How A 200-Year-Old Saree Sparked Hemalatha Jain's Rebellion Against Power Looms

The history of Indian textiles is rich and abundant, as these pieces of fabric narrate tales of belonging and community that would otherwise go untold. This is best exemplified by heritage pieces owned by our mothers and grandmothers, which provide a portal into the past. Hence, it is vital to conserve these remnants and also remain in touch with the practices that connect so many of us to our roots. 

Textile expert Hemalatha Jain is one of the few visionaries who is seeking to preserve textile traditions in the state of Karnataka. The young educator who currently works as a revivalist is an alumni of Kansas State University, USA. She works closely with the native artisans of the state and acquires knowledge about the different tribal handicrafts; learning about their local weaving traditions and creating prototype designs alongside the artisans. 

With the advent of power looms, local craft clusters suffered greatly. As sarees became another one of the mass produced items purely created for profits, time-intensive practices were discouraged. Hemalatha found over 45 sarees that were left half way through and started the process of reviving them. So far, she has revived 14 forgotten saree-weaving traditions of Karnataka including Gomi Teni, Hubli, Annehejje, Sada Pata, Sudha Kadi, Lakundi, Gajju and Dhotra.

It is interesting to note the inciting incident that led to this craft centric journey in Hemalatha’s life. The saree enthusiast found a unique woven gem created using Patteda Anchu technique while visiting an 85 year old Devadasi. This is a style that is very rare in the saree market at present. She tested the piece and found it to be around 200 years old, which led her on a journey towards the revival of forgotten sarees. 

In order to popularise the saree, Hemalatha also sought to innovate newer ways of producing the historic textile. This was done by introducing a yarn twist which restricts the fabric from creasing easily. Other changes like adding a thicker and heavier border reduced additional stitching costs. The process was also modernised by utilising a combination of coarser and finer yarns in warp and weft while weaving. 

The orders soon doubled in numbers and was intially achieved while working with only four weavers. Today, her trust, Punar Jeevana, employs over 55 weavers and provides a stable livelihood to their families who would otherwise be struggling to support themselves in a heavily mechanised handloom industry. They have collectively revived sarees that would be obsolete today and local textiles such as the auspicious Gomi Teni sarees, that remained unused for half a century, are known and made available to younger generations 

Similarly she brought back multiple other styles that are intrinsically connected with the heritage of the state and the unique culture of its people. While we speak of sustainability and recognising indigenous craft, it is important to acknowledge the individual efforts of people who have single-handedly made a change in the lives of the artisans and made a space for conscious means of production once again. Hemalatha’s inspirational journey not only provides us hope but also motivates others to move in similar ways. 

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