Threads of change

Theni

Theni

Kamatchipuram in Theni district has a sizeable number of  people belonging to the Kattunayakar community. Their rigid social life make it impossible for girls to venture out and study. But now a small revolution is taking place in the community.

Now, Vijayalakshmi, 14, from the community is financially independent. She does not have to wait for men in the family to bring money. On a regular basis, Sri Sakthi Social Economical and Educational Welfare Trust, a non governmental organisation at Ayyampalayam, commissions her to do a wall hanging. Once done, she is paid for the exquisite embroidery.

A well trained ‘aari’ artist, this skill has helped her to become financially independent. The awareness created by the NGO inspired her friend Maneka, 18, to learn the skill and continue her education. She is pursuing her first year under graduation at the government college in Nilakottai.

The NGO started by S. P. Jyothi, 49, has been empowering women in remote areas in Dindigul and Theni districts. She says the project to empower women with what she calls a ‘fusion embroidery’ came about during the COVID-19 period. Involved in a lot of watershed programmes, it was during the lockdown that she had time to pursue her childhood passion of drawing and embroidery. Utilising a small hall that was lying vacant, she started teaching girls in the locality.

 A single wall hanging done by the artists in her team comprises not just ‘madubhani’ and ‘pattachitra’ type of painting but also figures etched in aari work with French knots and filled with chain stitch and satin stitches. The painting that comes to life with embroidery enhancing the work is sold for about ₹ 5000 depending on the size and the intricate nature of work. 

Seeing the work being produced, NABARD which was involved with the NGO, decided to give the project a boost. Its AGM K. Balachandar in Dindigul pointed out that the NGO got an initial seed amount of ₹ 4.93 lakh and they have never looked back. The success rate of training these women is about 95 per cent, he says.