KOZHIKODE: “I started weaving here 36 years ago alongside my mother and sisters. This khadi centre is more than a workplace; it is where my childhood memories live, and where I even spent my breaks while attending Plus Two,” recalls 50-year-old Kamala Shimjith, her voice reflecting a lifetime of dedication to a craft that is now receiving its due on the national stage.
Kamala and her colleague Shyamala, two veterans from Chemancherry Khadi Weaving Centre under the Kozhikode Sarvodaya Sangham, are preparing for the journey of a lifetime. They have been officially invited as special guests of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the upcoming Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi.
Shyamala, 56, an expert in weaving Kuppadam ‘mundus’ (dhotis), is also excited. “We have our train tickets ready. It was just last month that we received the invitation to attend the programme. It brings me immense joy to know that not just our skill, but the unique weaving tradition of our village is reaching such heights through this recognition,” she said. The pair, accompanied by their families, will board a train to the capital on January 22.
For the women, who have spent over three-and-a-half decades hunched over wooden looms, the invitation is not just a personal milestone but also a revival of a fading traditional art form.
The duo specialises in the legendary ‘Kuppadam’ weave, a technique so intricate and demanding that Chemancherry remains the only production home in India for these specific sarees.
“Today, it’s just me and Bindu (another weaver) who know how to weave the Kuppadam saree,” says Kamala. “The entire process is done by hand; we don’t even use a needle. It is the purity of the process that makes it special.”
The history of the Kuppadam saree has seen a few turns. Around seven years ago, production was completely halted due to diminishing demand and lack of publicity. For over four years, the specialised looms sat silent until a sudden surge in interest from handloom enthusiasts forced Kozhikode Sarvodaya Sangam to restart production.
Weaving a single Kuppadam saree is a feat of endurance, requiring two artists to sit together at the loom for roughly six working days. The result is a masterpiece of fine cotton where the borders are beautifully embroidered on both sides, allowing the garment to be worn interchangeably.
While the market price of these sarees, currently around `6,000, reflects the labour-intensive quality of the 100th-count yarn, officials believe the national recognition is the “publicity boost” the industry desperately needs. The secretary of Kozhikode Sarvodaya Sangam said inquiries are already pouring in from across the state.