Reviving the textile tradition of a TN village

Chennimalai, located at a distance of 27 km from Erode, was once a flourishing handloom sheeting hub. Though still known for its bedsheets and Jamakkalams, the village has in the last five decades or so lost its distinct handwoven textile heritage to powerloom.

An attempt is being made now to revive, protect and preserve the heritage skills of the handloom weavers in that belt.

The villagers say the number of handloom weavers in Chennimalai has shrunk from over a lakh in the 60s and 70s to less than 3,000 at present.

They admit that the younger lot moved out in search of greener pastures because “handloom weaving is hard labour and the returns are not commensurate to the work.”

Devarajan Chinnuswamy, Managing Director of URC Construction (P) Ltd, who incidentally hails from a village near Chennimalai, has vowed to restore the textile heritage of this small village.

“When I meet up with the octogenarian weavers here, they invariably recount their days of hard labour before voicing apprehension about the possible extinction of the Chennimalai weaver tribe. I decided to transform the villages. Thus was born Five P Venture India (P) Ltd – an initiative that I mooted along with my friend Sampath Kasirajan, an expert in value chain engineering and cluster development.”

The duo with a technical team for guidance is now trying to beat the odds to revive this community.

Five P's stand for “protection (of the heritage), preservation (of tradition), promotion (of hard skills), which in turn will ensure prosperity and posterity of the community,” Chinnuswamy explained.

And to ensure that the weavers do not struggle within the confines of their homes, as also understand the market requirements better, Chinnuswamy has set up a loom factory at a place called Myladi, about 3 km from Chennimalai.

The unit which has come up on a 15-acre plot is being developed in phased manner. “We have earmarked seven acres in the first phase of development and plan to install 27 looms in each of the two sheds. Our investment on the looms is around Rs 3.5 cr,” the URCC MD said adding “we are trying to raise a like-sum to sustain it for the next 2-3 years.”

Production has already begun in one of the two sheds and Five P Venture has, according to its Chief Executive Bharathi Chinnuswamy, started offering to the global market a variety of contemporary, handwoven and bespoke fabrics with jacquard designs using recycled, organic and natural dyed yarns.

“The demand from overseas buyers is overwhelming. They are awed with our designs. We have in the first nine months of the last calendar year exported products worth ₹40 lakh. The demand is huge. Five P is in the process of reaching out to many designers to use this loom facility,” Bharathi said.

In June 2015, Five P launched an in-house brand ‘Nool By Hand’.

“Nool strikes a fine balance with the designer entrepreneurs towards creating a range of apparel and home textiles. Our range includes natural linen, Indigo dyed fabric, organic cotton and cotton denim. Five P will enter every segment that has a niche to offer. We have just begun the journey through the social medium. Our intent is to use this tool extensively to promote our brand,” Bharathi told Business Line .

Nool has participated in five exhibitions since its launch. Bharathi is aiming to introduce the brand in at least 10 boutique stores across the country by June this year.