OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main objective of the cluster initiative program is, to study every major
aspect of the Craft “Gadwal Sarees” that might help bring about a change for
the welfare and development of the craft and its creators.
The major aspects involve:
1. Knowing the past and present scenario of the cluster & their comparison.
2. Studying the economic importance of the cluster program.
3. Learning about the existing institutional support to the craft & the
handloom industry involved.
4. Analyzing the development potential of the cluster initiative.
5. Cognizing the prevalent marketing methods of Gadwal Saree handloom
industry.
6. Studying the intervention in design/marketing/technology used under the
Craft.
7. Looking into the social and welfare development potential of the cluster.
8. Indication of risks & assumptions related to the craft.
9. Canvassing the cultural aspect of the craft.
10. Sales & profits of the Gadwal handloom industry.
11. Knowing the customer profile & their preferences.

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1.1 Introduction
Woven textiles are one of the
oldest techniques developed by
people the world over.

Earlier, the woven cloth

protected the body from the heat
and cold, and later developed
into a form of dress, which
expressed the cultural values of
the people and their identity.

The art of weaving and dyeing of

fabrics was practiced in India from very ancient times. It was such an important
part of the life of the ancient times that many of its techniques gave the name to
philosophical and religious thought.

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1.2 Defining Sarees
The Indian 'saree' or 'sari' has been in existence for
more than 5000 years which is mentioned in the
Vedas. Some versions of the history of Indian
clothing trace the sari back to the Indus valley
civilization, which flourished in 2800-1800 BCE.

It is the basic wear of rural people of India. The

name 'saree' is derived from the Sanskrit word
'Chira' which means cloth. To suit the local
conditions, it was designed by the Indian people in
the earlier days. The length of it varies from 5 to 9.5
yards and it is draped around the entire body.

Generally the Indian climate is warm. So, saree is

more suitable for this subcontinent. In olden days,
men also wore a dress like saree called 'dhoti'.

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1.3 Types of Sarees of India
While an international image of the 'modern style' saree may have been
popularised by airline stewardesses, each region in the Indian subcontinent has
developed, over the centuries, its own unique saree style. Following are the well
known varieties, distinct on the basis of fabric, weaving style, or motif, in South
Asia:
1. Tanchoi
2. Shalu
3. Bandhani
Eastern styles
1. Baluchari – West Bengal
2. Kantha – West Bengal
3. Ikat Silk & Cotton – Orissa
4. Cuttacki Pata Silk & Cotton – Orissa
5. Sambalpuri Pata Silk & cotton saree – Orissa
6. Bomkai Silk & Cotton – Orissa
7. Mayurbhanj Tussar Silk – Orissa
8. Sonepuri/Subarnapuri Silk – Orissa
9. Bapta & Khandua Silk & Cotton – Orissa
10. Berhampuri Silk – Orissa
11. Tanta/Taant Cotton – Orissa, West Bengal &
Bangladesh
12. Jamdani – Bangladesh Fig.1.1 A Kantha saree from
13.Jamdani Khulna – Bangladesh West Bengal

14. Dhaka Benarosi– Bangladesh

15. Rajshahi silk– Bangladesh
16. Tangail Tanter saree– Bangladesh
17. Katan saree– Bangladesh

Western styles
1. Paithani – Maharashtra

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 2. Bandhani – Gujarat and Rajasthan
3. Kota doria Rajasthan
4. Lugade – Maharashtra

Central styles
Fig.1.2 A Bandhani Saree from Rajasthan
1. Chanderi – Madhya Pradesh
2. Maheshwari – Madhya Pradesh
3. Kosa silk – Chattisgarh
Southern styles
1. Kanchipuram (locally called Kanjivaram) –
Tamil Nadu
2. Coimbatore – Tamil Nadu
Fig.1.3Chanderi saree
3. Chinnalapatti – Tamil Nadu from Madhya Pradesh

4. Chettinad – Tamil Nadu

5. Madurai – Tamil Nadu
6. Arani – Tamil Nadu
7. Pochampally – Andhra Pradesh
8. Venkatagiri – Andhra Pradesh
9. Gadwal – Andhra Pradesh
10. Guntur – Andhra Pradesh
11. Narayanpet – Andhra Pradesh
12. Mangalagiri – Orissa
13. Balarampuram – Kerala
14. Mysore Silk – Karnataka
15. Ilkal saree
16. Valkalam saree
.

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Fig. 1.4 Kanjivaram from Tamil Nadu

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2.1 An Overview of Handlooms & Textiles in Andhra
Pradesh
Renowned for its handlooms, Andhra
Pradesh is an ancient institution of hand-
woven fabrics. It produces the most exclusive
sarees and dress-materials, having delicate
and distinctive designs. Each saree boasts of
an intricate 'pallu' and delicate border
adorned with gold thread work. The looms of
Pochampalli, Venkatagiri, Gadwal,
Narayanpet and Dharmavaram are well-
known for their silk and cotton sarees all over
India. Usually, both the loom and the fabric are known by the name of the
place. Each loom is recognized with its distinct weaving style and variety of
fabric.
In Andhra Pradesh and most other southern states, cotton and silk are the two
most preferred fabrics.
There are about 3,20,000 handlooms. About 5,00,000 families directly and
20,00,000 families indirectly are dependent on them. Some of the famous
handlooms of Andhra Pradesh are as follows:

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 Fig.2.1 Handicraft Map of Andhra Pradesh
Kalamkari Fabrics
Kalamkari is essentially an art of painting and printing fabrics. The Kalamkari
fabrics are known world-wide for their attractive designs on carpets, bed sheets,
wall hangings, sarees, chintz, table clothes and curtain clothes.

Ikat Weaving Handlooms

Originated in Nalgonda district, Ikat is an expertise of weaving randomly dyed
yarn in natural zigzag or geometric patterns.

Chirala Textiles
Eminent for its textiles, Chirala produces some of the best fabrics of Andhra
Pradesh. Chirala is famous for its bedspreads, curtains, tapestry fabrics and
sarees.

Gadwal Sarees
Gadwal has been known worldwide for its beautiful sarees. The main charm
about their saree is that its body is of cotton, whilst the border and pallu are in
silk. Actually, the cotton and silk fabrics are woven individually and then
attached together to make a complete saree. The 'pallu' and the border are
adorned with rich traditional designs.

Dharmavaram Sarees
Dharmavaram is renowned for its fabulous silk sarees throughout the world.
These sarees comprise simple and plain borders without much contrast.

Venkatagiri Sarees
Venkatagiri sarees are known for being adorned with gold threads. Available in
cotton and silk, these sarees have borders with pure silver or gold 'zari' (threads)
and brocade designs. They are dyed in rich colors with golden dots, leaves,
parrots or simple geometrical designs.

Eluru Carpets
Eluru is illustrious for its flourishing woolen carpet industry.

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Mangalgiri Handlooms
Located at a distance of 12 kms from Vijayawada, Mangalgiri is a famous
pilgrimage center in Andhra Pradesh. Mangalgiri is popular not only for its
temple, but also for its elegant cotton sarees and dress materials.

Uppada Sarees
This place is famed for its skillfully designed cotton sarees.

Narayanpet Sarees
These sarees are available in cotton and silk and are woven in dark earthy
colours. These are very eye catching and the borders are usually kept in a flat
spread of deep maroon red or chocolate red, which is again thinly separated by
white or colored lines.

Pochampalli sarees
The `Pochampalli` textiles of Andhra Pradesh are made by using the tie and dye
technique of the yarn. Using these designs, various dress materials, sarees and
home furnishings are also made.

Kothakota Sarees
Kothakota is another type of weaving in Andhra Pradesh. It is similar to the
Gadwal saree with silk borders and rich pallus with very innovative zari
designs.

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2.2 Handloom Scenario and the Structure of co-op.
Societies
As weaver nimble fingers
lovingly play over the looms,
rare artistry begins to unfold
like a symphony composed
by a skilled musician; the
fabric woven has its own
exquisite harmony.
Warp by warp, weft by weft
almost in every village of
A.P. lives the weaver,
zealously guarding a legacy
handed down the
generations.
The Handloom Societies in
Andhra Pradesh are organised as a two tier structural societies in the village
called Primary Handloom weaver's co-operative society. The APEX society at
the State level called A.P. State Handloom Weavers' Co-operative society Ltd.
(APSHWCS), popularly called as APCO.
The APCO Fabrics is a Govt. controlled and managed body which coordinates
the procurement and export of Hand loomed fabrics from A.P.
The marketing network of APCO is carried through its extensive sales outlets
numbering (189) out of which (168) are located within the State of Andhra
Pradesh and (21) Inter-state outlets are located outside the State of Andhra
Pradesh.

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3.1 Geography
Gadwal is located at 16°14′N 77°48′E / 16.23°N 77.8°E. / 16.23; 77.8 It
has an average elevation of 325 metres (1066 feet).It is around 150 k.m. away
from Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh, & 60 km northwest of
Kurnool.

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 Fig.3.1 Maps indicating Gadwal in the district of Mahabubnagar in Andhra Pradesh

3.2 Gadwal History

Gadwal, a small town; makes many gadwal sarees for the main stream south
Indian market. Gadwal Samsthanam was in Raichur district (Now it is in
Mahabubnagar district).It was once ruled by a local ruler called Somasekhar
Reddy, fondly called Somanadri who also built a fort round the city.

Fig. 3.2 Pictures from the compound of the Gadwal Fort

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It’s situated between the rivers Tungabhadra and Krishna over an area of 800
sq. miles approximately.
After the fall of the Warangal Andhra dynasty in the 14th century, Gadwal
transferred its allegiance to the new Bahmani kingdom. According to the family
history, Pedda Veera Reddy, Peddanna Bhupaludu, Sarga Reddy, Veera Reddy
and Kumara Veera Reddy ruled Gadwal between 1553 and 1704.
During the reign of Nizam Ali Khan Asaf Jah II, the Martha's gained power in
certain parts of the Deccan and started collecting 'chouth' or 25% of the revenue
known, as 'Do-Amli'. Raja Sitaram Bhupal died in 1840 and was succeeded by
his adopted son, Raja Sitaram Bhupal II. Nizam VII bestowed on him the title
of "Maharaja" and he died in 1924 and was survived by his widow and two
daughters.
Gadwal is also famous as a tourist spot. Here there is one of the largest project
(DAM) Known as Priyadarshini Jurala Project with almost 70 gates and very
soon it will be ready for generating power. Gadwal was ruled by a king called
Nalla Somanadri and there is a famous fort worth watching. Gadwal has Sri
Jamla Devi Temple, a divine place for many people of Gadwal.

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Fig.3.3 The ruler of Gadwal, King Nalla Somanadri’s Statue in the Fort of Gadwal Sarees
It is renowned for the
Chennakesava Swamy Temple, built by the Rajas of Gadwal in the 17th
century. About 20 km from Gadwal is the Kurumurthy village, which is the site
of Sri Kurumurthy Srinivasa Swamy Temple.

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 Fig 3.4 The famous temple of Chennakesava Swamy Temple in Gadwal

3.3

Demographics
Gadwal, was in the dynasty of Gadwal and Wanaparthy rulers which is now in
the district of Mahabubnagar of Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh. Gadwal is
a small town with highly professional weavers having rich traditional values of
the weaving techniques. As of 2001[update] India census, Gadwal had a population
of 53,560. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Gadwal
has an average literacy rate of 57%, lower than the national average of 68.6%:

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male literacy is 67%, and female literacy is 48%. In Gadwal, 13% of the
population is under 6 years of age.

