Tamil Nadu’s Chedi Putta sari in line for GI recognition

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu’s famed Chedi Putta handloom sari, done on artificial silk and cotton mix fabric, is likely to get the geographical indications (GI) tag, as a group of weavers’ association has approached the GI registry for the recognition.
“Chedi” means “plant” in Tamil and “Putta” means border and pallu (edge of the saree), and this is a traditional handloom sari weaved in Veeravanallur and the neighboring towns like Pudukkudi, Karukurichi and Vellanguli in Ambasamudram taluk of Tirunelveli district, according to intellectual property right (IPR) attorney and GI agent P Sanjai Gandhi.
Noting that the weavers are primarily from the Sourashtra community, Sanjai Gandhi says design of a “plant and flower” is the motif and it is woven on the border and pallu with small puttas punctuated beautifully all over the saree. They are woven using fine artificial silk and superior quality cotton yarns, making it light weight, easily wearable and convenient to maintain.
Tamil Nadu has so far obtained GI tag for about 40 handicraft and agricultural products, of which 25 have been got by Sanjai Gandhi on behalf of various government departments and associations of artisans. Some of the important products that now enjoy the GI tag are Kancheepuram silk saris, Thanjavur veenai, Srivilliputhur milk kova, Dindigul lock, Madurai Chungudi sari and Salem white silk veshti.
India has about 320 GI products, with Karnataka topping the list with about 50 products.
As to the proof of its uniqueness, the said sari could not be made in a power loom or peddle loom, the application said. The chediputta design is crafted only by hand, and not by the usual jacquard machine, said Sanjai Gandhi, who is the GI attorney for Odisha’s department of cottage industries.
The present GI application for Chedi Putta sari has been submitted on behalf of five weavers’ associations -- Veeravanallur Sowrashtra Weavers Cooperative Production and Sales Society Ltd, Anna Primary Handloom Weavers Cooperative Production and Sales Society Ltd, Mahakavi Bharathi Primary Weavers Cooperative Production and Sales Society Ltd, Puthukudi Primary Weavers Cooperative Society Ltd and Thanthai Periyar Primary Handloom Weavers Cooperative Production and Sales Society Ltd.
Saurashtra people, who are originally from Gujarat and who are the primary weavers, are known for their rich weaving tradition. They first settled in Madurai and then in almost all districts in Tamil Nadu. Their occupation and expertise have been immortalised by the charter issued by Queen Mangammal of Madurai, and they enjoyed the patronage of the Vijayanagara Empire and the Nayak Dynasty.
These royals and their families had an insatiable thirst for heritage wears and designs and so patronised weavers and the Sourashtra community people for the sake of continuity of the traditional designs.