CERTIFICATE This is to certify that the following students of B.Des( TD) 2012-2016 batch, Deepti Shikha, Megha Kyal ,Panchami Rao, Prince Maurya, Rahul Mehta, Trisha Banerjee, Udita Jain have successfully completed the craft documentation on Madhavram saris. This document is undertaken as a project, as a part of semester V course curriculum. The project started on 29th May 2014 and completed on26th july with power point presentation and documentation on 30th july.
Mentor Mrs. Rakhi Wahi Pratap Joint Director Mr. D. Gopala Krishna
Course Co-ordinator Ms. Jyothirmayi
C.I.C Mr. Satya Prakash Director Dr. N.J. Rajaram
COPYRIGHT
Department Of Textile Design : CRAFT DOCUMENT MADHAPUR TO MADHAVARAM....... Craft documentation on: Madhavaram sari Group members: Deepti Shikha, Megha Kyal ,Panchami Rao, Prince Maurya, Rahul Mehta, Trisha Banerjee, Udita Jain
Copy Right : 2014, NIFT, Madhapur, Hyderabad. This document has been reproduced and communicated to you on the behalf of NIFT, HYDERABAD group members. All rights reserved.No part of this document may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, inlcuding photocopying,recording or any information & storage retrieval system without permission in writing from NIFT HYDERABAD, except by a reader/ reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a paper/review/essay writen for inclusion in a periodical newspaper or broadcast. MENTOR MRS. RAKHI WAHE PRATAP
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We own a great many thanks to a great many people who helped and supported us during the making of this document. Our sincere thanks to our mentor, MRS RAKHI WAHEE PRATAP, for guiding, supporting, correcting and motivating us with care. This document has been the end result of our hardwork and her supervision. We are extremely obliged to the Director of NIFT, HYDERABAD Dr. N.J.Rajaram for this opportunity. Our deep sense of gratitude to G.M REDDY for his support, guideance and providing arrangement of accommodation and information about the place. We thanks to Mr.Chinna for providing overall information of Madhavaram Sari. We are deeply encouraged by the weavers of Madhavaram village for their support, work and necessary information to complete this report. We would like to thanks to our institution and our faculty members without whom this document have been distant reality. We also extend my heartful thanks to my family and friends.
PREFACE Madhavaram is known for producing beautiful woven saris in petu border and Jacquard pallu using spun cotton yarns of 100s count in both warp and weft. The uniqueness of this sari is that it is available in a myriad of colours. In this document we will be explaining the various process and actions that are involved in the extensive process of weaving a sari. After familiarizing ourselves with the village we shall move on to exploring the different stages of dyeing, winding, warping, sizing, setting the loom, weaving and marketing, in depth. We then move on from being students, to becoming customers, taking home a few beautifully woven saris as souvenirs, to remember and admire the effort put behind each of these hand woven sari
OBJECTIVE The main objective of the cluster programme is to do an in-depth study of “Madhavaram Saris�, gain practical knowledge and to understand and if possible, bring about a change in the welfare and development of the people. Major aspects: To study the locality. To observe and study the lifestyle of the local people. To study and learn every aspect related to weaving. To gain practical knowledge. To study the market and comprehend the future aspects of the artisans and craft. To study and compare the past and present scenario of the demand of the saris To understand the problems and suggest changes if and where required.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Madhavaram is one of the villages in the Kadapa district located on the banks of the Penna River in the state of Andhra Pradesh. It is known for weaving and producing saris in petu border and Jacquard pallu using spun cotton yarns of the 100s count in both warp and weft. The’Madhavaram weavers’ co-operative production and sales society Ltd was set up to provide employment opportunities to the all the weavers to strengthen their source of income and continue the tradition of ‘Madhavaram sarees’. Weaving is literally carried out in each family where every member is directly or indirectly associated with this craft. Using napthol and vat dyes in its correct proportion myriad colours are produced to dye the yarns which then go for weaving. The winding is usually done by the ladies whereas the warping is done by the male members of the family. The new warp is attached to the old warp using the ‘Petni process’ which saves a lot of time thus increasing production. Using jacquard and dobby mechanism beautiful weaves are produced which are loved by all age groups. From winding to weaving and then packaging each step in the creation of Madhavaram sarees is done with utmost care , belongingness and love for this craft. The Government of India introduced a new scheme called the ‘Integrated Handloom Cluster Development’ scheme. Under this scheme the Development Commissioner for Handlooms, New Delhi was proposed to develop 20 Handloom clusters throughout the country. It has 2500 weavers working on more than 80 looms. They weave more than 80 saris per day and supply it to the retailer. They follow a precise method of making sarees and producing them within an accurate time. The raw materials are imported from different states . They have extremely skilled , experienced artisans who collaborate to produce these magnificent weaves. With the deserving amount of marketing and exposure this niche craft can be globalised ensuring that it deserves its worth.
what’s inside
GEOGRAPHY & HISTORY
FAMOUS FOR :
GEOGRAPHIC :
The village of Madhavaram is located 20km from the Kadapa district in Andhra Pradesh, India. Its coordinates are 14.4700° N, 78.9200° E. This village has been re-built on the highway of Kadapa to the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu. Madhavaram is one of the villages in the Kadapa district located on the banks of the Penna River which once upon a time was surrounded by hillocks. The land is extremely hard and rocky.
HISTORICAL :
The village of Madhavaram had been rehabilitated under the ‘Somasila Irrigation Project’ submerge area and was finally remade on the highway of Kadapa to Chennai. The ‘Madhavaram weavers’ Cooperative Production and Sales Society Ltd.’ was founded in the year 1943 and is located in Madhavaram having 80 members. This area functions at national level dealing with handloom pure silk saris.
DEMOGRAPHY & LANGUAGE
Madhavaram is known for weaving beautiful saris with petu border and Jacquard pallu using spun cotton yarns of 100s count in both warp and weft. They mostly weave saris for the urban and the semi-urban women for daily as well as formal wear. The saris are 45” in width and 5.5” in length. The cluster is known for its marked work in weaving fine cotton zari saris and making use of Bamboo reeds as heald sets.
3410 weavers 1383 other activities 580 SC 38 ST LANGUAGE :
The only language spoken is Telugu. However even in the regional language we could see that there was a disparity in the language being spoken. While a majority of the weavers spoke Andhra Telugu, there were also a lot of Telengana Telugu being spoken.
RELIGION & FESTIVAL RELIGION :
While an approximate of 94% of the people living in Madhavaram are Hindus, 6% are Muslims. But regardless of the religion, they all worship the Padmashali caste deity, Swami Bhawanarayana.