Rural Urban

Households: 702 9,765

Total Population: 3,546 53,560

Male Population: 1,829 27,497
Female Population: 1,717 26,063
Kids Under 6 Yrs: 563 7,092
Boys Under 6 Yrs: 282 3,584
Girls Under 6 Yrs: 281 3,508
Total Literates: 886 30,145
Total Illiterates: 2,660 23,415

Table 3.1 Population Data for this Place (As of 2001):

Village names in Gadwal constituency

Mandal Name: GADWAL
1. REKULAPALLE
2. KOTHAPALLE

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 3. YENKAMPETA
4. MULKALAPALLE
5. GADWAL (RURAL)
6. ATMAKUR
7. GANPAD
8. SANGALA
9. JILLADABANDA
10.KAKULAVARAM
11.PARAMALA
12.MELLACHERUVU
13.JAMMICHEDU
14.PUDUR
15.ANANTAPUR
16.BEEROLE
17.BASAPUR
18.GURRAMGADDA

3.4 A short note on Mahabubnagar-

The district under which Gadwal
falls.
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Area: 18, 432 sq.kms.
The boundaries of Mahabubnagar district are Nalgoda and Prakasam districts in
the east, Kurnool district in the south, Gulbarga and Rayachur districts of
Karnataka in the west and Hyderabad district in the north directions.

Rivers:
Krishna, Tungabhadra, Vendi, Peddavaagu, Chinnavaagu.
Major Places:
Nagarkurnool, Vanaparthi, Mahabubnagar and Gadwal.
Industries:
Gadwal handlooms, Woolen Blankets.
Tourist Places:
Pillalamarri Banyan Tree, Farahabad hill station, Gadwal Fort, Sarlasagar
project, Koilsagar project and Nagarjunasagar - Srisailam Sanctuary.

Table 3.2 Tourist Attractions

S.No Tourist Spot Theme Place
1 Alampur Temples Pilgrim Alampur
Centres
2 Chenna Kesava Temple Pilgrim Gadwal
Centres
3 Gadwal Sarees Handlooms Gadwal
4 Jetprole Pilgrim Jetprole
Centres
5 Kollapur Madhava Swamy Pilgrim Kollapur
temple Centres
6 Kurumurthy Kshetram Pilgrim Gadwal
Centres
7 Ranganayaka Temple Pilgrim Srirangapur
Centres
8 Someswara Swamy temple Pilgrim Somasila

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 Centres

Pilgrimage Centers:
Alampur Temple, Manikonda Temple, Wanaparthi Temple, Malleswaram
Temple, Somasila Temple, Sri Rangapur Temple and Nava Brahma Temple on
the riverbanks of Tungabhadra.
Handicrafts:
Gadwal Handlooms, Alampur towel, Narayanpet silk. Presently, the Assistant
director of Handlooms & Textiles of Andhra Pradesh office in Mahbubnagar is
Mr. Ram Gopal Rao. There are 73 societies in Mahabubnagar which are
currently running to help develop the handloom industry.

Accessibility:
Mahbubnagar is well connected by rail and road with important towns of the
State. Gadwal Railway Station is on the Kurnool-Hyderabad line.

Fig.3.5 Map of the district of Mahbubnagar & its Transport accessibility.

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 3.5 Agriculture & Industries in Gadwal & the
Fig.3.4 Map of thedistrict of Mahbubnagar
district of Mahbubnagar & its Transport accessibility.

Black corrosion soil lands are

24%, black soil 19%, sandy soil
lands 4%, and red soil lands
25%. The first variety lands are
very fertile. Sand soil lands are
not so fertile. ‘Korra’, orange,
lime and betel leaves are the
special crops. They are
cultivated near river beds. The
principal crops are millet & rice;
other food grains include pulses,
oilseeds, cotton and indigo. The
last two are largely exported.
There are several steam factories for pressing cotton, and indigo vats.

The district of Mahabubnagar, is the repository of mineral wealth. As per the

1983 survey of geological survey of India 30lakh tons of lead, 740lakh tons of
barrettes, 27000tons asbestos deposits are there. There are mineral related
industries and electrical instruments industries. Zuari Cements, India Cement
Ltd, Corus India Ltd are the other industries.

The forest area is 5,050 km. It is 32.87% of the district area.. In the northeast
part of the district rainfall is high. Red sandalwood is available in plenty. This is
the only area in India where red sandalwood is available. A National park is set
up in Seshachalam hills for prospecting wild animals. 181 are employed in the
only one paper industry in the district and its capital investment is Rs.227lakhs.

Forest provides the Bamboo, which is useful in the Paper Industry. Social
forests are coming up nicely over the years. There are no major industries

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present in the district, but Sheep breeding is providing adequate income
resources to the people in some parts of the district. Most parts of the district
fall under severe drought region with short of rainfall every year.

The main water sources are Lift Irrigation project on River Krishna at
Kothapally, Priyadarsini Jurala project at Gadwal, Rajulibanda Diversion,
Koyal Sagar and Sarla Sagar Schemes. Handloom industry especially Gadwal is
a household name of sarees and their products. Educational Institutions are
affiliated to Osmania University.

3.6 Gadwal-Transport

It is well connected with

the railway line. There are more than 20 trains that pass through Gadwal every
day. It is 150 km from Hyderabad. Very soon Gadwal will be known as
Railway Junction because of railway connection from Gadwal to Raichur
district. (Karnataka). The work is already in progress and may be completed in
2010.

Gadwal has got well access to road transport also. There are buses every now &
then from the main city of the district, Mahabubnagar. Also, buses run timely
from Hyderabad too which is the capital city of Andhra Pradesh & from other
major places of the district & state as well.

Adding to this, some taxis & mini jeeps run daily & carry passengers who have
to do daily up & down for work to either Hyderabad or Mahabubnagar.

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 Fig. 3.6 The railway station at Gadwal

3.7
Mahbubnagar & Gadwal – People & Culture
The unofficial name of
Mahabubnagar and Gadwal is
Palamoor. Mahabubnagar the
southern district of Telangana,
has been ruled by Muslim kings
for the last six hundred years.
Though there were reputed
sansthans like Gadwal,
Wanaparthy, Kollapur,
Amarchinta etc with leaders like
Bregadiar Raja Rameswar Rao,
they have simply collected taxes
by sucking the blood of poor
people of Palamoor to impress Nizam and develop Hyderabad for them and
never cared for rural education or rural economic development. The feudal
system under these rulers did not help our society.
Today rural Telangana is decimated for lack of economic development. Instead
of unite and fight for justice, Telangana people are divided on caste and are
prone to outside exploitation. The Naxalite violence in this region is one such
good example. Though the world's civilization advanced dramatically, most of
the village people are still living like the way people lived 2000 years ago:
bullock carts, ploughs, carry weight on their heads, mop the floors with hands

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etc. There is very little change in their life style.
After independence there were a number of reputed politicians represented
from this land to lok sabha, rajya sabha, and state assembly and became
ministers. Most of them were selfish, corrupted and never attempted to develop
the most backward Palamoor.
Gadwal People of
Palamoor are very hard
working still majority
of people's lifestyle is
comparable to slavery.
Because of lack of
proper employment and
resources, & severe
draught conditions in
the district, Palamoor
people tend to migrate
to other places in India,
they have become
popular as Palamoor
labor all over India.
The district has deliberately been rendered backward by the politicians. Most
Mahabubnagar politicians, began life as labor contractors and were involved in
labor export. Unlike in other Telangana districts like Warangal where the youth
spearheaded movements focusing on the people’s problems, here the migration
has led to problems remaining unarticulated. There are few industries. Even
those that exist have not encouraged the hiring of local labor though labor from
Palamoor is reputed for good work and is much sought after in construction
work in most parts of the country.

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Table 3.3 Gadwal Villages Panchayats of ANDHRA
PRADESH
1. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL ANANTHAPUR

2. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL ATMAKUR

3. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL BASWACHERU

4. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL BEEROLE

5. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL CHENGONIPALLY

6. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL DOUDERPALLY

7. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL GONPAD

8. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL GUNTIPALLY

9. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL GURRAMGADDA

10. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL JAMMICHED

11. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL KAKULAVARAM

12. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL KONDAPALLY

13. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL KOTHAPALLY

14. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL LATHIPUR

15. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL MADANPALLY

16. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL MAILACHERUVU

17. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL MOLKALPALLY

18. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL PARMALA

19. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL PUDUR

20. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL REKULAPALLY

21. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL REPALLY

22. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL SANGALA

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23. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL VEERAPUR

24. MAHBUBNAGAR GADWAL YENKAMPET

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4.1 About Gadwal Sarees
Gadwal is known for its world famous
handloom zari sarees. The Gadwal sarees,
characteristic of the marvellous textile-
crafts of Andhra Pradesh, demonstrate a
fine blend of ethnicity and modern
designing-concepts. People here can weave
a 5.5 meters saree in such a way that it can
be folded to a size that fits into a small
matchbox.
Gadwal and Kothakota developed their own
style because of the patronage of the royal
family of Gadwal and Wanaparthy. The
striking feature of this saree is that, while
the body is made from cotton, the borders
and the pallu(the falling edge of the saree)
are made from silk. There is complicated
joinery involved and this gives the
silk/cotton mix saree its charm.
Fig.4.1 A Gadwal Saree with heavy zari work.
Most Gadwal Sarees are woven with interlocked - weft borders of contrasting
colours. Attaching the silk border and pallav to the cotton body is called doing
the 'kechchu'. This is most difficult to do and is also what sets the Gadwal
saree apart from other sarees. The body of the saree, woven from unbleached
cotton yarn, contains patterns made using colored cotton or silk thread. The
embroidery is done using threads coated with gold or copper. Traditional motifs
are the norm. These sarees have different types of borders - Small border,
medium border, heavy border (weight of the saree doesn’t vary). Also, Kutu
border, Turning border, One side border are some other terms in use.

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 Gadwal cotton sarees are also known for their shrink resistance, and they get
better with use. They are often regarded as 'Puja ' Sarees by local women who
wear them for religious and festive occasions. It bestows a unique grace to any
woman wearing it. Gadwal Saree is worn & draped in Nivi styles which are
originally worn in Andhra Pradesh; besides the modern nivi, there is also the
kaccha nivi, where the pleats are passed through the legs and tucked into the
waist at the back. This allows free movement while covering the legs.
Table 4.1 Gadwal Sarees Handloom Clusters in Andhra Pradesh

STATEMENT SHOWING IMPORTANT Gadwal Sarees HANDLOOM CLUSTERS IN AP

NO.
NAME NO.
NAME OF THE OF
Sl.NO. OF THE WEA MAJOR ITEMS OF PRODUCTION
CLUSTER LOO
STATE VERS
MS
Andhra Gadwal Type Zari & Silk
1. KODUMUR 500 500
Pradesh Sarees
Andhra Gadwal Sarees, Towels
2. RAJOLI(MBNR) 657 657
Pradesh and Bed Sheets
Andhra
3. GADWAL 850 1200 Gadwal Sarees
Pradesh
Andhra
4. GHATTU 500 400 Gadwal Sarees
Pradesh
Andhra
5. AMARCHINTA 850 850 Gadwal Sarees
Pradesh
Andhra Gadwal Sarees and
6. AMANGAL 500 500
Pradesh Pochampally Sarees
Cotton Semi Gadwal
and Tie & Dye Sarees
Andhra
7. JANGAON (WGL) 1215 1516 Silk Tie & Dye Sarees
Pradesh
Zari Semi Gadwal
Sarees
Design Towels Lungies
Dhoties Nirmal Sarees
Semi Gadwal Sarees
Andhra Design Double Cloth
8. JOGIPET 610 697
Pradesh Bed Sheets Tom Tom
Bed Sheets Shirtings
Silk Sarees Pillow
Covers
9. Andhra KOTHAPALLY(KMNR) 575 658 Towels Lungies Dhoties
Pradesh Nirmal Sarees Semi
Gadwal Sarees Design
Double Cloth Bed

