Knowledge of weave enabled young weaver from Tamil Nadu to weave a line of bath towels
Reviving the handloom tradition of Chennimalai in Erode, Tamil Nadu, A Balasubramani used the skill of weaving towels he inherited from his father to create a range of bath towels for Nurpu, an organisation that works with weavers.
Popularly known as the handloom town, Chennimalai town in Erode district of Tamil Nadu has long been a hub for hand-woven cotton bedsheets and towels. Towels from the region are generally patterned with broad stripes or checks with vibrant colors and have a honeycomb texture.
Drawing inspiration from his grandfather’s unmatched weaving skills. A Balasubramani, 27 at Chennimalai in Erode employed the traditional woven technique to create a line of bath towels made of fine cotton that easily absorbed water, ever so soft on the skin.
Become a Premium Member to access our exclusive contents: https://authindia.com/premium-community-membership/ He wanted to improve the texture and colors it to the contemporary market as the edges of traditionally made towels turned a little rough due to wear and tear, so he worked in association with Nurpu, a venture run by IT-professional-turned-entrepreneur C Sivagurunathan started, to revive the handloom tradition of Chennimalai in Erode.
Using his grandfather’s towel’s design and colors, he wove fine lines at Nurpu’s center in Chennimalai in off-white, mimicking strung pearls; one of the patterns took its name after this attribute.
Sivagurunathan intends to fix the price at around ₹280 each. According to him, Balasubramani has woven 30 pieces, each taking him three hours to make. Sivagurunathan quit his IT job in Chennai to start Nurpu in 2016. He started out with the aim of encouraging weavers at 1010 Colony in the region.. Today, he works with more than 20 weavers at Chennimalai and Musiri working for Nurpu — enagaged in weaving dothis, saris, cradle cloths, towels, and running fabrics which are sold on his website.
Apart from this he also wants to impart the knowledge to students and awaiting to receive school students at his center, where he will train them to weave. “I hope to show them how a length of cloth takes shape from a spool of thread,” he says.
Towels may seem like a mundane entry in the bathroom, but there’s an art behind choosing the right ones. A good bath towel should do several things at once — dry you off quickly, feel good on your skin, fit with your décor, and be durable enough to last for years.
