Unit 4

Valli : Hello, Surya. Did you read today’s newspaper? Surya : No, is there anything important, that you want me to read? Valli : Yes, Surya. There’s an article on creating sarees with natural fruits, bamboo and aloe vera fibre. Surya : Oh! That’s great! How is that possible? Can you give me more information? Valli : I’ll read out the article; “Natural Fibre Weaving”. “The rhythm of the loom” welcomes visitors to Shanmuga Mudhaliar Street nearly 9km from Chennai Airport. There are weavers in the cluster. The cluster consisting mostly of third generation weavers was formed nearly years ago, along the banks of the Adyar River. “In those days this cluster was producing real Madras chequered fabrics for export to Nigeria,” says Sekar, the President of the Jute Weavers Association. After , this cluster began weaving cotton fabric and sarees. Kanchi Cotton dress material sets were woven in the ’s and silk cotton during the ’s. Over the past years, the cluster has completely shifted to natural fibre weaving. “As a weaver, I was always looking for a breakthrough, something that would make handloom popular, thereby saving it from extinction,” says Sekar, adding “ The