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 Sheets Tom Tom Bed
Sheets Shirtings Silk
Sarees Pillow Covers
Andhra
10. Aadhoni Gadwal Sarees
Pradesh
Andhra Emiginuru
11. Gadwal Sarees
Pradesh
Andhra
12. Macharla Gadwal Sarees
Pradesh
Andhra
13. Arigandda Gadwal Sarees
Pradesh

4.2 History & Origin

It is believed that origin of the Gadwal Saree dates back to some 300 years ago.
It is practised till today as an old tradition. But, it was at the beginning of the
20th century, when Gadwal rulers reigned, that they were highlighted. At that
time, fabrics of value were brought from Banaras.
In 1922, three skilled workers from Gadwal were sent to Benares to learn the
Banarasi weaving techniques. But since the Banarasi techniques couldn’t be
taught to people outside the family, the trio faced great difficulty in learning the
craft. But they somehow managed to acquire ample knowledge. Maharani of

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Gadwal encouraged those weavers and made them weave sarees for the royal
families. It is believed that the brocading abilities of many of the weavers in
Gadwal originate from Banaras. The designs, however, do not show any
Banaras influences but are strongly south-east Indian in structure and aesthetic
quality.
These sarees are completely hand woven. It started with cotton as the basic raw
material. But presently, blends of cotton with silk are also used. Pure zari was
used for weaving the designs of the border & the pallav, around a decade ago
but with the lapse of time the quality of zari has degraded. Pure silver & gold
was used at that time as zari but now silk fast is used. Silver & Gold zari use
was reduced down the line because of the competition & other factors related to
costly production.
Gadwal Sarees were traditionally woven in the interlocked-weft technique
(called Kupadam or tippadamu ), often with kumbam (also called kotakomma)
in the borders, and were known as a kupadam or kumbam saree. The silk border
was either tassar or mulberry, and the body was often of unbleached cotton,
although it may have also contained coloured cotton or silk checks. A pure silk
version of Gadwal saree also existed, usually woven in bright contrasting
colours such as canary yellow or lime green.
Weaving of Gadwal sarees faced some yarn shortage in the 1980s. The
economic situation of weavers was particularly bad at that time. Master weavers
in Gadwal town provided finance and technical training to weavers in other
nearby towns & villages in starting silk looms.

Over time, they familiarized themselves with business aspects as well, and
introduced silk weaving in places nearby. The initiative therefore came from
master weavers in
Gadwal, who
sought to make
the most of the high
demand for their
products.
In order to increase

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production, they began to rope in weavers from other surrounding areas. Labour
was cheap in nearby places and production assured. Presently local weavers
estimate that, about 8000 looms are engaged in the production of Gadwal
sarees.

4.3 Layout of the Saree

A saree's two dimensions are length, which may
range from two to nine yards, and height, which
may range from two to four feet. The length of a
Gadwal Saree is about 5m 30cm and the width is
about 48 inches. It weighs approximately 400-500
grams and a pure silk saree can weigh upto 600
grams.

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The fineness of the Sico yarn is measured as 120x120 mm (musrage). Cotton
sarees are measured according to the denier count system. A Gadwal Saree is of
80 counts cotton for warp and weft in the body, and 20/22 D filature silk is used
in the border and pallou .The blouse is also weaved on the other side of the
saree which is 32” in length.

Following is the important terminology in

reference to a Gadwal Saree:
Lower border: the edge touching the feet when
the saree is first tied.
Mundanai: the part of the saree, starting from the
pallav but significantly longer, that is thrown over
the upper body.
Mundi: a Tamil word meaning pallav, or border;
the mundi is the pallav at the other end of the
saree, less elaborate, where the colors of the body
and the borders usually mix. Draping often begins
with this pallav.

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 Fig.4.2 A Gadwal saree displaying the Pallav Dimensions & the lower border

Mundu: a smaller piece of cloth often used to cover the head or thrown over the
shoulder. This word usually translates as towel.
Pallav: the most decorated end-part, which is thrown over the shoulder.
Upper border: the highest border when the saree is first tied, generally used for
the knot in closings.

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4.4 Identification of Gadwal Sarees
KUTTU {a joining} at the border for any GADWAL saree, is one feature that
helps recognize it and also any GADWAL saree whether Cotton or Silk, always
has a Silk border. Gadwal Sarees face a lot of competition from similar looking
sarees like Kothakuta Sarees & Narayan Pet.

Apparently, it is also being noticed that weavers of other crafts do imitate

GADWAL sarees. They do heavy work on the sarees and sell them as Gadwal
Sarees. Duplicate Sarees of Gadwal Sarees are Chiralakonda and Urvakonda.
Only cotton and silk are used to make Gadwal sarees because that’s what’s in
demand in marriages and occasions. Polyester is used for making Gadwal
duplicates.

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4.5 Showcasing of Different Varieties of Gadwal
Sarees

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Fig.4.3 Gadwal Sicco Cotton Sarees with different motifs on the border & the pallav

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Fig.4.4 Gadwal Sarees in cotton body & silk zari border

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5.1 Basics of weaving

In general,
weaving involves the interlacing of two sets of threads at right angles to each
other: the warp and the weft. The warp threads are held taut and in parallel
order by means of a loom. The loom is warped (or dressed) with the warp
threads passing through heddles on two or more harnesses. The warp threads
are moved up or down by the harnesses creating a space called the shed. The
weft thread is wound onto spools called bobbins. The bobbins are placed in a
shuttle which carries the weft thread through the shed. The raising/lowering
sequence of warp threads gives rise to many possible weave structures from the
simplest plain weave (also called tabby,) through twills and satins to complex
computer-generated interlacings.

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5.2 Types of looms used to make Gadwal Sarees

JACQUARD LOOM

The Jacquard loom is a mechanical loom that simplifies the process of

manufacturing textiles with complex patterns such as brocade, damask, and
matelass. The loom is controlled
by punchcards with punched
holes, each row of which
corresponds to one row of the
design. Multiple rows of holes
are punched on each card and
the many cards that compose the
design of the textile are strung
together in order. It is based on
earlier inventions by the
Frenchmen Basile Bouchon
(1725), Jean Falcon (1728) and
Jacques Vaucanson (1740). Fig.5.1 Jacquard Looms at the Gadwal Cluster Programme

Principles of Operation
Each hole in the card corresponds to a
"Bolus" hook, which can either be up
or down. The hook raises or lowers

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Fig.5.2 A working Jacquard Loom with Punch Cards

the harness, which carries and guides the warp thread so that the weft will either
lie above or below it. The sequence of raised and lowered threads is what
creates the pattern. Each hook can be connected via the harness to a number of
threads, allowing more than one repeat of a pattern. A loom with a 400 hook
head might have four threads connected to each hook, resulting in a fabric that
is 1600 warp ends wide with four repeats of the weave going across.

Jacquard looms, whilst relatively

common in the textile industry, are
not as ubiquitous as dobby looms
which are usually faster and much
cheaper to operate. However unlike
jacquard looms they are not capable
of producing so many different
weaves from one warp.
The threading of a Jacquard loom is
so labour intensive that many looms
are threaded only once. Subsequent
warps are then tied in to the existing
warp with the help of a knotting robot
which ties each new thread on
individually. Even for a small loom
with only a few thousand warp ends the process of re-threading can take days.
Jacquard weaving makes possible in almost any loom the programmed
raising of each warp thread independently of the others. This brings much
greater versatility to the weaving process, and offers the highest level of warp
yarn control giving the fabric a good finish. This mechanism is probably one of
the most important weaving inventions as Jacquard shedding made possible the
automatic production of unlimited varieties of pattern weaving.
In former times, the heddles with warp ends to be pulled up were manually
selected by a second operator, apart from the weaver. This was known as a
drawloom. It was slow and labour intensive, with practical limitations on the
complexity of the pattern.
The jacquard loom was introduced in India under the British rule and soon
became the preferred choice of weavers as they could create complex
designs with much less labour. It also reduced the cost of cloth and brought
it within the reach of the lower classes. Today, the jacquard loom is used in

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various parts of India (the main centres are Delhi, Jaipur, Benaras, Kanchi,
Kolkata, Howrah and Baluchari, Gadwal, Hubli, and Mangalore) to produce
cloth for products like tapestry, upholstery, sarees, shawls, scarves and other
similar apparel.
DOBBY LOOM
A Dobby Loom is a type of floor loom that controls the whole warp threads
using a device called a dobby. Dobby is short for "draw boy" which refers to
the weaver's helpers who used to control the warp thread by pulling on draw
threads.

A dobby loom is an alternative to a treadle loom. Each of them is a floor

loom in which every warp thread on the loom is attached to a single shaft
using a device called a heddle.
A shaft is sometimes known as
a harness, but this terminology
is becoming obsolete among
active weavers. Each shaft
controls a set of threads.
Raising or lowering several
shafts at the same time gives a
huge variety of possible gaps or
'sheds' through which the
shuttle containing the weft
thread can be thrown.
A manual dobby uses a chain of bars or lags each of which has pegs inserted
to select the shafts to be moved. The selected
shafts are raised or lowered by either leg power
on a dobby pedal or electric or other power
sources.
On a treadle loom, each foot-operated treadle
is connected by a linkage called a tie-up to one
or more shafts. More than one treadle can
operate a single shaft. The tie-up consists of
cords or similar mechanical linkages tying the
treadles to the lams that actually lift or lower
the shaft. On treadle operated looms, the
number of sheds is limited by the number of

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treadles available. An eight shaft loom can create 254 different sheds. There
are actually 256 possibilities which are 2 to the eighth power, but having all
threads up or all threads down isn't very useful. However, most eight shaft
floor looms have only ten to twelve treadles due to space limitations. This
limits the weaver to ten to twelve distinct sheds. It is possible to use both feet
to get more sheds, but that is rarely done in practice. It is even possible to
change tie-ups in the middle of weaving a cloth but this is a tedious and
error-prone process, so this too is rarely done.
With a dobby loom, all 254 possibilities are available at any time. This
vastly increases the number of cloth designs available to the weaver. The
advantage of a dobby loom becomes even more pronounced on looms with
12 shafts (4094 possible sheds), 16 shafts (65,534 possible sheds), or more.
It reaches its peak on a Jacquard loom in which each thread is individually
controlled.
Another advantage to a dobby loom is the ability to handle much longer
sequences in the pattern. A weaver working on a treadled loom must
remember the entire sequence of treadlings that make up the pattern, and
must keep track of where they are in the sequence at all times. Getting lost or
making a mistake can ruin the cloth being woven. On a manual dobby the
sequence that makes up the pattern is represented by the chain of dobby bars.
The length of the sequence is limited by the length of the dobby chain. This
can easily be several hundred dobby bars, although an average dobby chain
will have approximately fifty bars.
Dobby looms expand a weaver’s capabilities and remove some of the tedious
work involved in designing and producing fabric. Many newer cloth design
techniques such as network drafting can only reach their full potential on a
dobby loom.
Historical Note: Dobby looms first appeared around 1843 -- roughly forty
years after M. Jacquard invented the Jacquard device that that can be
mounted atop a loom to lift the individual heddles and warp threads.

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5.3 Tools used in weaving Gadwal sarees

A Jacquard handloom normally uses the following tools:

Jacquard Machine Fitted

Loom: This is the main tool
for jacquard weaving. Many
of these looms are actually
older handlooms converted
into jacquard looms by fitting
a jacquard machine atop the
older loom.

Taana (or Warp) Machine: This

machine is used for preparing the
warp roll. It contains a big, hollow
wooden frame that is octagonal and
cylindrical in shape, with a vertical
wooden frame that contains the rolls
of the thread used to make the warp.
This machine, like the loom, is
worked by hand.

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 Charkha: There are two types of
charkhas. One is the older model,
which is smaller and looks very
similar to the one used by
Mahatma Gandhi for spinning
khadi. The other is a metallic one,
is much larger and has twice the
capacity of the wooden charkha.

