GI tag need of the hour, feel Chirala silk weavers

Inheritors of the centuries-old legacy say it will add value to their product and increase visibility

Weavers of Chirala in the State feel a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for their impressive silk sari can help them compete better and survive in the era of globalisation.

Having carved a niche for themselves in making the unique silk saris, they feel they will be assured of a decent profit margin if they get the tag. “The GI tag will do a whale of good,” they say, taking time in between their work to talk to he Hindu.

The saris cannot be reproduced by computer-aided design and embroidery units, says a group of weavers at the Weavers’ Colony in Chirala, which gets the name from the word ‘chira’ (sari).

The Chirala weavers inherit centuries-old rich artistic legacy. Italian traveller Marco Polo’s travelogue stands testimony to their weaving skills. They are credited with manufacturing saris that can be folded and kept in matchboxes.

Unequal competition

However, the weavers struggle to eke out a decent living in the face of unequal competition from power loom players. As a result, they have quit manufacturing lungis, dhotis, and blankets.

Impressed with the improvement in the living conditions of their counterparts in Mangalagiri, who have got the GI tag for their product, they want the Andhra Pradesh government to facilitate the GI tag for the value-added silk saris they produce to improve their visibility in the global market. As the loom in Jwala Narasimham’s house in the colony runs uninterruptedly with all family members busy making an ornate silk sari, the weaver says: “We make saris priced between 3,000 and 15,000. It takes about a fortnight to make a wedding sari, and the returns are commensurate with the toil.” They source raw silk from Mysuru and Coimbatore, and add value to the saris, says another weaver, Sunkara Ravikumar.

Irregularities alleged

They are aware of the various schemes meant for their welfare, now that the Handloom Commissioner’s office has been shifted to Amaravati from Hyderabad following the State’s bifurcation, they add.

Stating that most of the weavers have not benefited much from the 22-crore Handloom Cluster Development scheme, they urge the authorities to order a thorough probe into the alleged irregularities in the implementation of the scheme meant for training about 8,500 weavers in 16 clusters of Prakasam district.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/gi-tag-need-of-the-hour-feel-chirala-silk-weavers/article19404380.ece