HINDU MUSLIM FESTIVALS :
The majorly celebrated festivals are: Vinayaka Chaturti- this festival is celebrated which much more pomp as compared to Sankranti (since irrigation is not done in Madhavaram). The loom parts are placed in front of the lord to seek blessing and prosperity. Swam Bhawanarayana- he is the patron deity of the Padmashali caste. Regardless of their religion, the people of this caste celebrate this festival with great pomp and joy. Weaving and its auxiliary activities are ceased for 5 days. It’s the only time of the year when the weavers do not weave or participate in any activity related to weaving. Other festivals such as Diwali, Ugadi etc are also celebrated.
ENTERTAINMENT & EDUCATION ENTERTAINMENT :
The kids have their own forms of entertainments such as playing hide and seek, rolling a tyre, building miniature temples out of stones, twigs etc. The women get together in the evenings when their husbands are at work and their kids are playing, to either talk or to suggest each other about the daily life activities.
EDUCATION :
In madhavaram there are only two schools, both of them being set up by the government. While one school has classes up till 8th, the other has classes up till 10th. However, most of the present generation kids study only till class 8th and then drop out and help their parents. More than being a conscious choice, this choice is being made due to financial constraints. Most of the kids though do not intend on continuing their family tradition of weaving and would rather go out and do menial peon jobs as the money being paid and the living conditions outside the village are better. However, the weavers who can afford to educate their children, often send them to other villages to finish their 12th after doing their 10th in madhavaram. They also send them to govt colleges to get degrees in various fields such as agriculture, chemical etc. Few children return while most just send the money being earned. It’s a way of life.
MASTER WEAVER’S PROFILE
DAY-1 MASTER WEAVER B.SC DEGREE 40 YEARS OF WEAVING EXPERIENCE EMPLOYS 100 WEAVERS UNDER HIM OWNS 80 LOOMS GETS 1000 SARIS WEAVED IN A MONTH
Guided by Mr. Chinna we took a bus to Madhavaram to keep our appointment with the Master Weaver, Mr. Srinivas. We received a very warm welcome and immediately noticed the log books on his study table along with a picture of him with the then CM, Mr. Chandra Babu Naidu. Making a mental note to ask him about it we directly dived into the task at hand, to study and understand the soul of Madhavaram, its saris. He took over as the Master Weaver after his father retired (25 years back) and continued the family tradition. His son, although studying at JNTU, Hyderabad right now, also wishes to continue this tradition. He supplies to 100 shops and works closely with them to ensure that he is up to date with the current trends, designs etc. All his business is done in A.P and although having ventured out of the state he says that the local market has the maximum profit. Upon asking him about his picture with Mr. Naidu, he tells us with great pride that he had met him and laid down a request to provide the farmers with 10% subsidy. But with equal amount of regret he states that the govt. changed before anything could be done and the farmers are left hanging. Geographical status? The style in which Madhavaram saris are weaved is extremely similar to the saris weaved in other parts of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Hence, it’s not possible to award a G.I status to the saris of Madhavaram. A master weaver operates in the following way, he provides the dyers, weavers etc. under him with the raw materials required to weave a minimum of 8 saris. The weavers then weave the saris and give it to him, upon which he pays them the due amount. Mr. Srinivas was very kind to take us through the whole process and the method in which he deals with the dyers, weavers, designers, market etc.
RAW MATERIALS & DYEING
WEAVERS
He has 100 weavers employed under him. The method in which he works is slightly different than the other master weavers. While giving the raw materials, he also gives an advance payment of 30 saris to the weavers. This acts like an incentive to the weavers. Once the weavers weave the sari, they undergo quality checking. If a sari is damaged or there are faults in a sari a fine is levied against that particular weaver and is deducted from his next payment. The damaged or faulty piece is then sold at a lower rate or given back to the weaver. A weaver who often shows lazyness in his work, is usually cut off. The weavers employed under him have mostly been working from the start of their weaving career and usually remain till the time they stop weaving. However, if a weaver decided to leave town or stop weaving, a replacement is found through the word of mouth. Only a person with proper experience or an amateur weaver from a good weaver’s family is employed. He takes a personal interest in the family of the weavers and ensures that on festival days the weavers always get something. For ex: on Ugadi- sweets are given, on Diwali- crackers are given, this small gestures such as these keep the weaver and his family feel included and happy. If a weaver is in dire need of a loan due to an emergency, he usually gives it and a note is made in the log book against the weaver’s name. His father is known to give sound financial advices to the weavers. However, most of the families maintain chit funds.
fig. silver & golden zari from surat
The major raw materials are Cotton, Sico, Silk, and Zari. Yarn of 80s, 100s and 120s count is procured. However, 120s count is generally not used unless specially requested. The raw materials are ordered in bulk and from the following places :
Cotton: 120 kgs from Coimbatore Sico: 100-120 kgs from Coimbatore Silk: 60 kgs from Bangalore Zari: 75 kgs from Surat
cotton hank & colored hank
3 PER HANK
Dyeing is done by the men as it’s a physically straining task.
dyed yarn sample
DYEING
Once the hanks are brought in, the master weaver sends it to the dyers along with the instructions as to how many hanks have to be dyed in what colour. This is decided by him and is based on the design that he has in mind.The hanks are mostly dyed in napthol dyes due to their 100% colour fastness to various factors and cheap rate. However, the yarn is also dyed in Vat dyes if specifically requested by the client. Once the yarns are dyed, they are then sent back to the master weaver who starts making bundles according to the no. of hanks required and the colours wanted for 8-10 saris.
PREPARATORY PROCESS
LOOM SETTING & WEAVING
WINDING :
The hanks are then given to the weaver’s wife, who starts winding the hank onto a bobbin. This is an extremely important process as the hanks get entangled and it would be extremely difficult to wind it into a warp. The women get paid Rs 100 for winding 12 hanks. This is a back breaking process due to the constant bending and hunching.
WARPING :
The weavers then give it to the people who have warping machines. There are 8 warping machines in all the three Madhavarams. Warping is done for 8-10 saris at once and then handed back to the weavers. It takes an immense amount of concentration to be able to ensure that a thread does not break during warping. The process of warping takes at least 7 hours when the lag period of changing the bobbins and checking the yarns etc are also included. They get paid 300 for this. It’s the men who do this.
300 FOR 8 SARIES
SIZING :
Then sizing is done, this process can only be done during early hours as the heat from the sun dries up the starch on the yarns and leads to yarn breakage. Sizing is an important process as the yarns are inherently weak and cannot withstand the amount of friction that gets applied during the process of weaving. Size is basically application of starch to the yarns. This increases its strength thereby enabling it to withstand high friction without breakage.
