“What I do is pure art. Nobody except the people from our community – Padmashali Sangam – can work on this.

Like all the members in the community, I grew up watching my father weave. I started weaving well before the age of 12, and perfected my technique by weaving simple fabrics. As I became more confident, I would weave traditional items like shawls, as well as utility items like bedsheets. But what I enjoyed weaving the most were traditional sarees especially with complex floral motifs.

Earlier, women in our families would do all the pre-loom work such as getting the yarn ready, while men did the weaving. Today, women sit at the loom too and demonstrate their creativity. Our generation is perhaps the last generation in this field. My kids don’t want to work in this profession so I have sent them for higher studies.

We work hard for little money. Both my wife and I work for 12 hours standing in extreme conditions to earn Rs. 450 a day. But things have changed now. I may be working in this small loom, but I have made sure my sons are tasting success. One of them is an Electrical Engineer and the other is studying hard. I’m looking forward to the day when I’ll proudly walk into their air-conditioned offices and see them do everything I couldn’t. That day, all of my hard work will be worth it.”

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