The kottans at Manjal in MRC Nagar, Chennai, are in all sizes, colours and patterns possible, spread across the floor like bright splashes on canvas. Even the store’s files are made of Chettinad-checked textiles and baskets of different weaves adorn Visalakshi Ramaswamy’s office and desk. Ever the preserver of Chettinad crafts, Visalakshi’s new book Kottan: The Palmyra Basket of Chettinadis a documentation of the basket-weaving techniques of the Chettinad region and her efforts to revive them.

Working with craftsmen for over 30 years made Visalakshi realise that it is not easy to make them stay with crafts anymore. “Even if they make more income this way, they feel more responsible in a white- or blue-collared job,” she says. “A weaver once told me that people wouldn’t marry his daughter because of his job.” She realised that the crafts would die soon if they weren’t educated or appreciated for the work they were doing. So, in 2000, she began M.Rm.Rm Cultural Foundation, an NGO that would research, document and revive traditional crafts...............Read More

Source: The Hindu