Ezhukadal Street (Street of seven seas) near Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple is a significant landmark in Madurai. Goddess Meenakshi (Thadathagai) is believed to have appeared as a child when Pandya King Malayadwajan and his wife Kanchanamala performed a yagna. It is believed to be the confluence of seven seas brought to Madurai by Lord Siva in which Kanchanamala bathed.
Ezhukadal was one of the earliest victims of urbanisation. The waterbody was closed and a multi-storeyed shopping complex came up on it in the 1990s. Today, you can buy any plastic item of your choice on this street. In the 1940s and the 50s, the street was humming with sewing machines, with tailors making all sorts of garments. The famous ‘Kurangu Slack’ came from here. The tailors are not to be seen but their sons and grandchildren are running garment manufacturing units all over the city now. This generation has come a long way from Ezhukadal Street.
Catalogues speak
The catalogues spread on the table of K. Mohamed Sithik at his Villapuram office can be eminently mistaken as being from haute couture manufacturers in Milan or Paris. His family started with five machines and now produces some of the best garments for girls and young women available in the market.
S.K.T. Mydeen, president of Madurai-based Tamil Nadu Readymade Garments Manufacturers’ Association, is a school dropout. After working as a tailor for 16 years, he started a small manufacturing unit with two machines, which has taken roots by multiplying the machines. Mr. Mydeen points out that in the absence of industries in the region garment manufacture has become a successful venture in the cottage, tiny and small sectors.
Unlike big brands, these units cater only to the domestic demand. At the same time, Madurai has established brands that are very popular and compete with the leaders, especially in the shirts segment. “Our quality is comparable with goods made in Mumbai. Our prices are competitive but lack in marketing skills,” says A. Abuthagir, who owns a unit in Simmakkal.
Common facility
With the objective of providing better visibility for Madurai products, a common marketing facility is coming up at Villapuram. Leading Madurai manufacturers will display their products at the facility, named Gani Garments Trading Centre, which will bring about a paradigm shift in the way garments are sold from here, says M. Jeyakumar of Tamil Nadu Council for Enterprise Development, the consultant for garment manufacturers.
Material suppliers from Gujarat and Maharashtra and buyers from all over the country will visit the centre, instead of the manufacturers reaching out to them. The TACED also plans to facilitate a textile park for manufacturers who cater to the domestic market.
“Initially, all of us were producing all varieties of garments. Over the years, Madurai’s focus has been only on gents’ shirts. Not many produce women’s garments as trends keep changing frequently,” says A. Sait, secretary of the association.
The major strength of these garment units is the way they facilitate woman empowerment. Apart from their own units, manufacturers outsource products by providing training, machinery and materials to women who operate from home in Sellur, Vilangudi, Melur, Koodal Nagar, Iyer Bungalow, Kadachanendal, Othakadai, K. Pudur, Anna Nagar, Villapuram, Tirupuvanam, Avaniapuram, Tirupparankundram and Tirunagar, says S. Chellapandi, a supervisor.
Post-demonetisation, many units have announced lay-offs and are keeping their fingers crossed, hoping for a revival. “After Deepavali, retail sale has come down dramatically. As a result, stocks have started to accumulate in our godowns. Still we manage to survive even without any help from the government,” says Mr. Mydeen.
