“As a handloom weaver of Pochampally Ikkat sarees, I feel elated that Pochampally town has been declared as one of the finest village tourism in the world by The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). It’s not only a proud moment for our weaver’s community but also for the entire Telangana region as Pochampally town represents the hallmark of our state’s heritage and culture.

I truly believe that handloom weaving is an art in itself and weaving a Pochampally strengthens my statement. It has been an age-old profession for more than 180 years and visitors from all over the world throng to our Pochampally town to see the intricate patterns which we weave. But because sustaining on traditional handloom weaving has become increasingly challenging nowadays, many youngsters are moving away from it.

The raw materials we use for the Pochampally saree is sourced from different regions of Telangana, Karnataka as well as Maharashtra. These days, due to the power loom machines, there is stiff competition. However, we ensure the best quality in our handwoven sarees and that’s the reason we are still being able to sustain ourselves. There are many challenges ever since the Covid struck the country but things seem hopeful nowadays. We are slowly getting back to work in full strength and we promise to work hard in the future too to remain our state’s tradition and culture intact.”