Jewel toned dupattas, khadi saris woven in ponduru threads and kalamkari flowers scrolled on yards of handloom and khadi dyed in vegetable hues…. they all tell the Dastkar Andhra story eloquently. Fifty weavers from seven districts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are in the city to showcase their wares at the Dastkar Andhra show, which is on view at Lalit Kala Akademi, Greams Road, till August 30.
Dastkar Andhra has worked closely with the weavers through the cooperatives in the areas of craft skills, new weaving techniques, and the introduction of contemporary design graphs. The training is done through the cooperatives, who produce and distribute the yarn to the weavers. Then begins the weaving process. The products are marketed by DAMA, a branch of Dastkar Andhra, at exhibitions.
The lure of polyester and power loom cloth, migration of the weaver from the villages, yarn crisis and lack of control of cotton prices ate into the State’s handloom production. In 1990, Dastkar Andhra stepped in with a training programme for weavers to produce good quality handlooms with superior value addition, and innovative designs. According to Latha Thumuru of Dastkar Andhra, “Innovations and design interventions are introduced with every production cycle. This year, dobby weaving has been introduced.”
Today Dastkar Andhra’s saris and fabric are synonymous with elegance. The exhibition has kora saris in Kalamkari, checked and striped fabric and trendy dupattas and stoles. A welcome value addition is Malkha “freedom cloth” saris and fabric, block printed in elegant formats.