Manamedu, one of the biggest cotton handloom clusters in Tiruchy, is riding a wave of renewed demand, with business touching nearly Rs 5 crore during the last financial year (2024-25).
While weavers are working day and night to meet the rising demand, e-commerce players have started lining up with bulk orders. Amidst the revenue climb, the village is facing a stark crisis-a fast-shrinking pool of skilled weavers that threatens to stall its hard-won revival.
Located about 40 km from Tiruchy city, Manamedu has steadily overtaken Woraiyur, Thuraiyur and Paithamparai to emerge as the district’s most vibrant cotton handloom hub over the last decade. Six cooperatives operate in the village today, generating nearly 20 percent more in revenue than the previous financial year for the last two years.
After the pandemic slump, the rhythmic thrum of looms is back – but fewer hands are behind them. Around 30,000 sarees are produced yearly in Manamedu, but the workforce is shrinking by around 10% every year as experienced and veteran weavers exit the business. Ten years ago, the village had nearly 400 weavers, out of which only about 250 remain now.
The cluster is functioning well below its potential, say cooperative leaders. The decline is most visible among younger artisans, who increasingly view weaving as too slow, demanding and uncertain compared to readily available daily-wage jobs.
For the 70-year-old veteran weaver V S Marudhai, the shift is painful to watch. He, who took up weaving as an 18-year-old boy, belongs to the Saliya-Chettiyar community, which has practiced the craft for generations. “Years ago, Woraiyur was a famous cotton cluster. But in the last 20 years, Manamedu took that place because we introduced more designs,” he says while his hands still move instinctively across the loom.
“Our work was hit during Covid, but now demand has increased. But youngsters don’t have the patience to learn. A good saree takes two or three days to weave,” he adds. Marudhai’s own son works as a construction labourer and weaves only when he has no other work.
“This was a family art. But our children are not learning it anymore,” he laments. At the Sri Mariammal Saliyar Cooperative, the oldest and largest of the six societies, manager A Jyothi says the workforce has dropped from 100 to 70 in just five years. Yet revenues have risen steadily due to strong demand from Co-optex and local wholesalers.
“Last year, buyers from Amazon’s retail chain approached us for direct sourcing. But we couldn’t meet their supply requirement.” Jyothi, who recently received the district’s Best Weaver Award, says the sarees’ popularity comes from their unique lightness.