Pochampally Ikat - Super Ikat

Pochampally Saree also known as Pochampally Ikat Saree or simply Pochampally Ikat (or Pochampalli Ikat), is a saree made in and smaller villages around Pochampally, which is in Nalgonda District, Telangana State, India.

The popularity of these traditional Ikat saree comes with the unique style of their yarn tie and dye.  The weavers can make a simple ikat to a complex double Ikat Sarees, dress materials, yardages.

 Pochampally, traditionally been a place market place, where all the weavers from smaller villages all around would come with their hand crafted collection of sarees and sell.  Not long ago villages like Puttapaka used to be a place filled with such handloom weavers.  Now, with the increasing costs and limited sales on Handlooms, these weavers are moving away from their family tradition and trying to get into another fields for their survival.

There are still few  weavers working very hard to keep the tradition going.  With the intrusion of power looms and screen printing, which can replicate the simple and double Ikat material, you can find the replicas of Ikat at a very low cost.  Having used to look at these replicas and prices, it difficult to accept the fact that the actual handloom Ikat textiles are much more premium products and hence expensive too.

We, at KaumudiStudio, are trying to identify these masters of such  weaves  and motivate and encourage them to keep the tradition going.  Our premium collection of Ikat Sarees are from such weavers and hence are very limited.

Kaumudi means  “The one which the earth loves”. Brand Kaumudi is Proudly Made in India constantly working on Handloom, Handcrafted and Handmade products. Our mission is to create awareness among the consumers to try Khadi, Handloom, and Organic Cotton with pride and ease. We constantly strive on Fair Trade, Ethical Business, Working with Rural and Urban livelihoods creating Conscious Clothing : Horoscope Weaving, Silk Sarees, Ikat Sarees, Navratna Sarees, Khadi Integrations, Linen and bamboo blends, Ready to Wear Sarees, Collaborative Textiles, Restore | Revive | Retain , Conscious Core in every product, Energy Clothing in men’s and women’s wear.

This article first published on www.KaumudiStudio.com website on 28th Feb, 2016.

Change wardrobe – Change Lives

What about Clothes? Do you wear them for yourself or for others? Do you see yourself or see the reflection of your peers? 

There is scientific proof to the idea that you should dress not how you feel, but how you want to feel. Which clothes make you feel powerful? Sexy? In control? Wealthy? (Dr. Baumgartner)

The two powerful aspect of clothing you choose are:

ü  Clothes are sending a message to those around you,

ü  Clothes are also sending message to you, yourself.

Most people get stuck in the first aspect of clothing. They are trying to achieve something which they are not through clothing. They are either trying to impress the peers, show wealth through brands, wear inappropriate clothes or wear something to make one look powerful which one may not be.

Wardrobe should be practically and wisely planned. It should not only reflect the person and personality but also the mood of the occasion and profession. When such a planning happens there will never be a wardrobe malfunction literally.

The most important aspect of clothing which most of the folks miss is that the clothes are sending messages to you. There is this energy in clothing which tell you every moment of the day or night whether it is right or wrong. We need to pay attention. We need feel that energy.

The doctoral research of Dr.Sharmila NN on Consciousness in handloom processes reveals that there is energy imbibed in the fabric which comes from the conscious connect of the weaver. This energy helps the wearer enhance his energy (aura) and prolonged usage can give immense health benefits.

In the times of mass manufacturing there is no conscious connect to any process or product. The assembly line worker doesn’t sometimes know which part of what is making, where it is going and who is wearing. The loss of such connect has created a havoc in the lives of people who make and who wear it and in the larger gamut has depleted the environment of its fineness and resources.

From 2-4 pairs of perfectly customized clothing just a few decades ago we have arrived at the madness of materialism with wardrobes bursting out with synthetic, ill fitted, badly made clothing. It is not only showing its ill effects on human health and psychology but also on the growing depletion on the environment. Today is the right time to shift, make changes in the way you think about clothes and the way you plan your wardrobe.

There’s no one piece or style that makes a person look successful. Dr. Baumgartner recommends the basics when trying to project a positive image: the little black dress, the blazer, the pumps. “With classics, history has done the work for you. It has lasted throughout time, so you already know it works,” she says. And what is it that makes a classic a classic? “It has multiple functions, and it’s appropriate for different age ranges and body types. It became a classic because it works no matter who you are.”

Changing your wardrobe consciously will not only change the way you look and feel it will change the lives of many artisans and weavers. The people in the rural who make conscious choices around handloom and khadi who make cloth with their soul in it will turn therapist to you through their positive energy imbibed in the clothing. The rituals they follow, the connect they have, the passion they imbibe in weaving fabrics will shift the concept of clothing once you try on. There is a constant detoxing that happens of the space, the raw material the final fabric. What is required today is for each one us to pause, pay attention, feel the energy and acknowledge the weavers bit in the clothing.

