The Chendamangalam weavers have started to get on with their lives as the yarn for weaving cloth for school uniforms has arrived and they have started preparations to get the yarn on to the loom.
Repair works of the looms have begun as donations had poured in for the weavers’ societies. “Funds have come in to repair about three looms,” says P.A. Sojan, the secretary of a weavers’ society.
For the Karimpadam society, workers from Tamil Nadu will be involved in the repairs, says Ajith Kumar, secretary. A loom requires about ₹20,000 to ₹40,000 to be repaired. The weavers, mostly women, are looking forward for work to begin as it is only then that they will get their wages, says Viji P.K., a weaver.
The yarn has to be rolled on to the size of the loom, which is a tedious process to begin with. While work to roll the yarn to be mounted on the loom has started, each loom as and when it gets ready would be put to work.
The women have been involved in clearing the factory of textiles and yarns soiled in the floodwaters. They have been washing and disinfecting the soiled linen to give it to the makers of Chekutty dolls to raise funds for the weavers’ societies.
With a lot of media attention on Chendamangalam weavers, there has not been a day without visitors, say the women at the weaving centre.
Donations
The weavers’ societies hope that they are able to raise enough funds to repair all the looms so that all those engaged in the centre as well as individual homes are able to get back to work. So far, donations have come in only for a few looms.
Officials from the Industries Department and the Planning Board had visited the weavers’ centre to assess the damage.
