Chennai: The pandemic changed the course of Jeenu Panika’s life forever. After losing her father to Covid-19, Jeenu, who is based in Kotpad has been in charge of the family business, which specialises in natural dyed cotton and silk sarees as well as fabric. And now, she is bringing her weaves to Chennai.
“I am coming to Chennai with a lot of hope. With my team of weavers I have created a lot of new designs and products,” says Jeenu, who is one of the 32 designer entrepreneurs, weavers and printers who will be part of The Crafts Council of India's (CCI) ‘Textile Show’, which will be held on July 22 and 23 at MRC Centre, RA Puram.
The show is back after an enforced hiatus of two years. “We couldn’t conduct it in 2020 due to the pandemic. And in 2021, we did a very small exhibition.
This time, it is back in a big way and the artisans have had enough time to come out with new products,” says Gita Ram, chairperson, CCI.
The Textile Show will feature classic Benarasi saris, mesmerizing Balucharis woven with scenes from the ‘Mahabharata’ and ‘Ramayana’, Paithanis in jewel tones, rare Himroo sarees, Chanderi kurtas and sarees, as well as muga, gheecha and tussars with delicate, floating motifs; handblocked sarees and kurtas, chikankari ensembles, Mangalgiri yardage and more.
Most of the weavers were badly hit during the pandemic. That’s why CCI considers each saree the result of “the magic of the weavers hands, his pride and passion for his craft and his unflinching spirit which kept him, at his loom, all through the dark, devastating Covid-19 days”.
Jeenu says her family suffered huge economic issues during the pandemic.
“Since we use only natural dyes, the sarees are expensive and nobody was buying it as many people had lost their jobs and were struggling for survival. The Delhi Craft Council helped us and also organised an exhibition in Delhi in 2021,” says Jeenu, who will be exhibiting a range of cotton and silk Kotpad sarees as well as fabric in Chennai.
Other weavers like Kutch-based Abdul Wahab Khatri feel the pandemic and lockdown actually prompted them to take their business online.
“We didn’t know earlier that we could sell our weaves online and on social media. So, in a way, it benefitted us as we were able to take our weaves to a wider market,” says Khatri, who specialises in creating Bandhini sarees, scarves and dupattas.
He has collaborated with fashion designers from the University of Wisconsin, USA, and also Srishti School of Design, Bengaluru.
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