ellaiah, a weaver of Adarsh Handloom Cooperative Society who wove the pattern of Ramappa Temple on a silk saree, Veerabattini Sivarajam of Irkodu Handloom Cooperative Society, who made a silk saree with Ramappa temple along with dancing statuettes, and Vemula Devdas, who wove famous Gollabhama saree. These three workers were felicitated by L Ramana, Chairman of the State Handloom Association.
The handloom workers are happy that three of them from the Siddipet district have been recognised for their talent. Gollabhama was the main centre for manufacturing cotton sarees in the Siddipet district. During the last three months, the weavers have been focusing on making silk sarees. They said they feel fortunate to weave the statuettes of the Ramappa Temple on a silk saree. “Initially it was a little difficult but later it became easy,” one of the weavers said, adding that they are now confident of weaving a silk saree in 10 days. “We get `4,500 per saree from the society which is sold in APCO outlets.”
Ellaiah, a member of the Siddipet-based Adarsh Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society, said that he felt fortunate to weave the Ramappa Temple pattern, which became world famous recently, among all other silk sarees. Ellaiah also recently received the honour at the hands of L Ramana. Along with him, Vemula Devdas, a worker, was felicitated government. He wove a Gollabhama silk saree with a captivating appeal and became a toast of the town instantly.