Kannur: Highlighting the rich tradition of handloom industry of the region, Indian Institute of Handloom Technology - Kannur (IIHT-K) installed a Malabar Frame Loom replica at the departure lounge of Kannur International Airport on Thursday.
Malabar Frame Loom was introduced to Kerala by foreign missionaries during 1700-1800, and it soon became popular in Kannur-Kozhikode region for weaving furnishing fabrics, dhotis, saris, and shirtings.
Handloom products of Kannur, which meet international standards, have earned a global reputation with a geographical indication (GI) tag.
''It was the wish of the airport company to install a lookalike to highlight the tradition of the region," said N. Sreedhanyan, the executive director of IIHT-K.
"The airport company and the KITCO, the design consultants, approached us and we made this loom entirely in teakwood, fabricated by our team and traditional experts.''
They include IIHT- K technical superintendent Sreenath, temple architect M. V. Kuttikrishnan Achari, A. K. Ramakrishnan, Deepesh, and Chandran Kommeri.
IIHT- Kannur is one of the ten IIHTs across the country. Industries minister E. P. Jayarajan will unveil the loom on the inauguration of the airport.
