Pochampally is the most typical weaving village in Nalgonda District of Telangana. It is the place where threads and colours find their way into the hands of skillful weavers and meander into the market as beautiful sarees and dress material Every member of the artisan household is closely integrated with the intricate tie-and-dye process of Ikkat weaving. The craft has earned a reputation worldwide and a glimpse at the dexterous village folk explains why this enduring tradition has not only survived but also thrived!
On a Sunday morning, I joined the TCPC gang of photographers for a tour of this village. It is about 60 KM from Hitech city in Hyderabad and if you start early you can reach Bhoodan Pochampally in about 1.5 hours. It was the day of Sankranti and hence the first sight that greeted us was colorful rangolis in front of the village houses - the artistic touch to it clearly displayed the creativity of these simple villagers.
Our next stop was the Pochampally Museum. The complex is situated next to a serene lake called Pochampally Cheruvu, and looks more like a sprawling bungalow, but when you look at the huge gate you see the signboard of the Rural Tourism complex. Inside the complex is a statue of both Vinoba Bhave and Sri Ram Chandra Reddy the Zamindar or landlord who came up with the idea of donating land. (This was before land grabbing became an issue of prestige for the rich and powerful in India). This reminded me that Pochampally is also known for being the launch pad for Acharya Vinoba Bhave's Bhoodan Movement.
There is a nominal ticket to enter the museum. Although it was a holiday, one of the employees there was kind enough to open the museum for us and we clicked some pictures inside the complex. In one of the rooms there are different kinds of spinning wheels, one made of wood like Bapu Gandhi must have used and then next to it is one made of using a cycle wheel.
The most interesting was the next room with various kinds of looms that are used in Pochampally village, the guide gave us a demo of how they are used and all of us keenly listened to him and clicked some pictures.
In next room there are Sarees weaved in different part of Andhra Pradesh are displayed on both mannequins as well as on walls like drapery. It is interesting to know that different part of state have their own distinctive styles of weaving but what is clear is that Pochampally is the most famous of all the styles weaved in the state. There was also a weaved portrait of Acharya Vinobha Bhave.
Overall it was a good experience to start from the museum and rural tourism complex before we visited other places in the Pochampally village to see the weaving process—tying and dyeing, color boiling, bobbin weaving and finally the finished fabric.
We saw an open door after entering the village and we just barged in and requested if we can see how the saree is made. The family members were very happy to see us and welcomed with open heart. We settled down to observe the process of preparing a saree all by hand and were simply astonished for the amount of work that goes into one single saree. The person who was working there mentioned that it takes almost 4 days of continuous work (10 hours each day) to get one saree ready. The precision with which she was working was simply immaculate. For this rigorous and precise effort that she puts in day in and day out, all that she earns is Rs. 600 per saree, which makes it a meager Rs. 4500 per month. Any guess how much would that same saree cost in the market? I am sure atleast few of you might have guessed it right. It costs a minimum of Rs. 4500.
On a Sunday morning, I joined the TCPC gang of photographers for a tour of this village. It is about 60 KM from Hitech city in Hyderabad and if you start early you can reach Bhoodan Pochampally in about 1.5 hours. It was the day of Sankranti and hence the first sight that greeted us was colorful rangolis in front of the village houses - the artistic touch to it clearly displayed the creativity of these simple villagers.
Our next stop was the Pochampally Museum. The complex is situated next to a serene lake called Pochampally Cheruvu, and looks more like a sprawling bungalow, but when you look at the huge gate you see the signboard of the Rural Tourism complex. Inside the complex is a statue of both Vinoba Bhave and Sri Ram Chandra Reddy the Zamindar or landlord who came up with the idea of donating land. (This was before land grabbing became an issue of prestige for the rich and powerful in India). This reminded me that Pochampally is also known for being the launch pad for Acharya Vinoba Bhave's Bhoodan Movement.
There is a nominal ticket to enter the museum. Although it was a holiday, one of the employees there was kind enough to open the museum for us and we clicked some pictures inside the complex. In one of the rooms there are different kinds of spinning wheels, one made of wood like Bapu Gandhi must have used and then next to it is one made of using a cycle wheel.
The most interesting was the next room with various kinds of looms that are used in Pochampally village, the guide gave us a demo of how they are used and all of us keenly listened to him and clicked some pictures.
In next room there are Sarees weaved in different part of Andhra Pradesh are displayed on both mannequins as well as on walls like drapery. It is interesting to know that different part of state have their own distinctive styles of weaving but what is clear is that Pochampally is the most famous of all the styles weaved in the state. There was also a weaved portrait of Acharya Vinobha Bhave.
Overall it was a good experience to start from the museum and rural tourism complex before we visited other places in the Pochampally village to see the weaving process—tying and dyeing, color boiling, bobbin weaving and finally the finished fabric.
We saw an open door after entering the village and we just barged in and requested if we can see how the saree is made. The family members were very happy to see us and welcomed with open heart. We settled down to observe the process of preparing a saree all by hand and were simply astonished for the amount of work that goes into one single saree. The person who was working there mentioned that it takes almost 4 days of continuous work (10 hours each day) to get one saree ready. The precision with which she was working was simply immaculate. For this rigorous and precise effort that she puts in day in and day out, all that she earns is Rs. 600 per saree, which makes it a meager Rs. 4500 per month. Any guess how much would that same saree cost in the market? I am sure atleast few of you might have guessed it right. It costs a minimum of Rs. 4500.
We thanked the family for the demonstration before leaving. However, when we offered money to them, they sweetly declined clearly showing the simplicity and honesty of these poor villages.
Overall it was a good learning experience for all of us and we had a great time. After watching the process, the only thing left for us was to do some shopping. The group members shopped everything from a saree, kurtis, bags, etc. and finally return home with all the beautiful memories!!
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