A handloom weaver, G. Balakrishnan, 45, of Dindigul has been selected for National Handloom Award (Handloom Weavers) by the Union Ministry of Textiles.
Mr. Balakrishnan has been weaving ‘Dindigul cotton sari’ for over 30 years.
The award would be presented to Mr. Balakrishnan on the National Handloom Day being celebrated on August 7, with an objective to create awareness of the importance of handloom industry and its contribution to the socio-economic development of the nation.
The award ceremony would be held at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi.
Mr. Balakrishnan said that he was attracted by the handloom which he had seen at his grandmother’s house. He got into this profession when he was 12 and continues to weave colourful pure cotton saris with numerous designs.
“I work for the Karpagavinayagar Handloom Society. I get the yarn and design from the society and weave the saris as per the given design,” he said.
Stating that it takes three days to weave a sari using his pedal loom, Mr. Balakrishnan said he would work at least seven hours a day.