Sircilla Weaver Completes Silk Sari in 170 Minutes

Sircilla handloom weaver Veldi Hariprasad has woven a 5.5-metre silk sari in 170 minutes, setting what he hopes will be a new record ahead of National Handloom Day.

Hariprasad completed the sari in two hours and 50 minutes, surpassing his target of three hours and 30 minutes by 40 minutes. He began weaving at 9.30am and finished the saree at 12.20pm.

The sari that measures 5.5 metres in length is 45 inches in width. According to Hariprasad, it was woven using 10,500 wefts and 1,500 warps and weighed 170 grams.

The saree can be folded to fit inside a matchbox.

A handloom sari generally takes about a day to weave. Hariprasad completed the task in 170 minutes in the presence of local dignitaries.

The entire process was video recorded and will be submitted to the Limca Book of Records, Guinness World Records and the India Book of Records for their consideration.

Government whip and Vemulawada MLA Adi Srinivas congratulated Hariprasad for the achievement.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Hariprasad said he undertook the challenge to showcase the talent of Sircilla weavers on the occasion of National Handloom Day.

"I initially fixed a target of completing the saree in three hours and 30 minutes. However, I finished it 40 minutes ahead of schedule. Powerlooms work at about 60 picks per minute, but I maintained around 65 picks per minute to complete the sari," he said.

Hariprasad has earlier gained national recognition for weaving the G20 logo on a single piece of cloth using a handloom. Prime Minister Narendra Modi appreciated his work during an episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’.

He has also woven a gold sari for Goddess Sita at the Ayodhya Ram Temple, a Pattu Peethambaram for Goddess Sita at the Bhadradri temple, portraits of Sachin Tendulkar and his wife, a sari that fits inside a matchbox and passes through the eye of a needle, and the national anthem on a single piece of cloth.