200 FOR 8 WARPS
The sized warp is then attached to the already existing warp through a method of twisting. This is known as “achuatakadam”(also known as petni process). In this, the men or women individually attach each and every warp thread to the existing warp threads in the reed. This proceed requires keen eyesight and nimble fingers. It takes approximately 3 hours to attach the yarns. This however ensures that the weavers do not waste valuable time in passing each thread individually through the heald eyes and then through the reed. As that take more than 6 hours. After the warp is attached pulled through, the dobby or jacquard mechanism is checked. Punch cards containing the design are attached.
900 to Rs 3500
depending on the type of sari WEAVING :
After the loom is set, weaving starts. Depending on the design, weaving is either done by the man or by both the spouses in tandem. It takes approximately a month or a month and a half to weave 8 saris contain simple zari patterns. Plain saris take half the time and extremely elaborate saris take double the time. Once woven,the weaver then takes the sari to the master weaver. Due to the woven sari being under tension and then being wrapped around a beam, you will rarely see any creases in the sari.
DESIGN & PATEERN
COLORS
fig. designs of most common borders & pallus
fig. straight repeat motif
fig. vertical repeat motif
In a sari usually there are
38 small buttis and 17 big buttis .
While speaking to Mr. Srinivas about the motifs and its evolution, he told us that the motifs that were used around his dad s time were still going strong, however their portrayal had changed. Before where there was a simple peacock, now there was an extremely elaborate and stylized peacock complete with minakari work present there. The motifs were and are majorly inspired by flora and fauna and one can see a lot of flowers being depicted. The most popular motifs are:
Peacock, Parrot, Birds, Flowers,
fig. big & small butis
The most often used repeat patterns are Straight repeat, 1*1 Vertical half drop and a ‘U’ shaped pattern . Minakari work is also done in between on the body of the sari using extra weft patterning. To explain to the weavers the amount of space wanted in between the motifs, sticks of certain lengths are used. The motifs are spaced out in the measures: 8”, 5”, 4”, and 2” Now as standard procedure, a sari or an area of the sari containing motifs requiring a distance of 8” between them, will have only 8 such motifs. Similarly, the area containing 5”, and 4” gap between the motifs will contain only 5 and 4 motifs respectively. However. The motifs requiring a distance of only 2” in between them are usually 21 in number and are used to fill the body of the sari.
Mr. Srinivas is known in the market for his unique colour combination. He devised a systematic method to cross different colours and generate new colour combinations. Since cotton does not have an inherent shine to it, weaving with two different colours gives rise to a new colour. Whereas in silk, due to its shine, this leads to a shaded effect or “dhoop-chao” effect. He maintains a pamphlet where he staples samples of yarns dyed in different colours and numbers them. He then crosses these coloured yarns in the warp and weft leading to numerous different colours. He then gives these new colours numbers. Upon dispatching a bundle of saris to a client, his info card always contains the number of the colour, in case the client wants the same colour again.
He has created and maintained a log of 912 colours up till now. Madhavaram saris are known for its wide and varied spectrum of colours. While cotton saris are woven in all colours(due to its matt effect) silk saris have a limited range of colours such as green, magenta, violet, blue and red due to demands of the market. A unique method of ensuring that the zari in the borders stand out in a sari is by weaving it along with a darker colour yarn. This induced depth in the design. While all throughout the year all the colours are popular, during the marriage season, Red, White and Gold are highly popular and sell out very quickly.
MARKETTING
QUALITY CHECKING :
fig. defect in sari
When the weavers get the saris to the master weaver, it undergoes quality checking. The quality of a handloom sari can easily be deciphered by looking at its selvedge and border. The following criteria’s are important while checking the quality of a woven sari. The selvedge should: Be neat;Not have any gaps Should not contain patches near the body Should be straight and not wavy If a sari had faults in it or is damaged, then a fine is levied against the weaver. This is noted against his name in the log book and then is deducted from his next payment.
ORDERS :
When a particular design is made, a minimum of 50 saris are weaved of the same design, only the colours are changed. Once the saris are sent to the market, a follow up is done for each design wherein the client informs which design is selling and which is not. Based on this feedback the next batch of saris are woven.
MARKET :
Mr. Srinivas personally goes to the city every 3 months to check the demands of the market and also to see if there is a change in colours, designs, or motif sensibilities. There is constant interaction between him and the people he supplies to. Feedback about a particular design excelling or tanking is immediately given to him by his clients and he accordingly responds to them. A major part of his success is the swiftness with which he changes his designs and colours according to the mood of the market. Cotton and sico are best sellers due to their simple elegance and affordable cost. Their price range is as follows:
Cotton: Rs 300 to Rs 900 Sico: Rs 900 to Rs 2500 Silk: Rs 2000 to Rs 10000
DAY-2
YARN DYEING
YARN DYEING
On day 2 we headed towards the dyeing unit. An approximate of 4 people were occupied in the process of dyeing, and the area in front of the dyeing unit was where all the dyed hanks were being dried. A myriad of colors could be seen. We observed that dyeing was being done in pairs, with one person dipping the hanks in napthol and squeezing out the excess and then giving it to the second person beside him, who dipped the hanks in the base and squeezed out the excess. Since the dyers did not believe in taking breaks, we spoke to them while they continued their work.We spoke to Shri Kadalbasha who despite being a Muslim, worships “Swami Bhawanarayana” the deity of the Padmashali caste. It’s a family lineage and he has been dyeing since 1998, when he was 16.The dyers approximately dye 2 lots per day. One lot consists of 40 boxes and each box consists of 5 ladis. The cost of each dyed ladi is 60 rupees. The cost of raw dye powder required is one rupee per ladi. They have no such complaints and are pretty satisfied. One surprising fact that the dyers told us was that the process of dyeing hasn’t changed at all over the years! Dyeing is done by the men as the women do not have the physical strength or stamina to go through with the process for long hours at a stretch.
The hanks are first boiled in a solution of soap + oil + caustic soda (overnight). This is done to open the pores of the yarn, thereby making the uptake of the dye by the yarns easy. Caustic soda is used to scour the yarn and oil is used to add softness.
NAPTHOL DYES 2 LOTS = 40 BOXES = 5 LADIS
PER DAY
The first person dips the hank into the napthol solution 2-3 times and then squeezes out the excess using the beam. He then gives it to the person next to him who repeats the process with a base. This leads to the formation of color.
PROCESS The next morning the hanks are dyed. The dyeing is done in pairs with two people standing beside each other with a beam in between. This beam is used to squeeze out the excess water from the hanks.
