The Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) has reached out to help rejuvenate the Chendamangalam handloom society which was completely ravaged by the calamitous flood in August.

The Chamber had adopted 12 looms which were repaired and put back into action. “We are looking at restoring the livelihood of the weavers here, than to offer a short-term gain,” said the President of the Chamber Madhusudan Gupta while handing over the cheques for the machinery repairs on Thursday at Chendamangalam.

Chendamangalam is a relatively small suburb around 35 km from Kochi and the place is known for its historically famous handloom crafts. It is one of the very few of its kind in Kerala. There are close to 600 weavers spread across in five societies in Chendamangalam engaged in traditional handloom weaving.

The GI Tagged textiles of this historical place were already gasping due to factors such as rising cost, threat from power loom fabrics and more importantly unavailability of skilled manpower. More than hundred looms were fully damaged and what remained from the flood were the loom frames and the daunting thought of the future for the 550 odd families in Chendamangalam. stock worth of ₹75 lakh to ₹1 crore were drenched in the flood including finished products such as dothis, sarees, etc.

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