Man has harnessed the goodness of the earth for centuries. It is the time to deposit some goodness back in the environment by embracing the grass root technology called Khadi and Handloom!!!

Change Wardrobe – Change Lives

Philosophy

We have really lived experiments with truth. The truth about fiber, yarn, fabric, colour and weaving. If Gandhi could write a book on " my experiments with truth" we understand the magnitude of things that go with it. We experienced a portion of ...such tornadoes and roller coatsers as we embarked the journey with the truth of Indian Khadi and hand looms.

We celebrated him and his reality experiment with the truth of fabric making. And today we are richer in experience and deeper in understanding of the truth behind all that is done well, done with consciousness- produces fabrics with conscious core.

We have arrived at some of the finest of organic cottons and it's blends with other natural earth friendly and humans friendly fiber blends. We are really happy to have contributed to the fair and living wages to weavers, helpers around the loom, dyeing and pre looming. We have been able to source every bit around the local area making it the least carbon foot print product. When we say that it goes without saying that we have given work to the people who have the knowhow, who are willing to work in what they know best and do best.

Let me formally introduce you to Kaumudi - The green Earth Studio:
Dream foundation for Khadi, hand loom, socio-eco and sustainable design projects. We are happy that we stumbled upon some great work from artisans and designers and we saw the same consciousness in them.

KaumudiStudio will be striving to give consumer the best product at the best price with the guarantee that their buying power is empowering artisans of the local area and in the larger gamut friends from all over the country.

There are countless number of People who work with us. They come and contribute in making the fabric of life with us. Some become an alphabet, some the word/s, some a line, some a sentence, some a paragraph, some a page, some a chapter and some became the book. Each of them is important and dear to us for their ability to contribute and not to contribute. It makes our book profound. We are sure we will be meeting some wonderful souls along our journey further. So far we have been blessed to have met so many of you who followed our work and encouraged us in various capacities. We look forward to all the wishes and blessing as we step into a new day in your presence.

Ladies and gentle men Kaumudi - The Green Earth studio awaits you with open arms.

Dr.Sharmila Nagraj Nandula

Founder Kaumudi Studio

Hyderabad, India

www.kaumudistudio.com

Civilization And Social Changes

As human civilization we had been ruled, oppressed and abused for hundreds of years. Each country has its own history of such events cutting across all segments of society. The moment now in the history of human existence is the most apt time for social change. There is the best of everything available to make an impact more powerful than ever. Social change is about letting people live their lives in the environment which is most dear to them with dignity.

My idea of social change is to keep the rural in the rural with enough work fetching them fair living wage which will  not only give them enough but also  keeps them connected to the soil they belong.

After agriculture, weaving is the next biggest livelihood option for rural India. In spite of being such a big sector it has not been able to retain weavers. The various policies, projects and funding have failed at some level to penetrate and make a difference.

Be the change you want to see, said Gandhi ji. Kaumudi Studio has been founded to take the handlooms to a new realm and understanding. The two important stake holders in this endeavor is the artisans and the consumers. The product will arrive with the consumer in the shortest supply chain possible where the artisan and consumer can have access to  each other.

Today most of the weavers children have migrated to the urban areas to take up odd jobs and also for lack of utilities in the rural like education, health and housing. Social change will be when young men and women will get back to the occupation of their fore fathers.

Weaving was one of the most easily imbibed talent next to tiling the land. Children would learn activities just being around the loom. Any occupation defined as money earning mechanism is ruled by:

A.    Expertise

B.     Hard work

C.    Repetition of tasks involving body and mind.

Kaumudi wishes to inspire, lure, and train young men and women to take up weaving as an occupation which is their family tradition. Once the young are in the rural set up facilities like schools, hospitals and comfortable houses will come to the neighborhood making a rural set up complete in a holistic way.

The irony of today’s huge technological development is about using mind more than the body and the results are alarming. Weaving is an art, craft and skill which uses the complete body in total awareness of mind. A full time weaver is never obese. He is alert and healthy.

Embracing handloom will bring the carbon foot print down of clothing. The huge industrial set ups have caused enough damage over years and now is the time to detox the environment so that it can help the flora and fauna to live a healthy life in abundance.

Handloom should be the next revolution like the green, white, blue and golden revolutions of India.

Dr.Sharmila NagrajNandula

Founder Kaumudi Studio

Hyderabad, India

www.kaumudistudio.com

Bind a Handwoven Ensemble with Handcrafted Earth !!
We are celebrating the Sun and the Earth!
Celebrating Weavers and Terracotta Artisans of India !!!

