The Hindu Business Line : A silky touch of technology

THE traditional weavers of Kancheepuram, known for creating the magic of the heavy bordered and gorgeous silk sarees seem to have got a further boost with introduction of technology. The sheer number of designs have spiralled from a meagre 500 per year to a whopping 3,900.

The weaver, who took nearly a month to produce a single exquisite saree manually, is now able to complete it in 15-20 days, through computerisation of various steps involved. More importantly, the weaver has been able to increase his monthly income with his new found capability to weave good and complicated designs in less time and create more sarees per month.

The range of new and attractive designs that are being created have caught the fancy of the customers, not just in India but worldwide. A fact reflected in the four-fold increase of exports of the Kancheepuram designs from Rs 70 lakh in 1998-99 to Rs 2.6 crore in 2002-03.

In short, the traditional Kancheepuram silk sarees have gone hi-tech. Customers need no longer limit themselves to the usual designs like mango, peacock or temple bell motifs. Instead, they can pick and choose from impressive catalogues or even suggest their own patterns.

Bringing about this change, which promises to improve the household economies of the poor weavers in rural Tamil Nadu, is the intervention of information and communication technology, especially by the Central Silk Board and some private entrepreneurs, says a study done by Dr B. Bowonder and Mr J.V. Sailesh, for the Administrative Staff College of India.

Technology has perked up the brightness and rich borders of Kancheepuram silk sarees to further enhance the appeal and beauty of the six yard Indian wonder fabric and the wearer. The Jacquard borders have especially got a boost through computer designing.

At the click of a mouse today, the traditional weavers are able to explore the wide world of new colour combinations, designs and experience the speed at which a new creation can be freezed on the screen and taken to real craftsmanship.

A punching card software known as `Techmen' has come in handy to the weavers. It provides an option to check the distance between the grid points in a punch card, which help the zari stay intact.

It also makes the designs more accurate and durable by eliminating most of the problems in manual designing. The punch card, which cost around Rs 5 has also dropped to Rs 1.40, according to the ASCI study sponsored by the Planning Commission.

The automation process and computerisation of design is being adopted by several small and medium firms in Kancheepuram. Shreenivas Silks, under the leadership of Mr Varadan, pioneered the use of the technology, which is yielding financial and other benefits, the study said.

There are nearly 23 weavers' co-operatives and 30,000 weavers involved in Kancheepuram, which till about 150 years ago was a cotton weaving centre, but has emerged as the `Silk Paradise' of the world and a top favourite in a woman's wardrobe of silks.

The sarees, woven from pure mulberry silk and embellished with fine gold thread (zari) are known for their dazzling colours. Interestingly, the zari is imported from far away Surat in Gujarat, while the silk is brought from neighbouring Karnataka.