Yadagiri and Shekulu are a little hesitant to speak, to begin with, but once they get talking about Gongadi, they articulate with an all-consuming passion for the handmade shawls and blankets. “It keeps us warm in winters, cool in summers and since it’s water resistant, we can use it during monsoon as well,” says Yadagiri. “If anyone at home is unwell, apart from timely food and care, one needs to wrap themselves in a Gongadi blanket and you’ll get better soon. This will make you strong,” he adds.
It might look like they are hard selling their wares, but beyond that is their understanding of Gongadi and its role in Telangana’s cultural ethos. For an unaccustomed urbanite, these somewhat coarse rugs, blankets, and finer shawls may take a little getting used to. In recent years, men like Yadagiri have been displaying their creations at exhibitions in cities like Hyderabad, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai, and finding steady takers.
Multi-purpose Gongadi
Krupa, who works for Food Sovereignty Alliance and accompanied the duo during their visit to Daram store in Hyderabad, talks of instances where people have bought Gongadi to be used as all-weather carpets, a wall hanging and even as a yoga mat!
Travelling and selling Gongadi is only one part of the agenda. Yadagiri, Shekulu and Krupa want urbanites to understand the process behind making of Gongadi and the challenges the community faces, with the diminishing indigenous Deccani breed of sheep. It’s a larger battle, they state, to make people and the authorities understand that the native breed, the black Deccani sheep or ‘nalla gorre’ as they call it, has to multiply for Telangana’s native woollen craft, Gongadi, to survive.
“In 2017, the Telangana government has launched a sheep development programme and promoted non-Deccani breed through subsidies, primarily to step up meat production and exports. We call these sheep ‘erra gorre’ (red sheep)’. These are hairy, non-wool sheep from Guntur, Vijayawada, Kurnool and Kadapa. The proliferation of this variety can wipe out the Deccani sheep in the years to come. These red sheep too don’t have it easy. The breed is used to weather conditions in Andhra region and cannot take the harsh winters and summers of Telangana, hence the mortality rate is high,” rues Yadagiri.
Yadagiri is one of the many associated with the Deccani Gorrela Mekala Pempakadarla Sangham, an arm of Food Sovereignty Alliance, and states that they have requested the government to take corrective measures and not dilute the indigenous breed. “In the villages of Medak district, there are only 5000 to 10,000 black sheep remaining and we might face a situation where this might be the last original handspun and handwoven Gongadis produced in Telangana,” he says, demonstrating the hand-spinning process using a native kaduru or spindle.
Made by hand
Three varieties of Gongadi are produced in Telangana — the ones where yarn is handspun on these kadaru and then handwoven, the second is spun using a charkha and the third is machine made. The handmade variety is labour intensive. It takes women three weeks to produce 3kg yarn. Yadagiri and his associates vouch by the quality of handmade Gongadi over the machine-made ones.
The fight for the Deccani breed, they explain, also stems from a lifestyle being threatened. The proceeds from Gongadi sales go to weavers, spinners, kada makers and shepherds. Some of them are agriculturists and oggu katha artists who also specialise in Gongadi. Some are expert kada makers while others do the weaving.
The challenge lies in protecting the existing breed. “Once a ‘ram’ sheep is introduced, it would take only a year to change the entire breed,” Krupa points out.
In 2017, the Sangham has managed to produce more than 100 Gongadis, which Krupa feels is a good number considering the situation they are in. “Some spinners and weavers have migrated to the city. An expert weaver came to Hyderabad and now sells ice creams,” she says and highlights how Gongadi has become a leveller in several villages, bringing together people from different castes in the spinning and weaving process.
“Gongadi is a part of our life. Back home we don’t care if we have no cots. We use a thick Gongadi. It’s also used during wedding celebrations,” says Yadagiri.
There’s good demand across cities, they note. The next step for them is to sell online. In the longer run, though, to keep the craft alive, what they need is the revival of Deccani sheep.