Shuttles: These are smaller

wooden blocks that are
pointed on both sides. They
are hollow from within and
contain the roll of the thread
that is used for the weft or
taana. They travel between the
threads of the warp with the
pull of the strings attached
with the frame of the loom.
This provides a catapult effect,
which makes it shuttle across
the warp on the sill of the
frame, across the warp threads.
They get their name from this
process.
Thus, a shuttle is a tool designed to neatly and compactly store weft yarn while
weaving. Shuttles are thrown or passed back and forth through the shed,
between the yarn threads of the warp in order to weave in the weft. In local
language it is called, ‘Ladakomalu’. Previously it was made from the horns of
bull.
The simplest shuttles, known as "stick
shuttles", are made from a flat, narrow
piece of wood with notches on the
ends to hold the weft yarn. More
complicated shuttles incorporate pins.

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Shuttles are often made of wood from the Flowering Dogwood, because it is so
hard, resists splintering, and can be polished to a very smooth finish.

The Loom Parts are briefly illustrated here in the following figure:
1.Tension Arm 2.Warp Beam 3.Harnesses 4.Beater and Reed 5.Shift Handle
6.Doublebox Flyshuttle 7.Bench 8.Basket of Bobbins 9.Treadles 10.Cloth
Advance 11.Cloth Storage Weight 12.Harnesses 13.Dobby Arm 14.Dobby
Box and Fingers 15.Dobby Chain of Bars and Pegs 16.Cloth Storage Roller
17.Harness Cables 18.Warp Threads 19.Woven Cloth

Fig.5.3 A Jacquard loom indicating various parts of its structure

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5.4 Preparation of the loom

Making Rolls: Reeling is done

using a charkha machine. This is
normally done by the women of the
household. The threads are put in
the form of a roll, or gitta, as it is
locally called. The charkha that is
used may be a big, metallic one or
the small wooden one.

Making the Warp: The warp or

taana machine is used for this
process. It is used to prepare the warp
by rolling the threads on a wooden
log in a particular sequence of colors
depending on the design. This
machine consists of two parts: one is
a hollow octagonal wooden frame on
which the threads are wrapped before

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 being wound around the warp roll; and the other is a big wooden vertical
frame on which the rolls of threads of different colors are put from where
they can be attached to the octagonal frame. This is a hand-driven
machine and it provides the basic requirement for the loom, the warp roll.
Normally, threads of three or four colors are used for preparing the taana
or warp, depending on the design
desired.
Choosing of yarns: To make a
Gadwal saree, we need to have
cotton as well as silk yarn & the
zari. Thus, to move forward to the
process of weaving, it should be
taken care of that which color yarn
should be used as cotton & which
one for silk.

Setting up the loom: Since setting up the loom is so time consuming, enough
warp is put on to make 5 sarees in a roll. It’s figured out how many warp
threads are needed, and then spools are wound accordingly. Groups of threads
are tied on to the rod in the
front of the loom. They
must be tied evenly and
tight.

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 Fig.5.4 A weaver setting up the loom & the jacquard loom from a close view

5.5 Making fabric in General

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This is the most important and
complicated part of the whole
process. The design is plotted on
graph paper by plotters according to
the dimensions desired. It is called a
drawdown. The upper part shows
the threading of the warp. The right
side shows the sequence in which
the harnesses will be raised. Each
black square is where a peg will be
inserted on a bar on the dobby
chain. Each black square also
represents a unit of four threads on
both the top and the right. The
squares in the centre therefore
represent eight threads. This
structure is called polychrome
summer and winter weave.
The plotted designs are taken to a
technician who punches them on
cardboards in the required sequence.
These cards, linked in a chain as per
the design, are then used by the
jacquard machine to provide the
exact sequence of the different
colors of the threads that are
required for the design. The
jacquard machine (which runs by a
weaver moving a pedal) has a
rectangular block on which the
chain of punch cards runs.
This device is called the dobby
chain. It works much like a
player piano. Each wooden bar
has pegs inserted to control the
lifting of the harnesses.
These cards have different
patterns of holes. When the block
is struck against a set of needles,
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At left, the weaver steps on the treadle which is attached to a cable which pulls
the dobby arm down. The pegs on the dobby bar press into wooden fingers
which are attached to the harnesses by cables. At right, the corresponding
harnesses lift, creating an opening in the warp. This is called the shed. With the
shed open, the shift handle is pulled to send the shuttle across. It comes out on
the other side, and goes into the left shuttlebox. The use of shift handle to send
the shuttle across is not much common in Gadwal, but in places like Rajoli this
technique is used widely, as it is less time consuming.

The beater is pulled towards the weaver to push the weft into place. The weaver
steps on the treadle again & advances the dobby chain to the next bar of pegs.
A new set of harnesses rises, and the weaver sends the second shuttle across. In
this way, the warp and weft threads interlock to produce fabric. Thus, when the
weaver has woven enough fabric for a saree, it can be removed from the loom
without affecting the rest of the warp.

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Fig.5.4 Thematic Representation of Jacquard Loom Weaving

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5.6 Preparing the loom to
weave a Gadwal Saree
Earlier weaving was done with Gondalu
which was used to set the designs & 3
people worked just on a saree pallav, which
was a difficult and time consuming task.
Also, at that time a footer wasn’t used &
everything was done with hand.
But since past 10 years, people are using the
method of Jacquard weaving with only 1-2
weavers working on each saree which has
made weaving, comparatively easy & less
time consuming. The finished products are
of good quality& have improved neatness.
There are 2 jacquard machines at the top of the loom. One of them is used to do
the motifs of the border & the other one does the motifs of the body of the
saree. For the border design, weaving is done by dobby (Tappet), whereas for
the body of the saree design Attals are used. The master weaver decides what
weave has to be done. Accordingly the weaver does his job. The weaving is
done with the wrong side on the top. The
designers come & decide the design; they
feed the designs in computerized
programmes & get a CAD printout which is
then pasted on one side of the loom. The
number of warp yarns set on the loom is:
1680 yarns for body of a cotton saree, 2200
yarns for a seco saree & 1800 yarns for the
border. The Jacquard loom has pins ranging
from 120,172,240 to 480. For the Dobby
loom there are 48 kolalu, 98 kolalu.

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 In Jacquard a border looks beautiful. Even then dobby is preferred over
jacquard as it makes the border lighter and more comfortable compared to the
heavy jacquard.
The looms are set by the technicians. This is done in the initial stage of
launching the loom by the servicemen sent by the loom manufacturing
company. People are there to maintain the looms regularly. They learn their
tasks at the initial set up of the looms. To set the loom for weaving, around 7-8
days are required.
The yarns are supported by the nylon extensions attached to a Jaali. Firstly, the
warp yarns of the saree are attached to the nylon extensions. 170 pins are jetted
according to the design & then on to them the threads which are to be used in
weaving the saree are set. Afterwards, the Tappet is set to weave the design of
the border. At a stretch, 5 sarees are weaved continuing the same threads that
are set up.
Then the Reed (RachuBandliya) is set by all threads. Rachu is not prepared by
the loom company &the threads are set by the weavers. It is there to set the
weave which is desired by the weaver. There are 4 sets of blades in a reed. We
can either work with 2 blades or 4 blades & accordingly play with the design of
the weave we desire. This Rachu is controlled by a footer which is there in the
pit. There is a right foot & a left foot. They are selected according to the design
of the weave. With the help of the Rachu, the design for border also gets
changed.
Thereafter, the Jhaalar is set where the
main body of the loom is made up &
each thread is individually drawn to
make the design. Here, Donnigga is
done first on which threads of the body
of the saree are set. Then the threads to
be used on the border are set which
carry weight at the extension.

Fig.5.5 The Jhaalar which helps in the making of

the border of Gadwal Sarees

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5.7 Making the Gadwal Saree
The first step to weave a Gadwal Saree involves making of yarn rolls. For this
purpose people are appointed to do the job of spinning the fibre into yarn by
using the age-old method of Charkha. The yarn so formed is then rolled on to
bobbins with the help of a wooden frame which is normally done by the
womenfolk of the house by spinning the wooden frame in between the toes of
their foot. This is usually used for silk yarns.

For each saree to be weaved the pallav is done first & then it is followed by the
body of the saree. The design to be made on the border is engraved on a chain
of wooden logs which is set up at the side of one of the jacquard machines. The
design continuously changes with the weaving of each line. Thus, the chain of
the wooden logs changes when the weaver comes to the next line to weave of
the fabric.
The place where the border meets the body of the saree is called kachchu. The
main body of the saree is weaved on a Hatha which weaves the weft yarn into

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the warp yarn. This is followed by changing the footer side by side to move to
the next line to be weaved of the border. One of the Ladakomulu (shuttle) is
used to insert the yarn to be weaved on the border. This yarn forms the part of
the border background which is usually done with silk thread. The other
Ladakomulu goes into the main body of the fabric as the weft yarn. The Hatha
has to be continuously pulled back & forth while weaving but to come to the
next line, when the Hatha is pulled towards the weaver, then only footer is
pressed before the Hatha is released back. Thus, the design to be weaved gets
changed simultaneously for each line.
The Weaving Process
The first step in weaving is to stretch the warp, or longitudinal, yarns, which
must be very strong. The weft, woof, or filling crosses the warp, binding the
warp threads at either side to form the selvage. The saree is woven on a loom, a
device for holding the warp threads in place while the filling threads are woven
through them. In general, weaving involves the interlacing of two sets of
threads at right angles to each other: the warp and the weft. The warps are held
taut and in parallel order, typically by means of a loom, though some forms of
weaving may use other methods. The loom is warped (or dressed) with the warp
threads passing through heddles on two or more harnesses (Reeds).The three
essential steps after the warp is stretched are:
Shedding, or raising every alternate
warp yarn or set of yarns to receive the
weft. The warp threads are moved up
or down by the harnesses creating a
space called the shed;

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Picking, or inserting the weft. The weft thread is wound onto spools called
bobbins. The bobbins are placed in a shuttle
(LADAKOMULU) which carries the weft
thread through the shed; and

Battening, or pressing home the weft to make the fabric compact. Both warp
and weft can be visible in the final product.
There a few differences in the weaving of Gadwal Sarees at places other than
Gadwal. Not much difference in the weave occurs but the way & techniques
slightly differ. For ex. at Rajoli, the shuttle inserts the weft thread into the shed
automatically with the help of a releaser. This makes the tasks easy & less time
consuming with just a pull of a knob by hand.

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Fig.5.6 A loom with the automatic shutter releaser knob at Rajoli

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6.1 Dyeing of yarns
Usually, the yarn given by the master weaver is already dyed; sized and warped
(this is prepared in Chirala and Venkatagiri). Sometimes, the silk dyeing –
border and pallu of the Gadwal saree – has to be done by weavers themselves.
They prepare the dye themselves & then they go for color dyeing of yarns.
More often, it is pre-prepared, and only the weaving has to be done by the
weaver.

INSTRUMENTS USED FOR DYEING

Dyes mostly used are chemical dyes. For the process of dyeing, the main
implements needed are dyes, a tub in which the process is carried out, and
bamboo poles and strings for drying.
THE PROCESS
Since the number of products manufactured using jacquard weaving is large,
there exist slight differences in the process as per product specifications. The
basic process followed is explained in brief here:
Procurement of Thread:
Jacquard weavers purchase thread from dealers on a
wholesale basis. There are two types of threads used.
The first is the one used for the warp (taana), the
lengthwise threads attached to a loom before
weaving begins, and the other is for the weft
(baana), the yarn that is shuttled back and forth
across the warp to create a fabric. The width of weft
is of 48 inches (122 cm). The warp normally runs
into around 100 m, divided into two portions of 50-
51 m each. For the warp, 2/40 cotton threads are
used, and for weft 2/10. These threads are purchased

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in the form of bundles. For weaving 100 m of cloth, four bundles of thread are
required for the warp and six for the weft. The thread, which is the main raw
material for the process, is readily available in the market and is supplied to
loom owners at a wholesale rate.