RAW MATERIALS & INGREDIENTS RAW MATERIAL
The raw materials are usually provided by the client or master weaver. Generally 120s count yarns are dyed, but sometimes even 80s count yarns are procured according to the requirements of the client. The yarn is procured from: Nagiri Salem Coimbatore Bangalore
Dyeing is usually done with napthol dyes, however vat dyes are also used if specified. The dye is procured from: Bombay Madras
INGREDIENTS USED:
Caustic Soda AS-G, AS-BO , AS- BS + Sodium Nitrate + Hash weed + Sodium Alum + Red B Base. 80 Caustic Soda + Sodium Nitrate + Hash weed + Alum + Red RC. Caustic Soda AS- BO + Sodium Nitrate + Hash weed + Alum + Blue B Base.
DAY-2 CLUSTER UNIT
CLUSTER UNIT
CLUSTER UNIT
After witnessing dyeing, we proceeded to the cluster area. The Madhavaram cluster was set up in the year 2007, by the Ministry of Textiles, under the Integrated Handloom Cluster Development Scheme. The Government of India introduced a new scheme called the Integrated Handloom Cluster Development scheme. Under this scheme the O/o. Development Commissioner for Handlooms, New Delhi was proposed to develop 20 Handloom clusters through the country. Chirala (Prakasham Dist) and Madhavaram (Kadapa Dist) Handloom Clusters were selected from Andhra Pradesh for development under this scheme.
fig. winding machine
The main objectives of the scheme are: (1) To empower Handloom Weavers and build their capacity to meet the challenges of the market. (2) To facilitate collectivization of Handloom Weavers and service providers in the fields of procurement, production, marketing and other support activities. (3) To provide common infrastructure and activities in a viable format in the cluster etc. The total cost of the project is 2.00 crores and the duration is 4 years.
fig. aasman warping machine
MADHAVARAM CLUSTER :
The scheme is sponsored and supported by Development Commissioner for Handlooms, Govt. of India, and New Delhi. APCO has been identified as Implementing Agency for holistic development of the Chirala and Madhavaram clusters.
fig. abandoned loom
The Madhavaram Cluster has 2500 weaver households who are solely dependent on handloom industry for their socio economic upliftment. Besides handloom weavers numbering 2500 working on looms other population numbering 5000 are extending supportive works in firm of suppliers of dyes, cotton yarn, silk yarn, zari, accessories, warping, street sizing etc. Blocks covered in Madhavaram Clusters are Madhavaram, Upparpalli, Konda-mathupalli and turnover of this cluster is 15 crore.
EXCLUSIVE
ACTIVITIES OF CLUSTER
Exclusive of Madhavaram cluster The cluster is famous for its marked work in fine Cotton Zari Saris making use of Bamboo reeds and Heald sets. These sets cannot be used for more than one year due to constant use and wear and tear to them. Unserviceable nature and poverty of the weavers hindered them to get newer sets hence hindering the production capacity. The government has sanctioned an amount of Rs 5.00 lakhs for the year 2007-08 and Rs3.00 lakhs during the year 2008-09 for supply of new reed & heald set to 1100 weavers at 75%: 25% contribution ratio of expenditure by Government of India and beneficiary.
Product Development Formation of common facility centre, Dye house and Consortium Exhibition Buyers/Seller meet Wage increment The Ministry also set up a showroom in the year 2010, which was inaugurated by the then cultural handloom minister, Mr. Panabaka Lakshmi.Despite having great infrastructure and the latest equipment required for winding, warping and all the other auxiliary processes needed before weaving, the place was in shambles. The showroom was empty and the equipment had a layer of dust on it. Upon enquiring we came to know that the cluster area was operational for only a few months every year.
DISPLAY SALES
CUM
SHOWROOM
BENEFITS Benefits to the poor weavers
Helps in saving time and increase per day production. Increase earnings from Rs. 450/- to Rs. 600/Enhancement of quality in production. Continuous generation of employment.
Role of CDE (Cluster Development Programme) CDE catered to the need of the craftsmen and supplied all metal reed and heald set to 765 members for the year 2007-08 to replace the defective reed and heald set and incurred an expenditure of Rs 6.62 lakhs, Rs 3.00 lakhs (up to October 09) is incurred by covering 456 individual weavers in the year 2008-09 and 21 weavers are covered during the year 2009-10.
DAY-3
ASMAN WARPING & WINDING
WINDING We woke up early in the morning and proceeded to follow our routine of going to Madhavaram. Upon reaching madhavaram we met Mr. Chinna who took us to a weaver, Mr Satyanarayan’s house. There we saw his wife sitting on the floor winding the hanks onto a spherical, hollow, pipe like structure for the warp and around the spindles for the weft. The dyed hank is basically put around the wooden frame (called charkha), and the lady starts winding it around the hollow frame or bobbin.
Cost: Winding of 10 hanks: Rs 50 Problems:
Due to constant back and forth movement of the hand, the shoulders and arm joints start paining. However despite setting wheels being available at low costs, few weavers continue to disregard them out of sheer habit.
WARPING We then went to Mr Venkaiyah’s house. He started warping at the age of 15 and in now 54 years old. The asman winding machine consists of an extremely large wheel of approximately 40 meters in diameter. The bobbins that are winded are placed next to the asman winding machine and are attached to the wheel. Mr. Venkaiyah then starts rotating the machine. It is a manually operated machine which contains a back and forth movement. This movement is facilitated due to the presence of screws at both the sides of the frame. As the wheel reaches one end of the frame it then starts to wind in the opposite direction. This ensures that the yarns get divided. The warp for 8 or 16 saris is prepared together. The master weaver guides the weaver as to how many warps does he want of the particular colour given to the asman winder.
COST & PROBLEM There are 10 asman winding machines in madhavaram. They need to be checked only yearly once for maintenance due to the strength of the wood used, which is teak wood. This wood is obtained from the Kadapa timber depot.
Cost:
He warps 16 saris per day, which takes 6 hours and is paid only 100 rupees.
Problems:
Shoulder and joint pains in the arms due to constant rotations of the arms. Knee and ankle pains due to continuous standing. Eyesight gets strained as he needs to concentrate on every thread to ensure that it does not break.
DAY-4 STREET SIZING
BRUSHING
STARCH APPLICATION We rose early and left for madhavaram at 6am. We were guided by Mr.Chinna who met us at Madhavaram and led us to its interiors. There we noticed that almost every street had sizing going on. A beautiful sight as the sun was coming up. We collectively approached the Saukaris and spoke to them about Podugu (the process of street sizing). Since most of them do not own watches, they rise and work with the movement of the sun. Sizing approximately starts between 5.30 and 6 in the morning and is stopped once they feel the sun is emitting too much heat. The reason being that the heat of the sun dries up the starch and hardens it, hence leading to a higher risk of yarn breakage.
