Yemmiganur's Bird's Eye and Zindagi Products Catching India's Attention
Several weavers have expressed concerns about this expense. They want the government to pay the assistant director’s salary, relieving the society from the financial burden.
Kurnool: Women weavers of Yemmiganur are gaining recognition all over the country and abroad for crafting soft-textured Birds Eye towels and Zindagi blankets, apart from handkerchiefs, mosquito nets, napkins and more.
In particular, Bird’s Eye towels and Zindagi blankets have gained widespread popularity, prompting representatives of the B2B platform Resolute to initiate steps for obtaining a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for these products.
Behind these popular products is Yemmiganur Handloom Weavers’ Cooperative Society, founded in 1938 by Padma Shri Machani Somappa. The society uses only certified yarn from the National Handloom Development Corporation (NHDC), getting its raw material from depots in Coimbatore of Tamil Nadu and Davanagere in Karnataka.
Yemmiganur society’s annual transactions are approximately Rs 3 crore, with its products sold in cities including Hyderabad, Raichur, Gulbarga, Kakinada, Vijayawada, Amaravati and Anantapur.
According to society’s officials, obtaining a GI tag will boost sales and create employment opportunities for new artisans. Its popular Zindagi blankets measure 2.29 metres in length and 1.52 metres in width, weighing 1.5 kg. Apart from sourcing the 2/70 count yarn from NHDC, it uses eco-friendly colours and designs patterns in-house.
Likewise, Bird’s Eye towels are woven with a double-yarn technique, forming a design that resembles a bird’s eye. Highly absorbent and soft, these towels are in high demand. The towels are 1.60 metres long and 0.74 metres wide. Such handcrafted products not only preserve the cultural heritage of Yemmiganur but also empower local weavers by increasing their market reach.
“The Yemmiganur society, with around 250 active weavers, currently produces more than 10 varieties of handloom products. Among these, only the Bird’s Eye towels, and Zindagi blankets are being proposed for Geographical Indication (GI) status,” said M.V. Ravi Kumar, designer and marketing manager of the Yemmiganur Weavers’ Cooperative Society Limited.
However, the society does not have an online sales platform. Neither does it sell on e-commerce websites. It operates only through 16 depots spread across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka.
The Yemmiganur society is facing financial issues. Once home to nearly 3,000 active weavers, it now has only 250 weavers. Strangely, the organisation has an assistant director appointed by the AP government to oversee the society activities. The AD’s salary is Rs 1.70 lakh per month, further burdening the society.
Several weavers have expressed concerns about this expense. They want the government to pay the assistant director’s salary, relieving the society from the financial burden.
The society has around 250 active weavers currently, producing more than 10 varieties of handloom products. Among these, Bird’s Eye towels and Zindagi blankets are being proposed for Geographical Indication