Dyeing of the Thread:

Four types of dyes are used normally, for colouring threads. These are, procion
dye (which fades easily and therefore is used in cheaper clothes), direct dye, vat
dye (which is a more or less permanent dye) and napthol or reactive dye (which
is used for red, maroon and orange colors).
The bundles of thread are first opened and then tied
in the middle so that they do not tangle during
dyeing. Water is heated in tubs 5×4×4 feet big, in
which the dyes are added. The threads are then
soaked into these dyes, giving time for the dye to
color the thread. After this, the bundles are taken
out and are dried in the shade.
Pure silk is first boiled in caustic soda. To this, 100
gms of silk, 25 gms of caustic soda, 10 gms of
colour are added & boiled at 100oC. Then the dyed
threads are dipped into cold water and dried. 5
sarees can be made
out of each roll.

Fig.6.1 Two people dyeing the silk yarns in a hot tub of chemical dyes

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6.2 Post weaving Finishings & care
Since the zari weaved leaves some extensions all over the design, so to give a
finished look on the front side they are chopped off with a blade. The saree so
weaved is rolled & is packed on one side of the loom, unless & until the whole
weave is finished of 5 sarees approx. Thereafter each saree is separated from
the roll & is sent forward for wash care purposes.

Fig.6.2 A weaver finishing the zari border by chopping the extra zari threads on the saree left after weaving.

A gum, usually fevicol, is used once the saree is prepared on the border to give
stiffness to the border which is removed in a later stage. Earlier this gum used
to be called Jigroo. This step is done by the weavers by spreading sarees on
frame looms, which holds the saree very tightly. They also apply wax or starch
such that the saree is prevented from moisture absorption.
After, ironing & cleaning of dust if any, the saree is sent to master weavers to
get it sold.

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Fig.6.3 The finished saree spread on a wooden frame for starching & waxing

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7.1 Raw Materials & their sources
The fabric of the silk borders is
composed of tussar or mulberry
silk. The cotton-body these days
have resplendent shades,
embellished often with silk
checks. This fabulous mix of silk
and cotton makes for the recent
trend of sico sarees, 50% cotton
and 50% silk. Here silk is mixed
with a fibre called musrage
which is added to give stiffness to the fabric. Gadwals woven from pure silk is
there, but not as popular as the Sico. They are the sarees of expensive range.
Gadwal saree is made in cotton in a style influenced by the Benarasi weaves.
While the ground of the saree is cotton, there is a loosely attached silk Copper
or gold-dipped zari is generally used in these sarees. For each saree 120 grams
of zari is used for the weaving of its border. Also, zari used in half of the saree
is silk zari, for the rest of the motifs on the border, cotton is used because to
avoid allergies & itchings when half of the saree is tucked in touching the skin.
To make a pure Chinese silk saree it takes 15 days with pure patu zari. Chinese
tussar silk is of 33-37 deniers, price ranging at Rs. 2000/kg. Original zari
contains 42% silver+2% gold [500/-]. Pure zari is of 16-18 denier . Duplicate
zari’s composition is silk fast [0%] silver and [0%] gold [50/-]. The silver wire
has 52% of silver and the rest is copper. 4gms of gold is used to coat 1 kg of
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zari. It’s obtained in reels of 60 gms costing Rs.800. The chemical dyes used
for dyeing yarns are also sourced from Bengaluru. Degummed mulberry silk is
used over which flat thread is drawn and twisted. This then electroplates using
gold.
The Cotton used for making Gadwal Sarees is of 80s count both weft and warp,
which is sourced from Chirala, Vijaywada, & Guntur. The Silk used in here is
of 18-20 denier which is sourced from Bangalore {mulberry silk}. It costs
around Rs. 2000-2500/kg.
Bangalore silk yarn is famous for its fine weaving, even though there are more
looms in Andhra Pradesh so a lot of people purchase from there. The silk used
for the making of Gadwal sarees, is from Bengaluru, while the real Zari, gold
and silver thread which are interleaved into the base-material to give an ornate
look, is brought from Surat.

Fig.7.1 The raw silk yarn which is put up for dyeing purposes

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7.2 Designs & Motifs
The Gadwal sarees get their rich looks from lavish designs in their pallavs. The
richly brocaded sarees were woven in silk with contrasting pallov and border
carrying distinctive patterns, influenced by the tradition of stone and wood
carvings of that area.
The master weavers will tell the weavers about the colour, design & motif to be
used according to the prevailing tastes & preferences in the market. For this
purpose he hires designers who can work on computer aided designs to give
them a practical approach.
The Hamsa, the mythical swan, combined with carvings tendrils is an important
border pattern. Youli, the stylized Lion, the double headed eagle, are the other
important motifs used on the pallav. Paisleys, parrot & peacock motifs are also
used widely. The field of the saree is segued into the border in a fray-edged,
triangular pattern. Intricate geometric patterns are frequently found. The body
of sarees is sometimes adorned with self stripes or zari buttis (tiny motifs). The
motifs don’t change much unless & until there is a heavy border in the saree.

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The most distinctive style of the Gadwal sarees is, however, a combination of
cotton and silk. Often the cotton body is woven in small checks with a rich silk
and gold border and pallou. It can be used both as daily use and which silk
sarees can be used for wedding and party wear.
The recent development in Gadwal Sarees has brought some interesting and
new designs. The Sico Saree (50% cotton and 50 % silk) is of recent origin
which is of great demand these days.
Motifs of Gadwal sarees are mainly inspired by the engravings & architectural
structures of the fort & the temple in Gadwal.:

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Following are the motifs used in the pallavs & sometimes in the body of a
heavy work saree:

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The designs & motifs at the border
mainly use temple motifs. But
nowadays, some contemporary
designs are also seen in the borders, as
shown below:

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Following are the motifs that are referred to from the “Textile Arts of India” by
the designers of Gadwal Saree while creating the actual motifs for the saree:

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`1
7.3 Colors
Gadwal sarees favour traditional colours. Popular colors include earth shades
like browns, greys and off-whites. Brighter shades like red, blue, violet,
yellow, parrot-green, pink and beige have also been introduced to lure the North
Indian buyer. Copper or gold dipped zari adorns the pallav and border.
The Gadwal pattus are heavy, smooth and soft, and come only in double
weaving. The color combinations here are unconventional and very traditionally
Andhra.

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Fig.7.2 The Color cards which are referred while dyeing yarns according to the prevelant trends.

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 8.1 Socio Economic Conditions
Apart from weaving, weavers hardly engage in any other activity like farming
or agriculture.
Most of them occupy themselves making adjustments during the off season.
But in places like Rajoli etc. people do take up the job of weaving towels,
lungis, bedsheets etc.

Fig.8.1 A woman weaving Rajoli Towels at the Handloom Center in rajoli

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8.2 Traditions and customs
One of the most important traditions involving the Gadwal saree started when
Nala Soma Nadari ruled Gadwal. The King’s family sent a saree {double the
width of a normal saree} to the TIRUPATI GODDESS every year before
NAVARATRI. This tradition still continues.
When this saree is made, weavers are not allowed to eat non vegetarian food.
They have to bath every day before they start the day’s weaving.
Women are prohibited from weaving this saree or be anywhere around it.
Eventually, a 12 gajam saree is made and offered 2 Lord Venketeswara
[Tirupati].

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 Fig.8.2 Gadwal Sarees being offered at the temple of Tirupati

8.3 Working Conditions

There are around 400 weavers in Gadwal weaving Gadwal Sarees. Each saree is
worked by 2 weavers. It normally takes a week time to weave a single saree
with 6-7 hours of working per day. The time taken for a heavy/broad border is
comparatively more, around 10-15 days. Thus, in a month the weavers are able
to weave 3 sarees.

This handloom industry is

decentralized & it is largely
household-based. While
weaving sheds do exist
occasionally, more widespread
is the weaver weaving at home,
drawing on the labour of all the
family members. In each stage
of the production process,
whether it is pre-loom
processing, weaving or finishing
– every member of the
household has a clear role to play. Men & women both weave Gadwal sarees,
main work being done by men, & women & children help them in
weaving.Weavers work whenever they wish, as looms are provided at their
homes. They are paid according to the number of sarees they weave.Most of the
houses have 2 to 3 looms. Typically, if one is a frame loom belonging to the co-
operative society, the others are pit looms belonging to the master weaver. On

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the frame loom,bed sheets, lungis, towels, etc are woven, only when yarn is
provided by the Co-operative. A person from the concerned department in the
Society usually sets up the design frames for these products. Invariably there is
a break of two to three weeks in work. Even the little work/yarn there is, is
apparently rotated among all the members.

The majority have large families of between 5-7 members. Entire families work
on weaving, with women involved not only in pre-loom processes, but also in
weaving. One or two combine tailoring with weaving. In most families, the
sons are working on looms.

Though the wages are slightly higher for

Gadwal sarees under the master weaver,
there are other problems; the master
weaver will reject it outright if there is any
flaw in weaving, and cut 30% from the
wages of the weaver. Almost none of them
own the pit looms at their homes.
Typically, they seem to have entered into a
loan/debt trap with the master weaver. The
weaver then takes on looms on rent for the
master weaver and weaves for him for a
wage. Though no interest is charged on the
loan, wages are cut regularly because of
the pending loans.

While such weavers constitue the majority,

there are also a few independent weavers,
who combine working for the co-operative
with independent production. This is not
very common because of the capital it
would require, but there are a few who own pit looms and are producing and
selling on their own. Here, the yarn is procured independently and the sarees
woven. Sales take place in one of two ways: whenever the demand is good,
agents usually come around asking for sarees from time to time or the weaver
himself takes the sarees to the trader/master weaver and sells it off.

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8.4 Wages, Sales &
Marketing
The ravishing outlook of Gadwal sarees,
has immense popularity .Thus people from
all over India, and buyers, from foreign
countries, harbour a tremendous
fascination for Gadwal sarees. They have a
special recognition among all sarees. Many
people visit Gadwal to buy these sarees
only. The saree business is now at its peak.
A.P. State Handloom Weavers' Co-
operative society Ltd. (APSHWCS),
popularly called as APCO, purchases these
woven sarees. Hyderabad, Vijayawada,
Vizag, & many more places have special
showrooms for Gadwal sarees. Gadwal
sarees are also exported to different
countries of the world. While the weavers face a dismal situation for their
livelihood, there is a large market for these sarees both domestically and
internationally.

Wages: In Gadwal, there is a separate area for making Gadwal sarees. Most of
the sarees are made in weavers’ home and also sold there. The amount received
by the weaver varies with the kind of yarn used and amount of work. For a
cotton 80s count saree, which takes 5 days to weave, they are paid Rs. 400 per
piece which has a small border. For sarees with bigger borders, they are paid

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Rs.600. For a Gadwal saree (woven on a belu maggam) the weaver is paid Rs.
460 per piece (they say it is sold for Rs 1410); for intricate jacquard design
sarees which takes 8 days to weave (Sico), they earn Rs. 800-900 per piece
(again, it is sold for Rs.2600). For sarees made from pure silk, the wages lie
between Rs.1000-Rs.1200.
Price Range: Gadwal Sarees has a price range of Rs. 750 to Rs. 10,000 overall
in Gadwal which is 40% lower-than-market price. The cotton sarees are priced
between Rs. 750 and Rs. 2,000. As the weave count gets higher, they cost more.
A single weave saree (80 counts), with a small border, costs Rs.800-Rs. 986.
This is because of the transportation & middlemen costs. Bigger borders cost
more (Rs. 1,200 - Rs. 2,000). Sarees of above Rs.1000 will have more amounts
of zari & silk. Tasar silk field sarees come in the Rs. 2,000 - Rs. 3,000 range.
Sico goes up to Rs. 4,000, and pure silks are the costliest, between Rs. 3,000
and Rs. 10,000.
The Gadwal pattus are heavy, smooth and soft, and come only in double
weaving. The color combinations here are unconventional and very traditionally
Andhra. For e. g., a purple silk field with a double color beige/purple border for
Rs. 4,486. Pure pattu langas are also available with zari work, Rs. 1,500
onwards.
Sales: Gadwal jacquard butta saree is generally in average demand but
experiences heavy sales in the marriage season. From Gadwal, whole sale
dealers come directly to the loom places and give the best value for the work.

