The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Jute saris and dresses resurrect Anakaputhur

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 11, 2006
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Jute saris and dresses resurrect Anakaputhur

K. Manikandan

Initiative to revive handloom industry here

CREATIVE USE: Jute fabric products made by weavers of Anakaputhur. — Photo: K. Manikandan

TAMBARAM: Jute, commonly associated with gunny bags, is now being woven into beautiful saris and other dress materials by a group of men and women in suburban Anakaputhur near Tambaram.

Anakaputhur was once an active handloom hub, which was reputed for its `real Madras handkerchief', said members of the Anakaputhur Jute Weavers Association. The cottage industry flourished till about a decade ago. And, for the past 10 years, weavers here were unable to compete with new entrants to the market and were almost shunted out of their trade.

As part of the efforts to revive the handloom industry in Anakaputhur, the Ministry of Textiles initiated schemes to encourage weavers here to use jute to weave saris, salwars and other dress materials.

Recently, 11 women, members of a self-help group (SHG) received financial assistance to the tune of Rs.1.2 lakh from Indian Bank to purchase raw materials, create designs, and weave them into finished products to be sold in the market, where there is a considerable demand for dresses made from jute, said C. Sekar of the association. The members said the Jute Manufacturers Development Council and the National Centre for Jute Diversification assisted the weavers in procuring raw materials, provided them with training to create designs, and helped them market and sell the finished dresses through showrooms run by the Central and State Governments.

The dresses are priced between Rs.250 and Rs.2,500.

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