SIZING PASTE
GANJI (FOOD STARCH) + SABUDANA WATER
Soon after the yarns are sprayed they are immediately brushed using a kuncheiya to spread the starch evenly before the starch dries. After the yarns are combed thoroughly, the warp is lightly beaten with a lease rod. This is to remove any excess starch present on the warp. This process is followed three times to ensure proper coating of the yarns.
RAW MATERIALS & PROBLEMS
DAY-4
Sizing is an extremely important process in the process of weaving a sari as the size protects the yarns from wear and tear during the process of weaving. It increases the strength of the yarns hence enabling it to withstand high tension and friction which is applied during weaving. Both men and women do sizing and approximately 5 people are required on one warp. One warp consists of 8 saris of 5 meters each, hence a total warp of 40 meters is sized. The Saukaris get paid Rs. 300 for every 40 m warp that they size.
DESIGNER VISIT
RAW MATERIALS
Kunda- a pot to hold the size mixture Spray Kuncheiya- Brush Lokulu- lease rods, also used to beat the excess starch out of the warp. Golusu – a contraception consisting of wooden beams and a chain to hold the warp.
PROBLEMS FACED
Cannot work during the monsoon season. Rs. 300 is not enough to maintain their livelihood. The cost of raw materials have increased, they do not have the resources to pay ( ex: Earlier the kuncheiya, which is made up of bristles, used to cost Rs. 300-400, now it costs Rs. 800). There is no such maintenance for the raw materials. They can only be replaced.
PUNCHING MACHINE
PROCESS
After street sizing in the morning, we proceeded to the master designer, Mr. Shriram’s house. There he very patiently explained to us the workings of dobby, jacquard and the punch cards required to weave any design.
The designs are submitted to him in various ways. Sometimes the client comes with an already existing sari and requests for the same design. Other times the master weaver gives the designer his freedom to choose.
120 holes – 1 repeat [Length: 6”;Breadth: 11/2”] 240 holes – 2 repeats [Length: 9”;Breadth: 2”]
FIG. HOLE PUNCHING NAIL
The designs are submitted to him in various ways. Sometimes the client comes with an already existing sari and requests for the same design. Other times the master weaver gives the designer his freedom to choose.
The body and borders of the sari usually use the 120 card whereas the pallu with more intricate designs and repeats require the 240 card. Mr. Shriram has been designing since the past ten years and learnt it from his father. There are basically two types of card punching machines which require manual assistance; hand punching machine and automatic punching machine. Despite owning both, he uses the hand punching machine as the automatic machine breaks down quite easily, and is extremely difficult to repair.
Once the design is given to him, he recreates it on a graph sheet. Mr.Shriram creates his own graph book as he finds it difficult to find graph books of the size he requires. He sources large sheets of graph paper from Bangalore and binds them.
fig. poger
EVOLUTION
The card punching machine has undergone many changes. Now there is a highly computerized version also available in the market. However the machine is mainly used by APCO, as it is not a viable investment for the local designers.Cards are of two types: cardboard and plastic. A cardboard card can be reused 15 times whereas a plastic card can be used 20-25 times.
fig. atta fig. attalu kotle machine
PROCESS
MOTIF The design on the graph sheet is made in dots, which makes it easier to deduce the pattern of holes to be made on the card. Once the design is set, he then proceeds to make holes in the punch cards. The attalu kote machine has holes in the format of 6 holes across and 20 down. The template is placed over the card and then he places a pick over the hole and hits it with a poger.The cards are then sent to the weaver who then sets it on the loom. He charges Rs. 3, per card that he punches.
The most popular motifs are peacocks, birds, paisleys, flowers, vines and buds. According to Mr. Shriram the inspiration of the motifs have remained the same (flora and fauna). However, they are more stylized and elaborate now.
MOTIFS
Earlier the motifs, although very picturesque, were very limited in terms of design due to the limitations of the loom. However as there were developments on the loom, the designs also attained a new freedom. They became more elaborate and stylized. Architectural decorations also got inspired by these forms.
Fig. peacock sketching on paper
Fig. evolution of peacock from old to new
DAY -5 PREPARATION OF
LOOM
LOOM PARTS
INTRODUCTION After experiencing dyeing, warping and sizing we then went to various Saukaris’s houses to study and learn about the loom. In Madhavaram traditional pit looms are used that are set up inside the house of a weaver, and weaving being the main occupation in Madhavaram, one is bound to find a minimum of one loom in every household, at times even two. Nearly more than 95% of the villagers in Madhavaram are associated to weaving directly or indirectly.
Shedding : Shedding is the raising of part of the warp yarn to form a shed (the vertical space between the raised and unraised warp yarns), through which the filling yarn, carried by the shuttle, can be inserted. The yarns are passed through the eye holes of the heddles, which hang vertically from the harnesses. The weave pattern determines which harness controls which warp yarns, and the number of harnesses used depends on the complexity of the weave. Two common methods of controlling the heddle eyes are a Dobby Head and a Jacquard Head.
Picking : As the harnesses raise the heddles , which raise the warp yarns, the shed is created. The filling yarn in inserted through the shed by a small carrier device called a shuttle. The shuttle is normally pointed at each end to allow passage through the shed. In a traditional shuttle loom, the filling yarn is wound onto a quill, which in turn is mounted in the shuttle. The filling yarn emerges through a hole in the shuttle as it moves across the loom. A single crossing of the shuttle from one side of the loom to the other is known as a pick. As the shuttle moves back and forth across the shed, it weaves an edge, or selvage, on each side of the fabric to prevent the fabric from ravelling.
Heald/Heddle : Wire or cords with eyelets that hold warp yarns in a place. Function : 1. It helps in shed formation. 2. It is useful in identifying broken ends. 3. It determines the order or sequence of the warp threads.
Beating. Between the heddles and the takeup roll, the warp threads pass through another frame called the reed (which resembles a comb). The portion of the fabric that has already been formed but not yet rolled up on the takeup roll is called the fell. After the shuttle moves across the loom laying down the fill yarn, the weaver uses the reed to press (or batten) each filling yarn against the fell. There are two secondary motions, because with each weaving operation the newly constructed fabric must be wound on a cloth beam. This process is called taking up. At the same time, the warp yarns must be let off or released from the warp beams.
Lease rods : The division of warp yarn into one & one, two & two, & so on is termed as lease. The two rods passed between the two successive divisions of warp yarns are called lease rods.
Heald shaft/Harness : A wood or metal frame that holds the headl/heddles in position in the loom during weaving. It is usually more than one.
