FLO Chennai, under the leadership of Chairperson Dr. Amulya Rao, in collaboration with Thoughtloom, hosted a cultural initiative at Palam Silks in Mylapore, Chennai. FLO members were regaled with anecdotes and advice from the witty and knowledgeable Dr. Hemalatha Jain from Punarjeevana Trust. From snippets about discovering the now ubiquitous “Patteda Anchu” weave at a village temple, to convincing a former master weaver to leave his oil business to weave this 10th-century weave again.
Textile revivalist Dr. Hemalatha Jain educated participants on the importance of promoting glorious local weaves and encouraged an appreciation of our rich and varied history of weaves from the south (Deccan weaves from Karnataka). The intimate fireside chat led by Shibi was perfectly punctuated by Bela’s quiz for all of the members on the weaves of India.
Attending sareetorialists also watched a wonderful video on prize-winning Hemalatha’s inspiring work with weaver clusters in Karnataka. From 2 weavers when she started over a decade ago to now touching dozens of lives, members were encouraged never to bargain with weavers and to wear Indian textiles proudly. 40 members were left touched by the authenticity of her purpose: to uplift the lives of our craftspersons and to encourage people to wear heritage sarees from the South such as Gomi Teni, Molaklmuru, Sudha Kadi on a regular basis.