Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Pilgrimage to Pochampally

After years of speaking about it, finally I got a chance to go to Pochampally. Yes, Pochampally, famous for her sarees. Pochampally, the place where Acharya Vinoba Bhave launced the Bhoodan movement - a land gifting movement which set the stage for land reform in India where land was owned generally by wealthy landowners at the time. He walked across India persuading landowners to part with a percentage of land to those who were of lesser means. It is an example of how one man's dream can change the world.

So, we were there, looking at the sarees handwoven by artisans and known around the world today on par with the Kanjeevarams, Benarasis and Dharmavarams. She stands there amid arid dry land, beautiful, proud and yet humble of her achievements. The pictures weave the story.

http://picasaweb.google.co.in/pgsapna.cta.cit/PilgrimageToPochampalli#

Artisans are paid Rs.10000 to weave eight sarees which are then handed back to the middle men. A saree takes 6-7 days to finish started from dying the silk yarn to making the finished product and can cost anywhere between Rs.1500 - Rs.10000. The loom itself extends to the size of a room, with the artisan sitting with a dugout trench where his legs rest working the loom. The handloom sarees woven thus find its way to many a home, enriching our lives for occassions - so many colours, so many designs, costly, simple, yet elegant.

For more, visit: http://exploreruralindia.org/Pochampally.php

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