Handloom saris are a must for any fashionista's wardrobe but the members of Women.Weave.World (W3), a Facebook group, have taken their love for the yards to the level of expertise. Not only do they love the look and feel of the saris, but also have enough knowledge about the technicalities of weaving.
Seven members of the group set out on a 'Kovai Kora Trail' along with the managing director of Co-Optex (The Tamil Nadu Weavers Co-operative society limited) T N Venkatesh which began at Sirumugai located 40 km from Coimbatore on Saturday. Not only did they learn about Sirumugai and its weavers but also about the various intricacies involved in the manufacturing of a handloom sari.
"I always wanted to know what a mercerised cotton yarn was and today not only did I get my doubts cleared but also saw how a sari is woven right in front of my eyes," said Malarvizhi, one of the members who has travelled from Andaman to take part in this trail.
As the weavers showed them a 'Kodalikarupur' motif sari which has also won a national award, the excitement and wonder were palpable among the women as they rushed to get the feel of the famous sari. "We have seen many of these saris such as the Tiruvalluvar-Thirukkural saree, The Krishna sari and other award winning designs of the Co-optex but seeing it in person, touching it and getting a feel of the saris was a completely different experience. So much goes into making a handloom saree and we completely appreciate the effort that the weavers put in," said Sreemathy Mohan, one of the co-founders of the forum.
Jaishree Iyer said that she and Shreemathy work in the same field and also realized that they shared a similar taste when it came to saris. "We would end up picking up the same sari many times and so we thought we should start something to bring together other women who share our passion for handloom saris and initiate exchange of knowledge," she says. She quickly also adds that this forum is not for any type of advertising but for discussing, learning and sharing knowledge about the saris.
They interacted with the weavers working on the electronic jacquard weaving machine and also the weavers in the villages. The women displayed impressive knowledge about the technicalities of weaving, something that impressed even the weavers. Enjoying a cold drink of lemonade with a tinge of cardamom, they say it in chorus that they completely respect what these weavers do.
"There are so many intricate elements that go into the making of a handloom saris. The experience was very enriching and to personally experience it and interacting with the weavers was very informative. And so much warmth from a non-private sector is a rarity. We look forward to many such trails in the future," said Kausalya, another member.
These women are all from various fields such as IT, medicine, textiles, engineering and other fields and in the age group of 50.
N T Venkatesh who enthusiastically explained the entire process to the women, said many people appreciate the work done by weavers but when one visits them personally and experiences the making of a sari on their own, they understand the amount of hard work that goes into it. "There are so many types of designs and several types of saris which need to be promoted and such trails help in that," he said.