The Revival of Udupi Sarees: A Story of Cultural Preservation | Global TV
In the quaint districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada, a centuries-old tradition of weaving Udupi Sarees was on the brink of extinction. However, thanks to the tireless efforts of the Kadike Trust, this traditional craft has been revived, and the Udupi Saree has regained its former glory. Once with more than 5000 families relying on this famous weave of Undevided south canara district came to nearly extinct due to various factors.
Udupi sarees were mainly woven by Shettigars who are also known as padmashalis. When Basel mission introduced new type of loom called Malabar frame loom and started giving training many people from other community were attracted to this field. Later on after onslaught of Power looms and other factors handloom weaving profession started to fade away slowly and nearly came to halt with only few old Weavers remaining.
The Kadike Trust, established in 2018, by few likeminded friends under the guidance of Mamatha Rai a former computer science Lecturer , aimed to nurture eco-friendly rural livelihood practices and to document indigenous knowledge. Their first project, the Udupi Saree Revival, focused on collecting information about the weavers, their techniques, and the history behind this traditional craft.
The revival of Udupi Sarees was made possible by the tireless efforts of a dedicated team. The trust’s team, comprising of people from different walks of life, joined together to do their bit in this dire situation of climate emergency. Trust started by collecting authentic hands on information about Udupi saree weaving in twin districts , which was not available.
And it was found out that only 42 aged weavers were remaining in the field , when talked they had lost all the hopes this beautiful heritage continuing for long. Trust worked closely with weavers and weaver societies and started multifanged efforts to revive this sustainable rural livelyhood opportunity which suited to Trusts objective.
With exact figures in hand Trust started its work by marketing the Udupi sarees through all platforms including online. Trustees participated themselves in events , and selling sarees by roadside in farmers market. Trust requested weavers societies to raise the Price of sarees which was selling at very low price, compared to other genuine handloom sarees , trust assured them steady marketing. Whatsapp, facebook, twitter and Instagram were used extensively to reintroduce this beautiful product to younger generation.
Proper branding was done with attractive logo and label with weavers photo and other details created by famous artist and designer with this Trust started a campaign as ‘ know your weaver ‘ which gave tremendous boost to weavers self respect and dignity, and it atracted youngsters to the profession.
Trust started honouring weavers with awards which gave boost to their low morale. Along with these work Trust started giving trainings to interested persons , coerced experienced weavers who had left profession to come back. There were only six 80 count weavers in two districts when trust started revival projects.
Trust coerced many weavers to come back and in the beginning trust started giving training with its own fund later NABARD joined hands together so trust trained twenty youngsters and othet 15 came back to profession.
Trust intervened with designs and weaves to give better appeal to the product in turn the Sarees could attract youg generation, with many youngsters proudly draped Udupi sarees and sent their photos to publish in Udupi Saree Revival pages on social media.Trust liasoned with GI office to get long pending User Authorisation to all weavers societies for using GI tag.
This constant work attracted media attention.
Trust starts natural dying in Udupi saree for the first time in the history of Udupi saree weaving.
These untiring work brought many accolades to the revival work, founder president Mamatha Rai was honoured with Change Maker award by Deccan Herald National daily for Udupi Saree Revival work.
NABAARD H O honoured trust as one of the best NGO working in handloom sector in national level. Mamies School house, Canada Selected Mamatha Rai for a prestigious Scholarship on natural dying. Other than this, trut supported weavers during the time of crisis like during Pandemic, natural calamity , health issues and other necessities.
The Udupi Saree, with its unique characteristics, such as the “loom sizing” technique, the use of eco friendly dyes, and the intricate designs, is a testament to the rich cultural heritage of the region. The revival of this traditional craft is a shining example of how dedication and hard work can help preserve our cultural heritage for future generations.
As we marvel at the beauty of the Udupi Saree, let us not forget the tireless efforts of the Kadike Trust and the weavers who have worked tirelessly to revive this traditional craft. Their dedication to preserving our cultural heritage is a true inspiration, and their efforts will be remembered for generations to come.
