Warangal’s rugs of yore: Durries that brought acclaim to weavers now lie in tatters

Dramatic silhouettes of Thousand Pillar temple, Ramappa temple and the compelling Warangal Fort juxtaposed against the muddled urban sprawl of Warangal town, paint a beautiful scape. The second most populous city in Telangana, Warangal, is also famous for unique handwoven durries.
Till 25 years ago, the looms of Mandi Bazaar pulsated with life as weavers churned out beautiful woolen carpets and pile rugs on vertical looms.They also wove fine-looking cotton durries with intricate weft design. Over the years, woolen carpets faded into the background and all we hear today are tales of those beautiful rugs of yore.
In 1975, weavers in Warangal took to weaving cotton durries, that were lapped up by buyers from Germany, England and Japan. For 25 years business boomed as weavers worked overtime to dispatch shiploads of consignment to foreign shores. And just when everything fell into place, misfortune struck. Demand for cotton durries plummeted. Reasons offered were many - foreign buyers disapproved of the use of chemical dyes in colouring yarn; middlemen delayed payment to weavers or pocketed some of the money, and large consignments were rejected for minor inconsistencies. Whatever be the reason, the blow was brutal.
Ten years ago, I had visited the Shatranji Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society at Mattewada. This is the oldest society in Warangal and the first to export durries to Europe and Japan. After incurring losses nearly 20 years ago, the society chose to rely solely on APCO to market their plain durries woven on simple pit looms. This time around when I visited Shatranji, I was told that there were 150 to 200 weavers working on 100 looms in the society. The weavers at Shatranji make fabric for dresses, supplied to TSCO, Telangana State Cooperative. Also woven are simple, single colour durries and yoga mats for government school hostels.
D Divya, 28, has been weaving for two years now. Her husband is an electrician and with three kids to raise, she chose to learn weaving. Every day she completes three cotton durries and earns Rs 200. Most weavers in the town are engaged in this work, as 3 to 4 lakh such durries are supplied every year to government aided hostels. Also, these are simple to weave. Shatranji HWCS has the facility for weaving up to 10,000 such durries a month, but a little more than 5,000 get made, most of which are supplied to TSCO and APCO. Very little sells in the open market. Bigger sizes are customized for use at public events, weddings etc.
The newly created rural Warangal district has 14 weavers’ societies and urban Warangal has 31,1584 weavers who have been geo tagged. To weed out fake claimants to benefits from government schemes, efforts are on to geo tag more weavers and their looms. Incidentally, Warangal durries received Geographical Indication in May 2018. Right now, it has 150 to 200 weavers making export quality durries. Wages vary from Rs 300 to Rs 500 for eight hours of work.
In the last few years quality and reputation of the durries took a hit when block printed power loom durries produced in bulk in northern India, began masquerading as Warangal durries.
I visited a couple of societies in Kothawada. D Nagendar has been weaving for nine years and has his own export unit. Since jute durries sell well, his production unit focuses on manufacturing these with or without kalamkari print. Jacquard, interlock, kalamkari and plain striped durries are made here.
Nagendar has direct license for export and sent two shipments of durries to England last year. Within the country, he supplies to Fab India, CCIC and Golconda Handicrafts. It’s a competitive market but the greatest concern is the easy availability of cheaper versions. Exporters get imitations woven for much less up north. Wages are also comparatively low in northern India.
Shivaji is another weaver I met during my last visit. This time when I met him I was disappointed to know that he has given up weaving. He incurred losses when exporters rejected his consignment for minor variations in design. He explains that variation is normal as handmade products can never be formulaic. I had met another weaver, A Harikishan during my last visit. He too has stopped weaving and is working to expand his son’s CCTV camera business. His younger brother A Ravi continues to weave and supply exporters and stores in Chennai, Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai. Business is average, he says. I also meet 60-year-old Pitta Ramulu who proudly displays his stunning durrie depicting a war scene of the Mughal era. This work won him the National Award in 2016.
Welfare schemes like Chenetha Mitra, Thrift Fund, Yarn Subsidy Scheme, Double Bedroom, loan waivers and pension of Rs1,000 for weavers 50 years of age and above are helping weavers lead a better life. Government has encouraged weavers to diversify into like weaving saris, shirting and dress material. As wages are good, a number of beedi workers have also taken to weaving.
In its struggle to survive, this craft has shed its rich expressions and evolved into its present unostentatious avatar with subtle colours, organic texture and earthy designs. Simple and elegant, it is a far cry from its luxurious, original version. The need of the hour is to change the narrative, infuse fresh ideas and reinterpret the old vocabulary. We need to put this craft back on the pedestal where it rightfully belongs!
(The writer is an author whose book, Threads of Hope: The Magical Weaves of Andhra Pradesh, won the Incredible India Award in 2012)