COIMBATORE: Sirumugai in Coimbatore famous for silk saree production is celebrating after the informal summit between China and India held at Mamallapuram.
The reason behind the village’s joy is simple. The bright-red shawl with the portrait of Chinese President Xi Jinping that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted to the Chinese leader was woven here.
The designer M Dharmaraj and weavers A Shanmugasundaram and E Manoj Kumar in Sirumugai worked tirelessly for over 15 days to weave the shawl after the Department of Handlooms and Textiles placed an order with their cooperative society.
On Saturday, the villagers at Sirumugai stayed glued to their television sets to watch the live telecast to see the Chinese President unfurl the shawl.
"It is a dream-come-true moment for us to work on such piece for a world leader," said the designer Dharmaraj.
The weavers said they made nearly 24100 card punches to ensure the full design. The shawl might cost anywhere between Rs 45000 to Rs 50000, they added.
Similar to the shawl with Xi's portrait, the Sirumugai weavers have also knitted a shawl for PM Modi too, which was kept on display during the Mamallapuram event.
The President of Sri Ramalinga Sowdambgai Handloom Weaved Cooperative Society V Ravikumar said they handed over the shawl to the Department of Handlooms and Textiles' Coimbatore office on October 9. Later, the cloth was sent to Chennai and was kept ready for Saturday's event.
The cooperative society wanted to inform readers that sarees with several designs including Mayilthogai saree, Thirukural saree, Manamakkal saree and with a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi knitted in a saree had been introduced by them this festival season.
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