Hyderabad: As the world marks Handloom Day on August 7, one family in the city stands out for preserving a weaving tradition that has endured for more than a century. Seventy-year-old master weaver Kandagalla Narsimhulu is part of a fourth-generation weaving family, believed to be the last one in Hyderabad still practising traditional handloom weaving.
“We have been doing this since the Nizam period, around 1920, starting in Sukhansai near Gowdipur in the Old City,” Narsimhulu said. His grandfather, once a member of the Nizam’s police, left the force to devote his life to weaving.
Over the decades, the family has won several national and state recognitions for their intricate, handwoven, naturally dyed sarees and unique Ikat and Doria work. Their honours include the National Award (2010), the Shilpa Guru title, the Master Craftsman Award, the Innovative Saree Award (2012), Telangana state recognition (2015) and commendations from the Craft Council. Narsimhulu’s wife, Bala Mani, also a weaver, has been honoured with a Master Craftsman Award.
The family specialises in natural-dye sarees and traditional double E-cut warp-and-weft designs, a technique that requires great skill and patience. A single sari takes three days to weave, and more complex dresses can take up to a month.
Despite the challenges, the family refuses to give up. “We don’t have a shop. We take limited orders because demand has gone down,” he says. “Still, I have trained all six of my children. Some are working in other fields but are also helping preserve the craft.”
Narsimhulu believes that handloom weaving will one day see a revival. “If young people return to it, this can become a golden age. Not everything has to be software,” he says with hope.
