Weavers of Chirala in Prakasam district have carved a niche in the global arena, thanks to their exceptional skills. Italian traveller Marco Polo’s accounts stand testimony to their expertise, which had floored the Europeans during the medieval period. Chirala, which derives its name from Chira (saree), had weavers who could produce transparent saree, which could be folded and kept in a match box.
However, with the use of power looms gaining ground, the weavers from Kanigiri, Ethamukala, Vetapalem and Janarpeta in the district were forced to weave woes on the looms owing to lack of sufficient orders for their deft hands in the era of globalisation. “The Rs. 70-crore Mega Handloom Cluster, which is all set to commence operation from the second week of October, will be game changer,” explained Handlooms and Textiles Assistant Director M. Ramamurthy Naidu after holding awareness programmes for weavers recently.
“Eight interventions have been planned to hone the skills of around 12,000 weavers to come up with innovative designs, reduce drudgery and help them find new markets within and outside the country, through e-marketing tools,” he said while speaking to The Hindu .
He added that the interventions included a Rs. 7-crore yarn bank, modern compressed looms, motorised jacquards, emergency solar lamps, modern design studio and work-sheds for weavers, which would certainly improve the their productivity and income. “Our aim is to empower 12,000 weavers from the district so that they can weave a tapestry of designs and textures with equal aplomb of their forefathers,” he added.
“The government should provide solar lamps of higher capacity to energise at least two tube lights and one fan instead of an emergency lamp, which hardly serves any purpose,” says K. Venkateswara Rao, a weaver from Epurupalem.