Shuttle : This is a vehicle for weft & passes through the divided warp for the interlacement of the warp & weft. Shuttle box : Compartment of each end of the sley of a shut tle loom used to retain the shuttle between picking motion
Reed : A comb like wire or device used to separate yarns on a loom & to beat up the filling during weaving.
Beams : A cylindrical body on which a multiple of warp ends is wound in such way to permit the removal of these yarns as a warp sheet.
Front rest : It is a fixed roller placed in front of the loom above the cloth beam & act as a guide for the cloth to wind on to the cloth beam.
SETTING OF LOOM
PETNI
A loom is set up so that it holds the warp threads in tension to make interweaving of weft threads an easier process and finally to fulfil its function , i.e., to weave cloth. Thus setting up of the loom is the utmost important step in the creation of beautiful weaves. In Madhavaram we witnessed pit looms with and without the Jacquard mechanism. The sarees with plain body and plain border are woven in the pit looms without the jacquard, however the sarees having motifs in border and or body are woven in pit looms fitted with either the jacquard or dobby mechanism. A jacquard loom is operated by using punch cards having holes where each punch card represents one row of the main design. These punch cards are made by the designer in Madhavaram village who very carefully makes the punch cards out of cardboard. These cards according to the design are strung to each other and fitted onto the loom that govern those particular heald eyes attached to them.
The yarns after going through the processes of winding, warping and street sizing are subjected to attachment onto the loom. The warp is first attached to the warp beam, stretched, fixed and tightened. Lease rods, made out of the bark of trees, are used for introducing the new warp and are then removed. This process is followed by the new yarns being attached to the old warp by the ‘Petni’ process(also known as achuatakadam) in which the weaver twists the old warp and the new warp to create a strong joining. In this way the cumbersome and time-consuming process of drafting and denting can be avoided which would have otherwise taken around a week, however the petni process takes about 6 hours. a person gets paid Rs.100 for this process.
WEAVING The zari threads used in the borders are not attached to the warp beam much unlike the silk and/or the cotton threads used for weaving the body. It is instead directly attached to the heald eye and in turn the jacquard machine and thus a shed is also formed. The warp is then stretched and tightly fixed onto the weavers beam. The loom is then ready to carry out the weaving process. The weaver then starts weaving using a main shuttle for the body and border and small pencil shuttles to weave motifs. He sits with his legs suspended in the pit that is created and carries out the weaving process.
PROBLEMS: Achuatakadam is a back breaking process and the weavers back, finger joints and eyes start to pain and weaken due to excessive strain.
DAY-6 WEAVING
FLYING SHUTTLE An invention that really decreased the number of movements required during weaving, increased the production rate and also made weaving great widths possible was the “Flying Shuttle” In one respect, the term is somewhat misleading, as the shuttle itself is only a board called the “race” runs along the front of the beater, from side to side, forming a track on which the shuttle runs
. At each end of the race, there is a box which catches the shuttle at the end of its journey, and which contains a mechanism for propelling the shuttle on its return trip. The ends of the shuttle are bullet-shaped. The weft thread is made to exit from the end rather than the side, and the thread is stored on a pirn (a long, conical, one-ended, non-turning bobbin) to allow it to feed more easily. Finally, the flying shuttle is generally somewhat heavier, so as to have sufficient momentum to carry it all the way through the shed. A cord runs to each box from a handle held by the weaver. The shed is opened and the weaver jerks the cord for the box containing the shuttle. This causes the mechanism in the box to shoot the shuttle along the race to the other box ; then the shed is closed and the beater is used to complete the pick as before. The operator does not need to touch the shuttle until it needs to be reloaded.
HOUSE-1 Seeing the loom being set up the previous day, we were extremely eager to see the weaving being done. Having woven a few samples during the course of our semesters, we wanted to see how motifs and the combination of different colours was achieved. Leaving kadapa at 10 am, we reached Madhavaram and proceeded to a weaver’s house. We aimed at least visiting three weavers.
Name: Mr. Chandraiah Characteristics of the sari being woven: Plain Cotton Sari The weaving mechanism for a plain cotton sari is pretty simple. Since there are no motifs that are being incorporated in the body of the sari, the movement of the shuttle containing the weft yarns is continuous. Plain sari are the easiest to weave as they do not require any extra incorporation of zari in between for the buttis. The pirns containing the weft yarns are kept in a bowl of water to ensure that the yarns do not unravel and are also compact. The difference in the colours of the warp and weft yarns led to a beautiful shade being woven. We then proceeded to the next house.
HOUSE-3
HOUSE-2 Name: Mr. Shiva Type of sari being weaved: Sico with small buttis, zari border and patterned pallu As soon as we entered his house, the sheen of the warp was extremely distinctive. The Sico sari being woven also had small buttis being incorporated in it. The loom had a dobby attached to lift the yarns to form the design.
After every 4�, Mr. Shiva inserted the extra weft of zari. Here, we also saw coloured yarns being used along with the zari in the motifs. This added depth and also an essence of minakari work in the sari. For the body of a sari, small punch cards are used where as for the pallu, bigger punch cards are used due to the size of the designs and their repeats. For the border the zari is added separately and is not attached to the warp beam. An exact length 5 meters is winded and then passes through the reed. This is to ensure that the zari is not wasted. Weights are suspended to the Zari keep the zariwarp taut on the loom.
#note: A very important part of the weaving process is the take up and the let off. This ensures further weaving and also maintains the tension required to weave.The wooden frame locally known as ’Donu’ is used to wind the prepared weave at regular intervals.
Name: Mr. Chaitanya Type of sari being weaved: Sico with biG buttis and elaborate pallu
Mr. Chaitanya is known for his elaborate and densely designed pallus. We then went to his house. The sight of both the husband and wife weaving in perfect unison and coordination without even having to look at each others work, is what greeted us. The body of the sari contained numerous and large buttis at the same interval. Hence, while the husband added the extra weft in the left hand side of the body of the sari, the wife did the right hand side. In this sari we saw silver zari also being used along with the gold. The pallu of the sari indeed had intricate designs and there was a jacquard attachment on top of the loom. Mr. Chaitanya is the only person in madhavaram who owns a jacquard attachment as the rest of the weavers own dobby looms.
Loom-Maggam Threads Vallu Spindles-Botlu Fly Shuttle-Kommu
DOBBY
JACQUARD In jacquard weaving a device called a ‘jacquard’ selects and lifts the warp yarns individually. This type of machine is used for larger more detailed patterns, where all or most of the yarns in a repeat, move independently. Modern jacquards are capable of handling over 1200 harness cords which control the lifting and lowering of the warp yarns. These saris take the longest to weave due to the intricacy of the designs, since every motif is hand woven.
