“Can I intern under you?” asked an excited Nift student, Swaroopa Rajpurohit after a session at the Jiddu Krishnamurthi Centre, Punjagutta. Her request wasn’t uncommon, especially when you are a fashion design student; only in this case Swaroopa was excited to get onboard with Uzramma, a name synonymous with Indian handlooms.
And it wasn’t just Swaroopa, who was present at the gathering. United by their love for handlooms, there was a former engineer who is now an organic farmer, a doctor who now has a handloom studio and others who turned up to listen to Uzramma as she spoke about ‘Malkha’, the eco-sensitive fabric that is creating jobs for hundreds of forgotten weavers in India.
Weavers’ story: “I have been associated with the cotton textile industry since 1989. It’s been 20-25 years, but nothing has happened. How does a National Handloom Day benefit anyone? Imagine if we come up with say a Goat Day, will people not eat meat?” asked Uzramma, founder of the Dastkar Industry, non-profit research consultancy that markets cotton hand-woven fabrics and natural dyeing. “We keep saying ayyo papam for the weavers, when in reality, they are our country’s future.
Organic bazaar: The talk went on for almost two hours where Uzramma, who belongs to Hyderabad, spoke about Malkha and her journey working with the handlooms in AP and Telangana. Apart from the session, there was also an organic bazaar. One particular stall belonged to Dr Sharmila Nagraj Nandula, former associate professor at NIFT Hyderabad, who did her Ph.D research in cotton and natural dyes. “There is positive energy in handlooms; a weaver wakes up at 3 am and before starting work, they pray, their work is like their worship. And it’s this same energy that gets carried forward to the cloth they make. Hand woven clothes are like your second skin and they are good for your health,” she said.
