A stitch in time …

It was 10 years ago that the unique black and white embroidery of the Toda community was awarded a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, making it the only tribal handicraft in the Nilgiris to receive one.
But it has been an uphill climb to keep their craft alive, say members of the community, especially since it was near impossible to procure base materials for their embroidery.But now, thanks to some timely intervention from the state government, things are looking up again.
The hand-woven half-white base cloth, which is traditionally used for the embroidery, as well as the black and red coloured threads were, initially, supplied by merchants from Wayanad. Later, the Todas procured the materials from Sirumugai near Mettupalayam, says Vijayendra Poof, a Toda woman, who has researched the traditional embroidery.
As time passed, the handwoven base material was replaced by coarsely woven power loom material, while two-ply woolen threads replaced the traditional cotton threads for the embroidery.
The Toda women, says Vijayendra Poof, had to then resort to buying base cloth from the local market in Ooty for exorbitant prices (₹ 700 a metre). “They approached the government to facilitate them with a source of supply of base material and create a proper channel to market their products.”
And that was when the government established the Toda Embroidery Weavers Cooperative Production and Marketing Society Ltd in Ooty in May and recently sanctioned ₹25 lakh for it under the Handloom Support Programme Scheme. “The society will help the community market their products. The society will also authenticate the original craft of the Todas,” says T Renuka, a Toda, and manager of the society. The scheme was launched state handloom minister R Gandhi.
The society will also provide senior citizen pension, family pension and free electricity to the members. The craft will also be showcased in Co-optex and Poompuhar exhibitions.
Now, the society has gone a step further and is helping the community by supplying base materials for their traditional embroidery, says Renuka. The Todas can now procure the material for ₹200 a metre.
“Women in our community are working hard to keep this unique art alive. Till date, the art is meticulously being passed on from generation to generation. In the early days, the Toda style of embroidery, known as ‘pugur’, used wild flowers as the base and the thin skin of a wild plant as threads,” says Thekish Kuttan alias Mohan, one of the Toda leaders from Muthanad mund near Ooty. Around 1,700 Todas live in 67 munds (hamlets) in the Nilgiris.
Later, the tribals crafted their embroidery on long robes, called ‘poothukuli’, which the community wears for their traditional rituals such as weddings or funerals. The embroidery is composed of red and black bands giving the robe an embossed look. The community has now branched out into embroidering table mats and runners, bags and pillow covers.
The main motif used in the embroidery is the buffalo horn as the Todas worship the buffalo. Other designs include flowers, mountains, rivers and valleys. “The embroidery is done by counting the threads and design by mental calculation. And as the embroidery is done on the reverse of the cloth the product has a rich embossed effect on the surface,” says Anandha Malli, a Toda woman.
“The women imagine a design in their mind and apply the same while doing the embroidery. It requires patience.”
Traditional Toda embroidery does not permit the use of colours other than red and black. “Maybe, our ancestors stuck only to those two colours. The patterns, designs and motifs are inspired by nature, elements of nature,” says Vijayendra Poof.
What is worrying now, says Anandha Malli, is that imitations of their embroidery are being sold online. “We hold our craft sacred. We never use the embroidery on shoe fabric. But you find those products online. We want the government to bring in some control measures to safeguard the identity of our art and livelihood. Enforcement by the government plays a vital role when it comes to GI tag.”