Fig. dobby mechanism
Dobby:
A Dobby loom is a type of floor loom that controls all the warp threads using a device called a dobby. (The word dobby is a corruption of “draw boy” which refers to the weaver’s helpers who used to control the warp thread by pulling on draw threads). Each shaft controls a set of threads. Raising or lowering several shafts at the same time gives a huge variety of possible sheds through which the shuttle containing the weft thread can be thrown. Dobby looms are operated by wooden lags with pegs, which rotated around a roller above the loom. The pegs in the lags correspond to the lifting plan, which controls which harnesses are lifted. Punched paper or plastic pattern cards can also be used. The punch card readers are attached to the machine. The cards are strung together and attached to the machine. The machine contains a rotor which takes up the cards in the sequence that they are strung in, one after the other. The weaver operates foot pedals to shift locomotive parts of the loom to enable efficient weaving.
DAY-7 SAREE SHOPPING
SAREE BUYING After learning about Madhavaram saris, it was sari shopping time! The master weaver, Mr. Srinivas, also sold saris at his home. We proceeded to his house eagerly in the morning as we were leaving for Hyderabad in the night. There he presented us with a large variety of saris and we were spoilt for choice! Since most of us had demands from home to buy saris for every woman in the household we shopped with glee!
Cotton : 400-80 0 Sico: 900-25 00 Silk: 2000-
COPERATIVE SOCIETY
After buying at least 1 sari each, we thanked the master weaver for all his help and headed with Mr. Chinna to the cooperative, for market info as well as more sari buying.While buying even more saris, we started asking questions about the market and its workings. The society receives close to 7000 saris a month. During marriage season: 4000 saris are approximately sold whereas during off season an approximate of 4000 or so saris are sold. The least number of saris are sold during winter and monsoon seasons (due to the weather). The problem that cooperatives face is the decrease in demand as compared to before. However they agree that the market in A.P is excellent as compared to other states. PROFIT: The market of handloom saris in A.P is divided between APCO retailers and private retailers. The private retailers earn more profits as they do not have a fixed margin for profit and can increase it as and when they like. However the APCO retailers have a fixed profit margin of 12%. After shopping for a cumulative total of 25 or so saris we went back to our rooms, packed our bags and got ready to bid adieu to Madhavaram. We caught the 10 pm bus to Hyderabad and settled down to already reminiscence about the trip. A Bitter Sweet Good Bye
DAY-8
MARKET SURVEY
STORES
In Hyderabad, while going through the market research of the Madhavaram sarees, we came to the fact that these madhavarm sarees are evergreen sarees which are being purchased by the customers throughout the season. There were a number of stores in which these sarees were available and were in greater demands such as LEPAKSHI, R.S BROTHERS, R.K.S BROTHERS, CHANDANA BROTHERS, and R.K BROTHERS.
SALE DATA
In the conversation with Mr. Kodanna Babu, the store manager of RK Brothers, (who also a native of Madhavaram & also has experiance in weaving), he told us that these sarees are supplied to them sometimes directly by the weavers, or usually through the distributors, master weavers and the cooperatives.He informed us, that the local people over here are very fond of these sarees and these madhavaram sarees are always in demand. As per him, people are well aware about the Madhvaram saris & how to differentiate them from other andhra saris . There are 3 varieties of these sarees, pure cotton, pure silk and the sico sarees which are being marketed and the most popular among the customers between all three of them are the sico sarees because these are cotton by silk sarees and are very much comfortable to wear along with the grace.These sico sarees comes within the price range of 12002500/- approx, the cotton sarees starts from 600/- onwards till 1000/- and the most expensive ones are the silks which starts from 2500/- and ends upto 20000/- approx.
ANALYTICAL BREAKDOWN OF THE COST OF A SIMPLE ZARI COTTON SARI. Dyeing: Rs. 10/ Sari 4 hanks make a sari. Cost of 4 hanks= 94 Hence total cost; Rs. 94 + 10 = Rs. 104
CONCLUSION This study not only provided us with a detailed insight into the working of a composite handloom industry, but also helped us in getting a practical knowledge on the working of the organisation. Most of the weavers do not want their children to continue weaving due to the low wages and poor living conditions.
Weaving : Rs. 180 per Sari Total; Rs. 104 + 180 = Rs. 284
Government provided opportunities do not filter down and reach them. People living in Kadapa dist. themselves are unaware of the beauty being weaved in their area.
Zari : Rs. 77 per Sari Rs. 284 + 77 = Rs. 361 Profit Margin @ 10% = Rs. 36 Rs. 361+36 = Rs. 400 (Rounded)
The marketing and advertising of the saris has to be taken up with more enthusiasm to spread the word about the uniqueness and comfort level of this sari.
Hence, the starting range of the simplest cotton zari sari is Rs:400.
SWOT ANNALYSIS STRENGTHS: -
MARKET: Proximity to Metropolitan – quasi Metropolitan cities through National High Way which facilitates direct transportation. Good potential for Madhavaram branded Saris in domestic and international market. Madhavaram Cluster weavers have good skill and artisanship to capture niche Market. FINANCIAL:Depended purely on raising their internal financial resources which helps in ensuring that they do not fall in debts. Grameena Bank and State Bank of India have established their branches and are extending financial help. Central and State Department of Handloom & Textiles and other Non-Governmental Organizations are also extending Financial help. PRODUCTION :have good number of weavers Adapted to change their Skill to suit Modern Market condition by producing skilled artisanship Saris WEAKNESES: MARKET: No collective efforts related to marketing. Efforts are not being made to capture International Market even though the cluster is located nearest to Chennai. Internal competition for Marketing of Goods leads to differentiation in prices. No efforts were made to add value to Madhavaram branded product. Though efforts were made for new design development, but it is only individual basis. FINANCIAL:Low profit margin due to lack of collective bargaining. Bankers and financial institutional wary of extending financial help. Intermediaries entered into the industry with high rate of interest and Lure the weavers. Lack of collective purchase of raw material leading to high cost of production.