Color D Earth and Kaumudi Studio invite you to the “Sankaranti Fest” on 10th and 11th January 2015. (Saturday and Sunday).

This is a unique Eco Socio concept festival aimed at offering you the best of Hand woven Clothing and Handcrafted Jewelry honouring & celebrating our rich heritage!

Color D Earth handcrafts exquisite Terracotta Jewelry from riverbed clay! 
This enterprise has contributed to the livelihoods of many terracotta artisan groups from all over the country for over a decade now. 

We bring together the 5 elements of nature in the best range of colors, textures and shapes in "fired clay". 
We are showcasing a special collection of the best of Terracotta jewelry of 11 artisan groups from 6 different states for the festive season!


Kaumudi Studio is opening new realms for handloom, handcrafted and handmade clothing and textiles of India. 
This design studio has three R’s as their mission to Restore | Revive | Retain textiles of India. Weavers and artisans from all over the country are roped in to make unique one of a kind of clothing for men and women.
Organic cottons, khadi, linen, bamboo, silk, woven on handloom, embellished with hand block printing and painting bring the finest of collections which expresses the unique sense of style in YoU!

Sankranti Fest ‘ 2015
Venue: Color D Earth - The Terracotta Studio,
2nd Floor, Above Syndicate Bank, Road no.7, Banjara Hills,
Hyderabad, 
Telangana- 500034

Phones : +91 40 40204277

Date: 10-Jan-2015 & 11-Jan-2015

Time: 11:00 AM to 7:30 PM

Why should we use handloom?

Benefits of Handloom

Handloom weaving had the inherent ability to imbibe positive energy into the products. Our research proved that there is a definite improvement in health parameters when handloom cotton is worn for longer periods of time. The eebrgy field enhances as lot of slow processes and conscious processes positive energy is imbibed in the product which passes on to the wearer. This kind of clothing can be used to reduce stress  as by nature is very soothing to  the wearer. This not only will create a balance in one’s life but can also enhance productivity in people and detox them to keep them away from stress related ailments which are so common in today’s world.

More information and awareness of clothing like this will make more conscious and healthy people inhabiting the globe along with all its grandeur of flora and fauna.

Social and Economic

There is lot of development in India in many fields. For example:

ü     Science and Technology

ü     Health and Medicine

ü     Space research

ü     Nano Technologies

....to name a few. And we have gone far ahead in all these fields.

But, there is no major development with the handloom weavers. Neither their life styles have improved nor the economic conditions.

There are lot of programs happening  for the encouragement of the weavers; by the government, NGOS, various designers, and other organisations which by far are not improving the living conditions of the weavers.

Most of these weavers are not aware of  the government programs run for their benefit. Also, the benefit doesn’t penetrate  all levels depriving them of  fair wage. 

When there is good awareness of the source, quality, and benefits of handlooms, I am sure everyone would strive to revive our age old tradition of  handloom clothing. This would generate more demand for handlooms / handloom integrated clothing, which will surely improve the economic conditions of our weavers. Also, weavers will find a reason to pass on their art to the coming generations.

What we do:

Team work

Kaumudi Studio is a team work.  Our team is not just limited to the people who are working at  the studio, but extended to the handloom weavers, artisans - Kalahasti Kalamkari, Pedana Kalamkari, Hand Block Printers from Rajasthan, Gujarat - Ajrak,  Ikat -Hyderabad., etc.  We try to connect the wearer and the weaver for a delightful bond between the rural and the urban.

Fair Wage

Weaving is an art, it is a craft it involves science and technology. A weaver is the most learned craftsmen’s. He should be paid fair wage for creating something which is made painstakingly day after day. We at Kaumudi make the weaver feel proud of his creation by giving him his due recognition and  wage so that he comes back to the loom with more zeal and more connection to the piece he is weaving.

Making Up Of Fabric

Creating an atmosphere near the LOOM

The warp is set and the fabric is ready to weave

and  so is in place is the weaver…ready for a conscious workout!

The cling of the shuttle making musical sooth of a ti..ti…….on its travel from one end to the other end, to insert the weft yarn for making the fabric.

The tapping of the legs to push the peddle up-and-down. Oh!!! The magic of Coordination.  Yes now both the hands are also involved… along with both the legs.

The Right hand is drawing the threads to be lifted and the left one to beat the yarns to get closer, while the yarns mindfully overlap and get locked.

Minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour, the fabric weaves itself into an inch-by-inch colourful vibrance.

Anusha Bikumala

Designer, KaumudiStudio