Madras checks finds support in Spain

The handloom weavers in Cuddalore district consider Kavita Parmar as their messiah. Three years after her visit to their village the weavers have noticed a sizable increase in their income. Their names are known in distant Europe and a discerning clientele appreciates their work.

Seventy-year-old R. Dhandapani remembers her visit distinctly. “She showed us on her computer what she planned to do with the lungis we make. I have been weaving lungis for over 40 years now. I am the last in the family to take to this profession. “I have seen my photo on the computer and know that she makes shirts and jackets from the lungis,” he says, adding that sometimes they receive suggestions on new designs.

R. Ramakrishnan and Kanimozhi have spent their entire life weaving lungis. “Several years ago a woman came and photographed us. I supply to the Society and they in turn forward the cloth to her I think. A couple of times I received twice the payment I get usually,” says Mr. Ramakishnan, whose daughter and son are in college and will not continue in the profession.

These weavers say few youngsters have interest in carrying forward the tradition.

In an email interview Kavita Parmar, creator and founder of IOU based in Spain, said it was the desire to showcase the dying craftsmanship from across the world that propelled her. “The Madras checks has been traditionally woven in and around the Cuddalore area for over 700 documented years and it seemed unfair that the weavers would not get credit. It is as if someone was selling millions of bottles of Bubbly wine and labelling it Champagne when it was made somewhere else. That cannot be done as the Champagne producers have a legal Denomination of Origen,” she says.

To gain patronage she created a video and sent it out to 3,000 bloggers. Now she has a faithful clientele. IOU works with Harris Tweed weavers in Scotland, indigo-dyed denim from Japan, yak wool from Tibet and merino wool from Spain. “But I have to admit that the Madras lungis is still my personal favourite project,” Ms. Parmar says.

Soon after their participation in handloom exhibition in Germany, officials of the Tamil Nadu Weavers’ Cooperative Society, better known as Co-optex visited Ms. Parmar’s unit. “They are now experimenting with creating shirts using handloom dhotis. Finally, the Kurnijipadi handloom lungi made in Cuddalore has helped the weavers immensely as they get paid far better than what the Indian market can offer,” says Co-optex’s managing director T.N. Venkatesh.