PRODUCTION: Using traditional and outdated pit looms. Product quality is not up-to- market expectations. Low productivity, leading to low wage earning of weaver. Because of installation of loom in a pit, during rainy season water oozes into the pits forcing the weavers to abandon the work. Lack of outside exposure. There is no application of information technology, modern management techniques for marketing the product, designing etc. OPPORTUNITIES: MARKET: Existence of National Highway for easy marketability of the product. Weavers of this Cluster will be at the advantage to market their product provided. There is a common approach for selling the product. There is effort to tap the untapped target in other market areas. There is up-gradation of market management and imparting training in new techniques of marketing. There is effort to impart training in new designing and new patterns in product production. There is effort to get new packing, brand name and common branding, packing etc., to suit the modern market taste. FINANCE: Finances may be available in the form of voluntary Organizations, Small-scale enterprise development organizations, rural artisan development organization which are existing within the cluster. If the weavers of the Cluster are financed by institutions like NABARD – Grameena Banks – Khadi & Village Commission at cheaper interest rates, with subsidy for purchase of accessories etc., it will strengthens their growth. PRODUCTION: A common bank for yarn, dyes and chemicals, silk yarn, zari may be provided for quality up-gradation. There must be a rational idea for establishing raw material banks and that rational is to supply raw material at affordable price. Quality up gradation may leads to easy marketability.
THREATS: MARKET: Exploitation by the master weavers in reducing the wages of the weavers. Co-operatives may also create hurdles in implementation of changes. Master weavers may withdraw from market forcing weavers to become work-less. Competition from power loom sector is active. FINANCE: Non-proactive nature of local bankers. . Control of finance by Co – Operatives. Exploitation of suppliers who are sole suppliers of yarn, dyes & chemicals, silk and zari. PRODUCTION: Failure to implement effective management system may also pose a problem for the marketability of the saris. There is a false notion that cotton zari Saris are costlier and not affordable
ANNEXURE • Questionnaire for weaver • Questionnaire for Master weaver • Questionnaire for Designer • Picture gallery
Questionnaire for weaver Details of the weaver Name Family Income Age Education Quanlification How many years in this craft? Any other craft Whether he is satisfied with his current situation Area of specialization (Motifs / Colors) Current and previous production nad their differences Skills (Inherited / Attained) Home festivals Family oriented / Sudden involvement in the Business Working hours Raw Materials and Tools What are the raw materials udes and tools? Local terms of raw materials and tools? Type of thread used Quantity of thread required per month? Any changes in type of thread Appreciable specific feature Area of procurement of raw materials? How has the requirement of the procurement of the raw materials changed? Problem you face in procurement? Alternative option for procurement? Any alternate materials? Their procurement and qantily? Repairs and maintainance of tools? Expenditure of repairs? Any new tools introduced in the recent years? If no, why? If yes what, their function and from where and is it benefial? Tool functions Where are the tools made and scoured from? Process Explanation of step wise process Certain gender based ( Size, colours, morifs, border, pallu) Spinning process- Dyeing Winding Warping Street Sizing Loom setting- Types and specification Weaving process- border, Pallu and body separate, technique
After process Product rectification Finishing Packaging Marketing (Product diversification, product dominance) Motif inspiration Since Madhavaram is temple dominated city how and its extent of influence Quality assurance and maintainance Trading and maketing technique Trademark and GI Disparities from one place to another How is it different from other weaving techniques of A.P? Any case study between Madhavaram and any other weaving Brain Drain and why? Govt. schemes and priviledges given and how much is it incorporated? Others Crafts Festivals Languages Traditions Local food Culture Songs / Dances Pastime Side business Schooling Craft metals ( participation in other craft melas) Gender based occupation Weather condition Clothing Population Religion division Conservative ? Progressive
Questionnaire for Master weaver 1.How long have you been in this profession? 2.Is it a family lineage? 3.Was it always a dream to be a weaver? 4.Since when do you have people working under you? 5.Any job prior to weaving? 6.What are the materials you supply your weavers with? 7.Where do you procure your raw materials from? 8.Has there been a rise in the cost of raw materials? 9.Do you make your own designs or there is a supply of designs from the designer? 10. What are the common motifs and designs? 11. Explain the repetition of designs on the graph paper. 12. How much are the weavers paid under you? 13. How often do you take in new talent? 14. Do you want your family’s next generation to participate in weaving? 15. What is the count of the cotton, silk and zari yarn used? 16. What are the prices of the cotton, silk, and zari yarns? 17. Should the winding process by charkha be continued or should there be a new process? 18. Where do you market your products or do you own a shop? 19. Has there been any change in design and motifs when you were a weaver and then a master weaver? 20. How is this ‘Madhavaram sari’ different from other AP saris? 21. Has any scheme been taken up for the promotion of this craft? 22. What has been the product diversification and price range? 23. What are advantages, disadvantages, precautions and improvements seen in each step of the weaving process? 24. Has there been any improvement in packaging?
25. What is the most popular product in terms of price and/or function? 26. Is there any particular sari for some typical occasion or function? 27. What are the different types of saris? 28. What are the local terms for all the tools used, the techniques and the processes? 29. In case of shortage of raw materials during processes what steps are taken? 30. Have you seen any social improvement taken place because of this craft? 31. Has there been any improvement in the social life of Madhavaram? 31. Are the wages provided to the weavers sufficient? 33. What steps are taken to repair loom parts? 34. What are the communities that take part in the pre and post weaving processes? 35. What is the origin of Madhavaram saris? 36. Initially when you started off as a master weaver, how many people worked under you and what is the current figure? Has there been any growth in the business? 37. From what age are the kids in your family trained for weaving and what are their educational qualifications required to take up weaving? 39. Are there any problems faced by the weavers that you know of? 40. Is there any trademark or GI for Madhavaram Saris? 42. Where are the dyes procured from? 43. What are the types of dyes? 44. What are the precautions followed while dyeing? 45. Are the raw materials required for dyeing easily available or there is any kind of shortage faced? 46. Where do you see this craft in the coming 10 years? 47. Is there any scope of improvement in this craft? 48. How do you think we as textile design students should promote this craft?
Questionnaire for Designer
How long have you been working as a designer. Are you working under a master weaver or are you a sole entrepreneur? Are you satisfied with your earnings? What do want to do for self-improvement in this field? What are your designs influenced by? From the initial designs how are the final designs created? Are graph papers used? Have you specialised in any particular type of designing? Is there any particular type of technique used? What type of raw materials are used for designing? Where are the raw materials procured from? What are changes in designs, colours and motifs observed by you? What are the most popular type of designs? What are the designs that are selected for various sari types? Where are the punch cards made? What are the type of materials used for the punch cards? What are the dimensions of the punch cards? Is there a market for the punch cards? What are the prices of the punch cards? How many number of punch cards are purchased at once? What are maintenance procedures of punch cards and how often are they changed? What are the various border, body and pallu designs? Where have you learnt designing from? Is there any inspirational design? How is ‘Madhavaram sari’ different from other AP saris? Explain the repeat size and repeat type. How many number of threads are seen in a repeat with respect to length and breadth? Where do you see this craft in the coming 10 years? Is there any scope of improvement in this craft? How do you think we as textile design students should promote this craft?