Weavers K Govindasamy and his wife G Valliammal weave a cotton sari on their loom at Kullakapalayam village, 8 kilometres from Negamam near Pollachi   | Photo Credit: Siva Saravanan S

Thrice a month, G Valliammal catches the morning bus to Pollachi from her village, a cloth bag slung across her shoulder.

The bag bears precious cargo: three Negamam cotton saris woven by the 80-year-old and her husband. “I take them to a textile shop in the city; they are our employers,” she says, running her hands over maroon cotton threads on the loom at her home at Kullakapalayam, a village eight kilometres from Negamam, and 40 kilometres from Coimbatore.

Earlier this year, P Sanjai Gandhi, a Government advocate, High Court of Madras, and Geographical Indication registration attorney, filed a GI tag application on behalf of 15 co-operatives from the region.

The saris, called ‘getti ragam’ (meaning thick variety) in local lingo, take a week to be woven by hand.

“My husband and I weave two to three in two weeks,” says Valliammal showing us a deep red sari with a thin silk border, fresh off her husband’s loom. The fabric is sturdy, yet soft. “It will retain this quality for years,” says K Govindasamy, her husband. What makes it special is the intensity of the colour. “It will remain as it is as long as the cloth survives,” explains the 80-year-old.

Negamam cotton saris on display at Co-optex showroom in Coimbatore   | Photo Credit: Siva Saravanan S

Negamam saris have a regular clientele. “They are popular among women in Erode, Sathyamangalam, and Gobichettipalayam, particularly those who work in agricultural fields,” says KV Manoharan, president, Arignar Anna Handloom Weavers Cooperative. “Negamam saris come as either six or eight gajam (yards), so women from the region drape them with a pack pleat, a style that makes it easy to work in the fields,” he adds. “Traditionally, they were woven in solid colours with a border and small motifs on the body,” he says.

The saris changed with time. Today, they are adorned with motifs, contrast borders and pallus; but the fabric remains unchanged. While it is not common to see women with the defining Negamam sari drape today, many from the region still prefer them. The saris are priced at around ₹2,500 at Co-optex. “Powerloom saris are much cheaper and look similar,” points out Manoharan, explaining how this variety took over handloom saris. “Gradually, weavers too opted to weave fabrics that fetched them higher wages,” he adds.

Kullakapalayam, for instance, has about 400 looms — every household has a loom — but only three weave the Negamam cotton variety. “We can earn much more weaving soft silk; so, most of us have stopped weaving cotton,” says KM Kumaravel, a local weaver who shifted to silk a decade ago. Besides, weaving a cotton sari is more complex: for the fabric to gain its defining thickness, the weaver puts in effort.

The process of sizing and strengthening cotton yarn used for weaving cotton saris at a workshop at Kullakapalayam village, 8 kilometres from Negamam   | Photo Credit: Siva Saravanan S

He/she spends time and money to get the cotton thread prepared for the loom. It spends a day at the paavu pattarai, a workshop where a team works under a master who sprays starch on the threads spread between wooden stands.

We visit one nearby, where K Uma Maheshwaran and team are strengthening and sizing cotton thread under a thatch roof. “It takes an hour to get this done on a sunny day,” he tells us as his team combs through the fine thread using a heavy implement made of wood and thick bristles. Two people, each holding one end of the brush, walk swiftly across the length of the thread, brushing it several times until the starch is absorbed and it is completely dry.

“It is a lot of work,” says U Kiran Kumar, Uma Maheshwaran’s son. “But one that will guarantee quality,” he adds. He is disheartened when people are lured by powerloom saris. “I wish customers ask for handloom in particular when they go shopping,” says the 34-year-old. “This will ensure survival for artisans like us.”

Meanwhile, Valliammal and Govindasamy are taking a tea break . Their loom, that is over 60 years old, stands still. The dull clackety-clack of other looms in the neighbourhood wafts into their one-roomed home.

Govindasamy takes one last sip, places his tumbler on the ground, and gets back to work. His loom roars to life, joining the chorus of others nearby.

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