Thiruvananthapuram: MP
Shashi Tharoor has reciprocated to the
#kaitharichallange hashtag campaign by purchasing a set of Balaramapuram
handloom ‘mundu’ and ‘neriyathu’ from the artisans who are struggling hard to make a living as the
Covid-19 pandemic has brought the already-ailing
traditional sector to complete shambles.
The hashtag campaign was launched by Kovalam MLA M Vincent as a desperate attempt to invigorate the market for handloom products.
“The traditional artisans are bordering on penury and starvation as the demand for their products has crumbled like never before. The traditional artisans who used to earn less than Rs 300 a day are jobless since the outbreak of Covid-19. Though shops are open, demand for clothes has hit the rock bottom,” says Vincent, who is the MLA of the tiny hamlets where the iconic
Balaramapuram handloom clothes are produced.
As part of the campaign, Vincent sold a set of handloom clothes worth Rs 3,200 to former chief minister Oommen Chandy and his wife Mariamma Oommen when he visited them at Chandy’s house to wish him on his 77th birthday on Saturday.
Tharoor who shared on social media the picture of a new-born draped in handloom shawl said he accepted the #kaitharichallange by Vincent as he bought the handloom clothes and gifted them to the baby of one of his personal staff members.
Around 15,000 handloom artisans work in the sector at Balaramapuram that won the Geographical Indication (GI) tag a decade ago.
“Talks are on for tapping more online business options in tie up with seasoned entrepreneurs across markets. But for that we need the support and guidance from people interested in keeping this traditional skill alive. But before dreaming of such big things, we need immediate intervention to spur the demand. Unless something is done to ensure succour and sustenance to the artisans in distress, it could lead to the extinction of this sector,” said Kuzhivila Surendran, a traditional weaver.