India’s wealthy array of crafts and the artisans behind all of it have numerous tales to weave.
Take P Sakthivel from Bhavani close to Erode, as an example. He is the third technology from his household to be engaged within the artwork of weaving jamalakkalams however immediately, the circumstances of his enterprise have modified, he says. “Powerlooms have taken over and there are fewer people now who are making jamakkalams the traditional way,” he says.
Anuradha Halan, who has been working with Toda artisans from the Nilgiris, has a lot to say about about watching the pioneering work of her mentor Evam Piljen Wiedemann, and how she popularised the Toda embroidery.
Vharsha Raheja, Arti Bagdy and Nabila Avais
| Photo Credit:
R Ravindran
In a bid to honour these crafts, in addition to work on a contemporary revival of their artistry by way of design interventions, the handloom and textile vertical of the FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), has been working for over a 12 months now with two initiatives focussed on Toda embroidery and jamakkalams. The initiative goals to take it to a bigger viewers.
Cushion covers and potli luggage with Toda embroidery
| Photo Credit:
R Ravindran
“We began these projects, Toda Threads and Jamakkalam Rewoven, by understanding what the challenges faced by the communities working on creating the textiles were,” says Arti Bagdy, head of the textile and handloom vertical of FICCI FLO. Arti and committee members Vharsha Raheja and Nabila Avais, have been working on empowering these artisans by way of design interventions to swimsuit evolving contemporary tastes and kinds.
“While Toda embroidery is featured predominantly on shawls, we have created an entire range of home furnishings with their distinct red and black embroidery on white. This includes cushion covers, table runners and coasters,” Arti says. The massive jamakkalam, a standard hand-woven carpet typically in darkish pink, inexperienced and blue has taken form as smaller, extra contemporary rugs that can be utilized in properties versus bigger areas. The distinct jamakkalam stripes additionally characteristic on cushion covers and coasters as an element of this capsule assortment.
“The Toda community is extremely small and among them, less than 350 women in the Nilgiris work on this unique embroidery. Despite the craft having a GI certification, we are seeing outsiders trying to replicate this without engaging with the Toda artisans,” Anuradha says. The Toda Threads undertaking nonetheless, she says, has engaged immediately with the ladies artisans who’re extraordinarily enthused by the response to those design interventions, she provides.
Cushion covers and jamakkalam rugs
| Photo Credit:
R Ravindran
Sakthivel, who has been working on the jamakkalam undertaking agrees that the newer designs and colors appear to have worldwide attraction. “People have always loved the old-school jamakkalam patterns so it is no surprise that they want a version of this in their homes today,” he says.
As half of the Toda Threads initiative, FICCI FLO additionally collaborated with designer Tarun Tahiliani, to showcase the flexibility of Toda embroidery in contemporary trend final July.
Divya Abhishek, chairperson of FLO Chennai describes this initiative as the proper mix of custom, innovation, and empowerment. “With a dedicated team and the artistry of our craftspeople, we are showcasing Tamil Nadu’s textile heritage to the world in a way that is both meaningful and relevant,” she says.
Arti says that it is very important underscore the importance of these crafts, and for the worldwide neighborhood to embrace the wealthy legacy of textile heritage this contributes to. “While these designs have been showcased at our meets and have found favour among our members across the country, we have bigger plans as well. We hope to set up dedicated channels to take these directly to the customers — through a website as well as in stores,” she says.
Published – March 25, 2025 05:33 pm IST
