Weavers expect more footfall as schools declare holidays

Tirupati: The ongoing State Handloom Expo (SHE) at Shilparamam in Tirupati has been providing a good platform for the weavers from different states across the country to sell their products directly to the end consumers without any role of middlemen. As the expo was held after a gap of almost one year, apart from denizens, pilgrims to Tirumala were finding some time to visit the stalls at their pastime.

The expo is organised by the Shilparamam Society from January 2 to 15 and it will be open from 11 am to 9 pm. There are 60 stalls which were opened by weavers from states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and they will be provided by the TA and DA.

With only a few days left for the expo to be closed, the weavers were having high hopes on the last 3-4 days to get more visitors as the holidays were declared to schools. After the Covid pandemic, this expo has raised their hopes of going back to their homes with decent profits. "The response from the visitors was quite encouraging and we are satisfied. Such expos will provide a platform for us to exhibit our work to more people and get direct marketing opportunity," commented a shopkeeper.

When asked about the increased prices, another shopkeeper said, the prices of labour and cotton have surged abnormally and ultimately the prices of handlooms have also gone up. "For instance, a silk saree which was priced at Rs 4,000 earlier now costs more than Rs 7,000. Of course, it has its own impact on the sales to some extent. Also, in view of the prevailing economic situation, people seem to be not spending lavishly on clothes. Still, we may find some customers who like good handlooms," he maintained.

A woman, who opened a stall to sell dresses made by lace work, said that a certain set of people always prefer the work and were buying. Baby dresses with lace work have huge demand along with other decoration items.

Shilparamam Administrative Officer K Khadarvalli said that the expo has been sponsored by the Development Commissioner (Handlooms) of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. While the expo had seen good footfall on weekends, they are expecting more visitors from now onwards as the festival holidays were announced for educational institutions.