Bangalore, Mysore, Hyderabad, Chennai Mumbai, Benaras and Kolkatta are the
main marketing places. Gadwal Silk sarees are being exported to other
countries from Bombay and Chennai. Hand loom house co-opted and APCO
societies are famous in selling Gadwal hand woven sarees.

Government helps workers by the granting loans and allotting permanent

shelters. Handloom Silk is smooth and light cloth. More demand for good cloth
is increasing and there is an increasing opportunity for more sales.

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8.5 A Word from the Newspaper

Online edition of India's National Newspaper

Tuesday, Dec 21, 2004
KURNOOL, DEC. 20. Poor marketing facilities have hit the Gadwal saree
weavers in Kurnool district. The master weavers, a euphemism for middlemen,
have controlled the market.
About 20,000 families in Kodumur area are involved in production of 30,000
Gadwal sarees per month in Kurnool district. The looms involved in production
of Gadwal saree, which number 10,000, are spread in Kodumur,
Mudumalakurthi, Gudur, Yemmiganur, Gudekal, Nandavaram, Gonegandla,
Kosigi, Adoni, Kallur and Mandlem.
Two types of production arrangements are in vogue in Kodumur where the
master weaver supplies the raw material and the weaver is paid the labour
charges for weaving the saree. On the other hand, some of the weavers procure
the raw material on their own and sell the finished product to the master
weavers. The weavers get an additional profit of Rs 100 per saree if they invest
in the raw materials.
Excess charges

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However, the weavers say that the master weavers charge excess amount for the
raw materials like cotton yarn, silk yarn and jerry. The wages for weaving a
saree range from Rs 250 to 800.
Usually, simple Gadwal saree takes one week while Kalanjali sarees take 25
days, which involve lot of manual weaving.
Weavers have been protesting the use of synthetic jerry, which is known as
tested jerry. While the original jerry costs Rs 1800 for four spindles, which is
sufficient for producing five sarees, the synthetic jerry costs only Rs 200. The
weavers say that use of tested jerry might help in producing the low cost sarees
but in the long run, it would ruin the brand name of Gadwal saree.
Similarly, the weavers are worried about use of synthetic silk, which is
available at Rs 200 per kilo while the cost of quality silk is Rs 1400.
The district secretary of Handloom Workers Union, J.N. Seshaiah, says the only
way to protect the Gadwal saree and its weavers is starting handloom purchase
centres and offering the fabrics to consumers at no-loss or no profit rates.
He said their association was also planning to open some centres to protect the
weavers from middlemen.

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8.6 Intellectual Property Protection – Major
Achievements in 2008
Intellectual property (IP) is a number of distinct types of legal monopolies
over creations of the mind, both artistic and commercial, and the corresponding
fields of law. Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain
exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and
artistic works; ideas, discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols,
and designs. Common types of intellectual property include copyrights,
trademarks, patents, industrial design rights and trade secrets in some
jurisdictions.
Geographical Indication applications for Gadwal Sarees have been filed with
support of Dept. of Handlooms & Textiles (Govt. of A.P.), A.P. Handicrafts
Development Corporation (APHDC), Textile Committee (Govt. of A.P.) &
NABARD.

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`1
9.1 Economics of Gadwal handloom weaving

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Based on fieldwork, the problems and prospects of the Gadwal handloom
sector in Andhra Pradesh can be discussed as follows: One major finding is
that there has been growth in the number of weavers, middle men and
independent weavers. Well-performing cooperatives are the best safeguard
for the handloom. Performance of cooperatives determines the growth of
other institutions – the master sector, as they protect the weaver and also
provide a counterbalance to the master weaver. Competition from power
looms is an obvious threat, but this can be countered if the sector produces
high value, unique (brand value) products or medium value products which
can be marketed locally or abroad, as distinct from power loom products.
COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES
Handloom weavers, being economically & socially backward, are exploited by
their employers, usually the master weavers. The Handloom Weavers’
Cooperative Societies were started to end this exploitation of poor & illiterate
weavers by their employers. The societies are functioning more as marketing
agencies, by arranging for the sale of handloom cloth goods produced by the
weavers to the apex society, except for the society at Rajoli, which have
production centres of their own. It is one of the important objectives of the
societies to buy yarn & other raw materials required by the members & advance
the same to the members for conversion into finished goods.
The affluent master weavers do not lean so much on societies & the contract
weavers depend on the master weavers & the traders which with they have
entered into contract.
The contract weavers get the required material & cash towards wages from the
master weavers, in return for which they have to weave the cloth & sell the
same to their contractors at a pre-fixed price. They are usually left with only a
wage margin & now & then a mark up of 2-3 %. It is these contract weavers,
who are an exploited lot & the societies have to come to their rescue.
Another important objective of the society is to purchase the woven cloth from
the members, as & when they produce, & sell them to apex society & through
their own sales outlets at a profit. The finished goods are bought on credit by
the society from its members & they make their payments only once the goods
are sold which usually takes 3 to 4 months. These societies also provide its
members with finance related to fixed as well as working capital.
The main objective of these societies still remains in the provision of
employment to the member weavers continuously by creating demand for their
product, by changing designs etc. & providing weavers with high wage rates.
At present master weavers provide continuous employment to his labourers &

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cash advances not only towards wages but also to meet their personal & social
needs. The master weavers give loans to them which do not carry any interest &
security free.
In Gadwal also, groups of people have united to form the societies of weavers
working together. There are 3 main societies presently in Gadwal:
• Priyadarshini Sagar Society, Mahila Sangam
• RajaRajeshwari Sangam
• Chenatta Shahkar Sangam
There is also a new society
coming up which has 20
weavers under their cluster
training programme. There are
400 looms in whole of
Gadwal which are used to
weave Gadwal Sarees. The
cluster programme runs for 15
days giving training to the
weavers under the government
regulations. The weavers here
get 75 Rs/day. The
programme is run through the
funds that are availed to these
societies for Gadwal saree handlooms. Government also sends 1 person from
time to time who gives the training under this programme. Trainees report at 8
a.m. and leave at 6 p.m. There are 10 looms and 2 persons work on each loom.
The lone society falling in the range of 50 to 75 percent coverage looms in
HWCS, Rajoli, is one of the best societies in the district. The society is able to
provide employment directly to 350 weavers. It has a production centre with 59
frame looms installed & has diversified production. The societies particularly in
Rajoli give continuous bonus to their members as a percentage of wages earned
by them. It also has introduced the thrift-fund accumulation to encourage saving
habit among the weavers.
Another objective of these societies is to provide housing facilities to the
weavers as most of their houses are in dilapidated state & half of their house is

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covered by the loom. NABARD, DCCB, APCOB & other state banks are
providing credits to the weavers at interest rates as low as 6%p.a.
Frequently-held handloom exhibitions provide quick liquidity, exposure and
bring in an element of market-savvies. They want people, particularly the
younger generation to gain a little more insight into the working of a weaver so
as to appreciate his craft, the painstaking effort that goes into that "warp-and-
weft magic".

9.2 Aids Availed, Weaver Developments & Future

Projects
With the help of the cooperative societies & the central & the state government,
the handloom industry of Gadwal Sarees has been availed with quite a lot of
aids:
i. Health camps and counselling centres have been organised to help the
weavers. They have been issued health cards by ICICI Bank. The State

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 government had suggested distribution of rice, ration cards and old-age
pension.
ii. An apparel design centre has been opened there to train women in
weaving the sarees. Leaders of several political parties such as the
Congress(I), the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Communist Party of India,
the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Telugu Desam Party (NTR)
and the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Janashakthi also
visited the town.
iii. The duty removal has reduced production cost of a handloom saree,
which has in turn brought down the burden of investment on weavers.
The consumer also stands to gain since the sale price has come down.
Sales have almost doubled. Weavers lay stress on weaving demonstration
and making of documentaries to inform the younger generation about the
intricacies of weaving, at every exhibition.
iv. Government gives loan to the weavers to buy raw materials, at interest
rates as low as 25paise/month.
v. SANGAM, a NGO, once donated spare parts of various machines to the
weavers.
vi. LIC Policies have been issued & are successfully being preferred by
weavers on payment of Rs.100 by weavers, any loss is reimbursed by Rs.
80,000.
vii. Researchers, technicians & developers are working continuously to
upgrade the handloom industry of Gadwal Sarees. They are working hard
to do their best to remove all the difficulties that are prevailing in
weaving Gadwal sarees. At the time, a new method of weaving is coming
up which will be probably used in the future to ease out the weaving.
This method is called the Air Jet Weaving where the filling yarn is
inserted into the warp thread using compressed air. This looms will
combine high performance with low-manufacturing requirements. They
have high filling-insertion rate. Operations will become simple & hazards
will be removed because of few moving parts. Also, the space
requirements will be reduced. In this system, one cylinder will be there
which will attach 3 machines. Thus, here with just a touch of feather, the
fabric will get weaved. The tasks will become very simplified.
viii.After learning the craft at the cluster development programme in Gadwal,
trainees are taken to Kanchipuram where they are introduced to advanced

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 mechanism and development in the loom. But it is said that its cost is too
high, somewhere around Rs.70000-Rs.80000.
ix. Weavers also go for training in good colleges nearby. On completion of
training they are given employment by the government with a pay of
Rs.20, 000. But very few weavers go for training. Some weavers go for
exhibitions/fairs [if they are qualified], all over INDIA.

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9.3 Problems & Difficulties
Still, there are many advocates of handloom for reasons including ideology,
philosophy, sheer love for handloom products and economic arguments.
However, irrespective of the policies, projects and aspirations arising out of
various quarters, the handloom sector is undergoing changes that are impacting
the livelihoods of handloom weavers. Gadwal sarees have their own charm but
still every manufacturing unit does have its pros & cons. Some of the
difficulties being faced by this small scale industry are as listed below:
i. Power looms are not preferred for weaving Gadwal sarees because their
application is not suitable for weaving these sarees. It is because of the
reason that the yarn needs to be continued to the next row of the fabric, &
same is the case with the yarn of the border which is interlaced with the
border. Advances in India's textile technology have made sarees more
affordable and easy to maintain for working women. Synthetic sarees
made in powerful industrial mills are attractively priced and don't need
heavy ironing or care. The flip side is that this has endangered the
livelihood of village craftspeople who can take many months on a loom
to produce a single saree.
ii. Interestingly enough, just as there are fakes in art and jewellery, there are
fakes in sarees. Today it's easy to be taken for a ride because technology
has improved so much. Here, Gadwal sarees with artificial gold look
identical to those with real gold threads are produced, the difference in
price being a hefty Rs. 10,000 at least.
iii. It even might be a situation sometimes that there may occur a mistake or
damage while weaving the saree. For this, the weaver bears the loss &
sells the saree on discount.
iv. There are particular seasons & occasions only when women buy Gadwal
sarees as they prefer to wear these sarees especially on marriages &
festivals only. Therefore, for the left over year weavers find it difficult to
sell them off. Here, October to April is a good season for marriages so
the sales are at its peak. During the Ashad or the Mal season, women folk
don’t prefer to buy these sarees as there are no marriages happening in
this season. Thus, Gadwal sarees are very preferred for marriage
purposes.

