Intending to encourage production of well-known Kandangi or Chettinadi sarees in the state, the government of the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu would initiate steps to help weavers of these sarees, particularly in procuring silk yarn, state Handlooms and Textiles Minister S Sundararaj informed the Assembly.
If weavers show interest, the state government would itself procure silk from Mysore and Bangalore and give it to the weavers, the Minister said during the Question Hour.
Named after their place of manufacturing, Kandangi or Chettinadi sarees are hand-woven in cotton and usually come with big checks, stripes or temple pattern borders, and in contrasting hues like oranges, reds, browns and chromes.
The Chettinand sarees also have a different pattern of wearing. The thick, coarse cotton used to prepare these sarees endure them with a durability element, enabling them to stand the roughest wash. In fact, the thickness and durability made these sarees a preferred choice for wearing in an era before the advent of blouse and petticoats. However, with changing times the demand for these sarees has become confined to the surrounding local area. Recently, however, eyeing to revive the art of Kandangi weaving, some weavers have started introducing value-addition and are offering modern designs, but still many of them prefer sticking to the traditional make. Paalum pazham kottadi, palukka, varaoosi and vazhaipoo are some of the fast moving varieties of these traditional sarees.
Chettinad is a region in the Sivaganga district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
