The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : College girls to rescue of weavers

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Wednesday, Feb 06, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

College girls to rescue of weavers

2,500 students purchase handloom saris

All for a cause: Students of Standard Fireworks Rajaratnam College for Women at Sivakasi who showed their solidarity for weavers by wearing handloom saris.

SIVAKASI: It was different kind of assembly for over 2,500 students of Standard Fireworks Rajaratnam College for Women here on Tuesday. Draped in handloom saris, the girls stood taller with pride on their face.

The reason: they had helped the handloom weaving community by buying saris for themselves. They had also helped the Cooptex to sell handloom goods worth Rs. 16 lakh in less than 10 days.

The sale that began on Republic Day following a request from Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi to lend a helping hand to weavers ended on Monday.

Unlike other colleges or universities, this gesture by SFR College students is not new. For, the institution as well as the students were trendsetters in the southern districts by voluntarily buying handloom goods in 2002. The students who had bought/sold Rs. 1.50 lakh worth saris (then it was priced at Rs. 40 per sari as against Rs. 100 now) used to wear it to college to popularise the goods which otherwise were considered “cheap”. A few colleges in the region followed suit.

Timely relief

This provided a timely succour to weavers, whose goods were stagnant in the Cooptex showrooms for want of public patronage. This eased the Government’s burden in helping out the weavers. On its part, the college management, which has several match and fireworks manufacturing units, allowed its employees to buy the handloom goods in instalments. Principal Sasirekha appreciated the girls’ commitment towards a noble cause.

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