Indian space agency ISRO created history on February 15 when it put 104 satellites in orbit from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. Several miles away in another part of the State, an enterprise linked to this event was under way. The Society for Weavers Welfare in AP in Mangalagiri of Guntur district, a town famous for its handlooms, was busy weaving a sari that features 104 rockets, to celebrate the achievement.
Designer J Nagaraju, who trains artisans at the Mangalagiri Handloom Cluster Training Centre, said it took about five days to design the sari and six days to have it woven. The sari is being displayed at the National Handlooms Exhibition at Guntur.
The sari has been woven with a Jacquard loom. Seven kinds of materials, including cotton and polyester, and eight colours have gone into this sari.
The pallu of the sari contains 42 images of the PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle), 48 Ashok Chakras and the word ‘India’ in 48 places. The sari’s centre contains 62 rockets. Cluster Development Executive H Nagesh and artisans Gangadhara Rao and Sivasankar were involved in its creation.
“The sari is not for sale. The costing had not yet been done so even an approximate price cannot be given at the moment,” Nagaraju said.