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v. Astonishingly, wages of the workers have been constant for over 10
years. The reason being if wages increase so would the number of
weavers. Though it employs a massive number of rural people, the
handloom sector is considered a sunset industry. While some of the
sector's troubles come from the relentless march of mechanisation,
modernisation and sophistication, there's more to the troubled weavers'
plight. Weavers toil for most of their waking hours to weave the rich
tapestry of clothes and fabric that delight consumers across the world.
Yet, their earnings per month do not exceed Rs 1,000. This is also the
family income, as all family members chip in. Children do not have any
scope for educating themselves, especially the girl child, who has to help
in house chores and livelihood also.
vi. Weaving with pure silk
is difficult. People get
back aches, knee pains
etc. on working with it
for longer periods.
There are people with
old-age working to their
livelihood by doing
minute works like
winding of bobbin
threads etc. which help
them earn only Rs. 1.25
for some 25 bobbins
being done. Their labour takes them their whole day for just getting done
those 25 bobbins, & they just earn that little amount of money straining
their eyes & body. Since they have poor financial status & not in a state
of good health to procure weaving job, they are forced to do these side
jobs.
vii. The plight of handloom weavers is attributed mainly to the non-receipt of
payment for cloth they sold to the Andhra Pradesh Handloom Weavers
Cooperative Society (APCO). None of the Cooperative societies provide
medical facilities to their member weavers. The weavers are generally
weak in their constitution, perhaps due to continuous hard-work, sitting
in the pit to operate the loom, & due to insanitary & unhealthy conditions
of work, & are usually very prone to many diseases including

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 tuberculosis. Also, with half of their hovel, that is a house, occupied by
the loom in the pit, the men, women & children huddle in a corner.
viii.While earlier policies stressed the employment potential of the
handloom industry and sought to strengthen it with appropriate measures
such as the provision of adequate yarn, reservation of products, etc.,
considerations such as productivity and competitiveness have become the
ruling factors in judging performance of sectors over the last decade.
Indeed, it was the textile policy of 1985 that announced such a shift by
setting up the single objective of increasing cloth production, without
looking into the basic questions of credit and raw material requirements.
ix. Handloom weavers are facing severe livelihood crisis because of adverse
government policies, globalisation and changing socio-economic
conditions. The national and state governments do have several schemes
pertaining to production inputs, market support and development, meant
to safeguard the interests of the weaving community but weavers have
only faced ineffective implementation of the schemes.
x. Lack of information to weavers regarding various policies and schemes is
no less a significant cause for the dwindling fortunes of the weaver
community. Even government departments and implementing agencies
related to handloom suffer from inadequate information and data
resulting in a widening gap between policy formulation and
implementation. The formal education system (including research
institutes) has not included teaching and imparting skills for this
profession into its fold. As a result, any innovation and change has been
left to the weaving families. In the recent decades, due to lack of
information and fast paced changes, practices in handloom sector became
static and apparently redundant.
However, current thinking at the apex policy level is that the handloom sector is
a redundant profession and is a burden on the government exchequer, rather
than what it was considered in earlier planning processes at the national level,
its development was seen as stimulation for rural development.
Consequently, there is no discourse on handloom policies and also the
replacement of the whole set of existing policies. Handloom weavers have no
say in policy matters.

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9.4 Required Attention & Suggestions
The central government needs to recognise the value of the handloom sector in
sustainable development. On its own, the government would never be able to
provide employment to such a large workforce. Going by the logic of
liberalisation itself, the government in turn ought to formulate, promote and
encourage policies that sustain this employment. Government has to ensure a
'level playing field' for this sector towards healthy competition among the
different sub-sectors of textile industry.
Principally, the government has to change its policy, swinging between attitude
of gross neglect and shallow protection, to an enabling role. Public policies
should go beyond mere subsidies, sop schemes, appeasement of politicians and
their vote banks and aberrations in budget allocations.
The following are aspects that require immediate attention:
1. Raw Material supply
Access to raw material such as yarn, dyes and
dye stuffs has become a problem. Weaving is a
rural and semi-rural production activity and
weavers have to go far to get these raw
materials. To top it off, yarn prices are steadily
increasing. The availability of hank yarn - the
basic material from which weaving is done - is
a serious issue because it is controlled by
modern spinning mills, who see more profit in
large-volume cone yarn. Secondly, since hank
yarn is tax-free and has subsidies, enormous
amounts are diverted to the power loom and
mill sectors. As a result, there is a perennial
shortage of yarn for the weavers. Despite a few
schemes, the hank yarn access issue has not

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been resolved. Colours are expensive, and presently there is no system or
mechanism to increase their availability.
2. Raw material prices
Handloom primarily uses natural fibres such as cotton & silk. Prices of these
fibres have been increasing during production and processing. Cotton
production in India is expensive because of intensive and high usage of costly
agricultural inputs such as pesticides and fertilisers. Secondly, while the fibre
production most often happens in the vicinity of the weavers, their processing is
done in distant areas, and as such the prices to the weaver are higher. With the
central government now encouraging primary fibre and yarn exports, handloom
weavers would be on the last priority for yarn suppliers.
The solution lies in establishing relatively low-cost, decentralised spinning units
in the villages where handloom and fibre productions co-exist. The units would
enable direct linkage between farmers and weavers, which essentially decreases
the cost of yarn and thus the cost of handloom products. Still, the cost of setting
up the units may be too much for an individual, and hence governmental
support will be required.
3. Infrastructure and Investment
Investment in handloom sector has thus far been limited to input supply costs.
There is no investment on sectorial growth. While there have been some piece-
meal projects such as work shed-cum-housing and project package schemes,
they merely perpetuate the existing conditions. There has been no thinking on
basic requirements of the producer. Facilities such as land, water and electricity
need to be provided in many places that are a harbour for handloom
manufacturing. On the other hand, powerlooms are getting more usable support
from the government in procuring land, water and electricity.
In many places across Andhra Pradesh, the only water available is groundwater,
which is laden with salts and other contaminants. This affects the quality of
production, economics and also the structure of production. Weavers simply
have to put in more time to procure water for drinking and other needs, as well
as compromise on dyeing quality.
Common facilities have not been developed such as warehouses, credit
facilities (banks in the vicinity), roads, proper sanitation, etc. have not been
provided anywhere.
In recent years, the investment profile in handloom sector has also been
changing. Traditional investors -- known as master weavers -- who had been
investing for several decades in handloom production have been moving away,

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or have become reluctant to invest in new designs. There is a need for new
programmes that enable the inflow of fresh investments and emergence of new
entrepreneurs into the handloom sector.
4. Design improvements
While there are suggestions that handloom sector should increase its design in
response to changes in the market, the bottlenecks are many. The lack of
change is not due to the weaver not being amenable to change, as is bandied.
Rather, it is due to unwillingness of the investor to take risks and provide
incentive to weavers for effecting the change. This apart, government has been
providing substantial grants to the National Institute of Fashion Technology
(NIFT) to provide design support to handloom cooperatives, but nothing much
has come of it. NIFT was granted Rs.42.71 crores in 2004-'05 and Rs.22.78
crores for 2005-'06.
5. Market for products
Handloom products require more
visibility. This means better and
wider market network. One-off
exhibitions organised with the
support of government do not
suffice. Presently, handloom
products are available only in few
places. An umbrella market
organisation -- autonomous and
financed by the government initially -- should be formed to undertake this task,
financed by the sales of the handloom products.
Create niche market for handloom products, with focus on home furnishings,
made-ups and specialized apparel. Outreach centres of National Institute of
Fashion Technology, Hyderabad to be opened at Tirupati, Visakhapatnam and
Warangal. R & D Centres will also be set up for development of exportable
samples and designs through Weavers' Society.
6. Patenting designs/varieties
Handloom designs are not protected. As a result, investors are not interested lest
they end up with the risk and those who copy the benefits. Protection options
include development of handloom/silk/jute marks and registration under
Geographical Indications Act. However, more discussion is required on this if
handloom has to come up with designs that suit the market preferences and are
still protected against theft.

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7. Cooperative system
While cooperatives do help in maximising the benefits for weavers in the entire
chain of production, their present condition a cause of concern. The handloom
cooperative system is riddled with corruption and political interference. Many
handloom weavers are not members of these cooperatives. Government
departments have to stop using them as primary sources for routing government
funds and schemes. Cooperatives have to become independent of district-level
government officers in terms of management and decision-making. An enabling
role is called for, as detailed elsewhere in this article.
8. Free export/import trade -- opportunity
Post the WTO Agreement on Textile Clothing, there is going to be more free
export and import of textiles. The handloom sector, as a traditional area, can
claim some special packages or discriminatory measures, to protect this kind of
production. Options and policy measures need to be worked out either by
independent institutions or the government.
Targets to achieve a desired amount of exports should be set. As such, to
achieve this, a number of Apparel/Textile Parks in identified locations in the
State are set up and thus a modernize handloom sector with an export focus can
be viewed. Textile Parks have been planned at Kothur (Mahboob Nagar) &
Yemmiganur (Kurnool) which are closeby Gadwal.
9. Budget allocations
Allocations for handloom in national and state budgets are being reduced. This
has to be reversed. Budget has to increase with new schemes which address the
problems of the sector, in view of the linkage and the need to protect rural
employment.

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10. Intermediaries (individuals/institutions)
Government has created a few research, training and input institutions to help
the handloom sector. These institutions include weaver service centres,
institutions of handloom technology, NIFT, etc. But their performance has been
below par and their presence has not helped in obviating the problems of
handloom weavers.
11. Enhancement of Value
There is a need for enhancing the value of handloom products through
utilisation of organic cotton and organic yarn, application of natural dyes and
by increasing the productivity of the looms through research and innovation –
for example, changes in the width of the looms and some appropriate technical
changes.
12. Competition and unfair competition from mills and powerlooms
Competition is now uneven, with mill and powerloom sector getting subsidies
in various forms. Secondly, powerlooms have been undermining handloom
markets by selling their products as handloom.
13. Wages, employment and livelihood issues
Wages have not increased in the last 15 years. Some sections of handloom
weavers are living in hand-to-mouth conditions, with no house or assets. These
issues need to be addressed by the government; at least effectively implement
the Minimum Wages Act.
The power tariff hike and the increase in the prices of yarn and dyes were
responsible for the plight of the weavers. There is a demand of power supply to

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weavers at a subsidised rate and the abolition of the sales tax of 4 per cent on
yarn.
A number of perspectives have come to bear on the handloom industry: (a) the
Governmental view of a traditional industry in decline, (b) the
cholar/academic’s view of contextualizing these trends and documenting the
industry’s continued resilience, and (c) the weaver’s own perception of day-to-
day problems of livelihood and survival. The challenge lies in engaging with
these and other perspectives critically, in order to create a context for re-
defining the handloom industry in contemporary terms. A thorough
understanding of the characteristics of the handloom industry is of the utmost
urgency and importance in such an endeavour.

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10.1 Interaction with Gadwal Saree Showrooms in
Gadwal
NARAYANA GADWAL HANDLOOM SAREE
HOUSE
VEDANAGAR, Gadwal H O 509125, Andhra Pradesh
About NARAYANA GADWAL HANDLOOM SAREE HOUSE
They are one of the leading manufacturers and wholesalers of "Gadwal
Handloom Cotton/Silk Sarees". These sarees are weaved by their expert
handloom weavers. They have been weaving these sarees for centuries - a very
soft and breezy cloth that is a joy to wear. These sarees are of high quality
material available at easily affordable prices. With experience and rich
tradition, they have been able to master the art of intricate weaving. Their
selection of sarees provide customers a wider choice, colors and assurance in

reasonable pricing. They manufacture many varieties in these Silk/Cotton

sarees with special designs by experts.

