The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : The textile designer who set out to train women in sari designing

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 31, 2006
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

The textile designer who set out to train women in sari designing

He is a young textile designer entrusted by the State Government with the task of training women self-help groups (SHG) members in sari designing. Trained women excelling in the trade can earn up to Rs. 5,000 a month. He speaks his mind to P. Oppili.

The small office room is packed with books on textile designing. On one corner, the computer screen is showing images of new designs that have been fashioned by R. Sanmuga Magesh for his clients.

Fond of drawing and painting, Mr. Magesh joined the five-year B.Sc. Industrial Textiles Designing course in Madras University after completing his Plus Two. "Even while studying, I used to generate new designs for my own satisfaction and not meant for any commercial purpose," he says. After his graduation, he did his masters in Fine Arts in Textile Designing.

Soon after completing his post-graduation, he joined the South India Textile Research Association, a Government of India organisation having its office in Coimbatore. He worked as a senior scientific technician in the weaving department. At the end of seventh year, he decided to call it a day and start his own organisation to train women in sari designing.

Unlike the olden days, when textile showrooms accepted similar or the same designs from weavers, the market demand and competition have made these showrooms to look for new designer trends and exclusive design. Each showroom wants new design, every month. However, the number of textile designers is relatively less and this group is unable to cater to the huge demand, he notes.

Is there a way to meet the demand? Yes, he affirms. The State Government's idea to train SHG members in rural areas in sari-designing is one among them.

Textile designing stands out as compared to other usual trades such as incense sticks, candle, phenyl or pickle-making, when it comes to demand and profitability. The traditional goods produced by SHG members lack marketing facility and they themselves are forced to look for prospective buyers. Not so in the case of textile designing.

There is a great demand for new designs, and trained women can sit at home, putting their computers to a profitable use. They need venture out to market the product.

The Government, on its part, must instruct both the power loom and hand loom cooperative societies in the State to buy the new designs created by SHG members. Another advantage in the programme is that the Government itself is arranging loans up to Rs. 25,000 for buying computers.

This programme will have a three-way benefit — the women will be totally independent; showrooms such as the Co-optex will get more customers for the new designs, thereby earning good revenue to the Government; and the weavers can access new designs at affordable cost, he says.

"The very idea to educate the rural women is aimed at making them financially independent. This income will help them provide better education to their wards and the benefits will percolate down the social ladder," this is my dream, adds Mr. Magesh.

He can be contacted over 044-64554443 and his e-mail is: vishaltexdesigns@yahoo.com

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