Flood-hit Chendamangalam weaves an inspiring tale of hope

Ninety-five days have passed since the worst floods in nearly a century ravaged Chendamangalam, a small town in the Paravur taluk of Ernakulam district, which is historically famous for its handloom craft. Putting the bitter memories of the catastrophe behind, the traditional handloom industry of Chendamanagalam is slowly getting back on its feet, giving a masterclass in how to cope with disasters and move on with hope and positivity.

As many as 273 looms under seven co-operative societies engaged in traditional weaving had been damaged fully in the floods. Out of which 210 looms have been repaired and put back into action. Repair and restoration of the remaining 63 looms would be completed by mid-December.

The flood-hit Paravur Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society No. 3428, which commenced full-fledged operations after reconstruction of damaged infrastructure, recently held an exhibition-cum-sales fair in Thiruvananthapuram. Over thousand handloom products from a collection of 54 sari and 600 dhoti varieties were sold at the expo held under the aegis of the State Planning Board, departments of Social Justice, Women and Child Development, and Save the Loom, a non-governmental organisation, at the Government College for Women, Vazhuthacaud.

In a gesture of solidarity with the flood-affected weavers in Chendamangalam, the dignitaries including Health Minister K K Shailaja who attended the opening ceremony purchased handloom fabrics to help them get back to working with dignity.

The first collection of handloom fabrics produced after reviving the damaged looms at the Chendamangalam Handloom Co-operative Weavers Society Ltd (No. H 47), which suffered extensive damage in the floods, were auctioned off online with the help of a collective called ‘The Kerala Platform’.

Thrums of the looms are back

The calamitous floods wreaked havoc in seven weaving clusters that included Chendamangalam (No. 47), Karimpdam (No. 191), Paravoor (No. 3428), Paravoor Town (No. 1), Kuriappilly (No. 3476), Cherai (No. 648), and Pallippuram Kuzhipally (No. 128). As per official figures, the co-operative societies in the Chendamangalam region alone incurred losses amounting to Rs 2.48 crore.

The factory under the Chendamangalam Handloom Co-operative Weavers Society Ltd (No. H 47), have 28 weaving mills that are functional. Out of the 71 looms set up at houses of cluster members, 26 have been repaired. Forty more looms will be operational by next week.

Fifty-four weaving units under the Paravoor co-operative society No. 3428 and forty-one units under the Paravoor Town cluster No. 1 are ready for operations. At the Kuriappilly cluster No. 3476, 13 looms have been restored. Repair works of three units are underway. At two societies in Cherai area, there are fourteen looms that are operational. Two more will be repaired and restored soon.

The resurrection

Support for the weavers in Chendamangalam who were hard hit by the floods had poured in from NGOs and people’s collectives from across the country. The outside world took note of the magnitude of the issue after P A Sojan, secretary of the Chendamangalam Handloom Society, posted on his Facebook page about the pitiable condition of the local handloom industry. It was then two Kochi-based designers, Shalini James and Sreejith Jeevan, reached out to the weavers and helped them sell off stocks worth several lakhs.

“We lost clothing materials worth about Rs 7 lakh. Bundles of yarns costing about Rs 11 lakh were also fully damaged. After the water receded, many people came to us offering help to revive the factories to their old glory. Some of the units required only machine parts to start weaving again while some others were fully destroyed. We procured materials and machinery from our regular suppliers by promising them to pay later and started repair works. The society cleared the bills using contributions from kind-hearted people. By mid-October, all the 28 looms in our factory were ready,” said Sojan.

People’s collectives pitch in

Initially, the society resorted to contributions from individuals to launch restoration works. The first unit to be repaired was the one maintained by the Paravoor co-operative society No. 3428. It was done using Rs 1 lakh donated by Justice K Sukumaran. On October 2, repair works of 45 looms under three societies were completed.

“Several private companies such as Bajaj Electricals joined the initiative by offering funds apportioned for CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities for restoring works,” said fashion consultant Ramesh Menon, who spearheaded the activities of ‘Save the Loom’ collective in Chendamangalam.

Looking forward to a bright future

Plans have been charted to establish a common facility centre at Chendamangalam which could benefit all the handloom societies in Ernakulam district. A yarn bank, dying unit, and a dying block will also be set up using funds earmarked for CSR activities by Cochin Shipyard Ltd, Petronet LNG Ltd, and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited.

Call for value addition

As per a study conducted by the State Planning Board at select panchayats in six districts of the state that were walloped by the deluge, the worst-hit area in Ernakulam district was Chendamangalam.

“Majority of the weavers in Chendamangalam and surrounding areas are women. The deluge took its toll on their livelihood. However, all they wanted was to get their looms repaired,” said T K Anandi, gender adviser to the State government, who headed the study.

“But I don’t think restoration of looms alone will be enough for them stay afloat. Value addition holds the key to sustainable development of the sector. A major project in coordination with ‘Save the Loom’ has been planned. Innovative schemes will be launched in six panchayats were the study was carried out,” she added.

Read more from Ernakulam