A textile historian from the United States of America, Kyra Zapf, who visited Telangana lauded the rich skills of the handloom weavers and the textiles sector in the State.
As part of her research, she met the State’s Handlooms and Textile Minister K.T. Rama Rao at Pragathi Bhavan on Wednesday.
A recipient of Watson Foundation Grant for research on weaving, the historian has authored several papers on the history of fabric. Ms Kyra Zapf who visited nine countries as part of her study told KTR that she chose Telangana as her first destination in India. She thoroughly studied handloom clothes weaving and the situation of weavers in Pochampally, Siddipet, Sircilla, Jangaon, Narayanpet, and Gadwal. The textile historian shared her important observations with KTR.
Ms Kyra said that handloom weavers in the State find a lot of pride in their art, and their passion, and commitment to the work is more than what she observed in other countries. The skill of handloom weavers here and the welfare schemes extended by the Telangana Government to them were appreciated by the historian. She said that, unlike other countries, weavers in the State are concentrated in some pockets which have advantages such as having a brand of their own. This helps in promoting their products in the market. She said that the sustainable fabric used here, culture, and art have huge demand in western countries. Observing that silk weaving in the State is limited to sarees, she suggested it could be extended to weaving other clothes too which will generate more demand. As part of her research, she studied various aspects of the weavers’ lives.
Ms Kyra said that she was surprised by the level of awareness they had about the State government’s welfare schemes and incentives. She said that every weaver knows the kind of support extended by the State government.
KTR appreciated Ms Kyra Zapf for conducting a study by visiting several countries. He said that foreigners like her who do research can give unbiased and learned opinions and that he will continue to take the inputs. As a Minister, he said, it helps in framing and amending the public policy. The Minister said that the textile sector in the State which was once in crisis has started to thrive. He assured that more efforts will be put in to support the sector. KTR felicitated Ms Kyra Zapf and thanked her for understanding the textile sector in India.