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10.2 Interaction with the weavers in Gadwal

SURESH
Suresh, a 30yr old weaver of gadwal
sarees, has been handed down this
profession as a family heirloom. His
present family constitutes 6 members, who
help him in his trade. Even then it's hard to
support them satisfactorily, with a monthly
wage of Rs 5000/-. Lack of education
prohibits his involvement in any other
occupation and he depends solely on
weaving for his bread.

VENKATESH
Another weaver Venkatesh , has a similar story,
except for the fact that he chose this profession
instead of it being handed down to him. Catering to
a family of 7 was difficult and illiteracy blocked
ways to other careers. He has a loom at his house
and weaves with the help of his wife and mother
for a monthly income of Rs. 4500/-.

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10.3 Apparel & Fashion Shops in Hyderabad
dealing with Gadwal Sarees
Name and Information Address
Sri Gadwal Weavers Society
One of the famous names in the # 6-3-803/1/13 SSS Chambers,
world of garments in Andhra 1st Floor, Opp: Hanuman
Pradesh, it offers garments of Temple, Ameerpet 'X' Road,
high quality designs and Hyderabad - 500 016
fastidious art work in cost Tel:+(91)-(40) - 55756469
effective rates. They are engaged
in the sale of sarees and dhotis for
all income groups. It is a 2,000 sq.
ft. showroom that is run by a
society of 11 Gadwal weavers.
http://www.srigadwalweaverssoci
ety.com/

Nalli Silk Sarees

Established in 1928 Nalli Silk 1-10-72 - Sardar Patel Road,
Sarees is one of the leading Begumpet,
manufacturers and exporters of Hyderabad - 500 016
Fabrics, Apparel and Home Tel:+(91)-(40) - 27766601/02

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Furnishings. They are also a Fax:+(91)-(40) - 27766700
leader in the textile and retail
business for over 75 years.
http://www.nalli.com/

E Saree Store
E Saree Store offers variety of Door no 3-3-589, General Bazar,
quality sarees for almost all the Secunderabad - 500 003
occasions. They offer Traditional Tel:+(91)-(40) - 27809092
Sarees, Designer Sarees,
Handloom Sarees, embroidery
Sarees, Bridal Sarees, Silk Sarees
etc.
http://www.esareestore.com/

Mukta Bajaj
Mukta Bajaj a famous fashion Plot No. 11, Brig. Thoegraj
designer designs Sarees, Ghagras, Colony,
Suits, Kurtis. She also offers Secunderabad - 500 015
personal consultation and service Tel:+(91)-(40) - 27818293,
in terms of Style, Design and 9394718293
Fashion to their clients.
http://www.muktabajaj.com/

Kallepally Brothers
Established in 1930 as a 1-1-254, Chikkadpally Market,
wholesale shop Kallepally Mushirabad,
Brothers is now a quality name in Near Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Degree
Saree business. They have many College,
varieties of Sarees to choose from Hyderabad - 500 020
like Kanchipattu, Gadwal, Tel:+(91)-(40) - 27631935
Pochampally, Kothakota,
Venkatagiri, Narayanapet,
Mysore pattu, Tusser, Printed silk
and many more varieties.

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Gadwal Handloom Centre
One of the leading showrooms for 4-1352, Abid Road,
Pure silks in Hyderabad, Gadwal ( Opp Jaya International ), Abids,
Handloom Centre is in this Hyderabad - 500 001
business for last 6 decades. Their Tel:+(91)-(40) - 24753767
specialisations are Gadwal,
Kothakota, Narayanpet, Paturu,
Kanjeevaram, Pochampalli,
Cotton & Silks sarees.

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Fig.10.1 A picture from inside one of the showrooms who sell Gadwal sarees in Hyderabad.

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11.1 Bringing about a change...
Gadwal Sarees weave an enchanted poem reciting about beautifying a woman
in their own way. Their uniqueness will always be evergreen & distinctive in all
possible manners. But from the viewpoint of a designer, an art, when developed
in a good way, will only make its use more diverse & worth noticing. In this
way, designers are able to show their talent & creativity too & as such the age-
old craft tradition gets a new look as well. Some reformations suggested in this
context are as follows:
i. Different embellishments with
glass work, sequins, beads,
embroideries, tie n dyes of the
yarns or the fabric itself, etc.
can be done on to the saree in
order to make it more artistic &

for a fancy look. These surface ornamentation

& design techniques should also be preferred so
as to go out of the box & not just the same
Gadwal weave of a cotton/silk body & a rich
border & pallav in zari thread. Thus, this helps
giving a diverse choice to the customers.
ii. While making garments, another problem faced
while cutting the saree for the required patterns,
is that that the most unique feature of the saree
i.e. the weaved zari, gets frayed. Thus, in order
to avoid this, weavers should apply such an

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 adhesive on the zari weavings such that it stays in the design in which it
was weaved.
iii. They can work on reversible sarees i.e. making the saree in the reversible
weave. The fabric gets weaved on both the sides, also it may help in
reducing the count of the saree.
iv. If we try to bring out same change in the layout of the saree, then either
we can bring in the changes in the border or the pallav. Instead of two
borders running on both the upper & lower end, we can simply have a
saree without any border & also rather than having a motif repetition on
the pallav we can leave the pallav as it is & make saree with booties all
over.
v. If we try to work out in the combination of weave and colours giving
optical illusion then a whole saree of can be created with view of
innovation. This feature is very much upto the present day scenario with
the high tech advancements.
vi. There are sarees nowadays where pallavs are detachable & can be
fastened with a zip. Thus, we can try this reformation in Gadwal Sarees
also for those people depend on occasions to have or not the pallav.

vii.Instead of working on zari only on the borders, pallavs & booties we can
have zari work restricted to certain areas only like the area where the
pleats will fall.

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11.2 Designers inspired by Sarees
Sarees, with their golden threads, intricate embroidery and innate romance,
have always attracted Westerners. Glimmerings of Indian inspiration appeared
in the West in the 1920s when Madame Gres, a renowned Paris designer,
showed saree-inspired styles in her collection. Western passion for Indian
fashions can be traced to the British Raj, when socialites in London, New York
and Paris were smitten by Indian fabrics and embroidery. Famous Western
designers were deeply influenced. Those who have used sarees and Indian
fabrics in their collections include Mary McFadden, Oscar de la Renta, Jean-
Paul Gaultier, Norma Kamali and Anna Sui.
Recently, British designer Paul Smith did an entire collection based on India,
including men's shirts created out of sarees. While some Westerners make
fashion sarees into everything from pillow covers to tablecloths to evening
dresses, others actually wear them, a memento of their Indian adventure. Some
designers use it to outrageous effect. John Galliano was once spotted at a
society gala in New York wearing a silk saree with a short tuxedo jacket and
dress shoes.
The collections range from eclectic and outrageous ball skirts and quilted
jackets to delicate and demure halter neck tops and dresses. The use of exquisite
saris makes each garment unique and distinctive, whilst oozing flair, finesse

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and elegance. Pieces from the collection can be found at Koh Samui, Covent
Garden, Junky Styling, and Brick Lane.
A limited collection of lampshades was introduced at Osprey, The Hyde in
December 2004. They are made from reclaimed wood and sari fabric, the
elegant light pieces.
Rajoli Handloom Weavers Society from Mahaboobnagar district proudly
display its "light, dignified" Gadwal sarees. "We give guarantee for 48 per cent
silk zari," says a humble representative of the society. The famed saree material
is now available for the salwar-kameez-chunni set, thanks to the training by
desigers from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) to two
society members.

11.3 Motif Development

The weavers of Gadwal sarees lack much if seen from the creative aspect of
designing. They make the least effort to bring about any changes in the motifs
& designs. Thus, designers from reputed colleges & industries may help them
to change their style of motifs which are getting repeated since so many years.
Some contemporary & stylized version of what the motifs presently in use can
be developed. Some of them are as follows:
1. There are sarees where whole paintings can be handwoven if the weavers
try their best & put all their hardwork in weaving intricate design motifs
into the saree. Weaving a whole painting into a saree is very eye-catching
& their use of multi-color threads makes it even more ravishing. Gadwal
Sarees should also be weaved in multi-color threads by increasing the
number of jacquard hooks & cards, thus, giving a more outstanding look
to the saree.

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2. Some of the motifs have been designed here in Adope Photoshop with the
help of the modern tools. The inspiration is totally from the historical
monuments of Gadwal, but a slight contemporary & sophisticated design
development of the motifs have been done here.

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Some further developments of motifs were done by hand, taking inspiration
from the culture aspects of Andhra Pradesh. They have been shown in different
colors so as to show the use of diverse coloured threads instead of just the zari.
These are illustrated as follows:

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11.4 Product Diversification
Thinking from a designer’s point of view, one can make thousands of products
from a given fabric & that too in a creative manner. Thus, here some of the
products diversifying from the actual product of Gadwal Handlooms, i.e. a
saree, are mentioned keeping in mind how best the craft can be put to use in
various ways & not just only stick to sarees. Product diversification here does
not mean in any sense to destroy the age-old craft. It is just signifying the
change of time & how modern implications on this craft can serve better the
customers of Handloom industry. Some the products can be discussed as
follows:
1. Japanese Umbrellas & fans have got unique charm, & are very
popular these days in India. Their magnificent look attracts many
womenfolk & they like to keep them as sign of beauty &
ornamentation. For this purpose we can use the saree’s silk & can
give it a total unusual look.
2. Worn out sarees are just kept stored & are thereby not put to any
use , thus, wasting the precious craft for ages. Here if we think of
something creative & recyclable then we ca think of a variety of
products. Following is the display of a product made out of a worn
saree. It displays a floor mat which is braided from stripes of
sarees & is rolled in a coil shape & is stitched together to make it
firm.
3. Saree can also be used as a table spread since a saree’s length &
long width is perfect for such draperies.
4. Even when we think we are done with a saree, we find new ways
to use it. Here is a baby carrier made out of a vintage saree;
versatile, useful and the baby will be so comfortable in it!

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 5. Sarees can also be put in use to make notebooks, diaries, folders,
etc. the base of saree when used as a cover on these books will
give a very splendid look to this product. The sarees made up of
vibrant coloured yarns will give them even more magnificent look,
here Gadwal Sarees can look extraordinarily glorious.

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1. Gadwal Sarees can be used to drape curtains, where some fancy curtains
are preferred.

2. Home furnishings made from silk sarees especially look very ravishing &
enthralling. Thus, here Gadwal Sarees will be a good raw material for
making cushion covers, pillow cases etc.

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3. Making Garments from saree is the job of most of the designers & by
making different types of silhouettes from a saree they show their
extravagant talent. Their main motif is not to destroy this art but just to
give it diverse look. Following is a quilted jacket made from a silk saree.

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CONCLUSION
The study has introduced us to a glorious craft and its untiring makers, and to a
million things that go on behind the scenes. It not only gave us a detailed
insight into the working of a composite handloom industry but also helped us in
getting a practical knowledge on the working of an organization.
We have enjoyed our stay amongst this beautiful world of sarees. But there’s
more to it than meets the eye.
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The craft is magnificent, but the lives of the people who give life to it are not.
The woeful plight of the weavers, made us realize the massive effort that needs
to be put for their upliftment.
The government and NGOs need to do their best and as designers so should we.
The Assistant director of Handlooms & Textiles of Andhra Pradesh, is doing
his best to stand upto his post & continuously working hard to gain the
complete support of the government to develop the Handloom industry of
Gadwal Sarees.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books Referred:

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 • The Textile Magazine – January 2009 issue
• The Textile Journal – June 2009 issue
• Saris of India – By Ṛta Kapur Chishti, Martand Singh, Amba Sanyal

Sites Visited:
• www.aptourism.in
• www.bharatonline.com
• www.apcofabrics.com
• hyderabad.clickindia.com
• www.wikipedia.org
• www.gadwal.tv
• www.indianetzone.com
• www.apind.gov.in
• www.indiatogether.org
• www.sareedreams.com
• www.hinduonline.com
• www.encyclopedia.com

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