Gloom looms large 

For Eluru’s age-old carpet industry

In 1900, the study also revealed that Eluru carpets were of two styles: copies of Persian and a unique but rather coarse floral design known as “Ram Chandra”. Remarkably, it was modeled after an indigenous grass mat. In the same decade, Alfred Chatterton found 100 Kharkhanas (workshops), possibly 400 looms and 3000 workers engaged in Eluru carpet industry. In 1935, there were 600 looms

Eluru: The handmade carpet industry, which put Eluru city on the world map has lost its glory and is now limited to history books. The carpets made locally find a space in the households in many parts of the world carrying the city’s name for centuries. The city happens to be the capital of pile carpet industry in south India. The Persians who migrated to this region during the Muhammaddan regime in the 13th century promoted the intrinsic art of woolen pile carpet.

The local `pile carpets’, are much sought after across the globe. They are in great demand in US, Australia, Germany and the UK. However, the city’s fame is all set to fade into a history now with the popular age-old art dying a natural death. Eluru well known to pile carpet industry has once produced excellent export quality carpets. Crores of rupees turnover took place on the exports of pile carpets from here.

After the Vengi Kingdom and Vijayanagara empires, the Mohammadan regime began in this coastal area of Andhra Pradesh. It is believed that some Persian Muslims reached to Bandar (Machilipatnam) during the middle of 13th century. They brought the art of woolen pile carpeting to Eluru centuries back.

The Persian Muslims lived in Tangellamudi area to manufacture the pile carpets as there is plenty of Tangedu plant leaves, flowers available in that area. The Tangedu leaves and flowers are used as natural colours for the carpets. The weavers using these flowers create designs on their own. These designs attract people who wish to purchase the carpet. Some studies on Eluru carpet industries were also undertaken several times.

Tirthankar Roy, a writer has noted in his book Traditional Industry in the Economy of Colonial India stated that the carpet industry, worked by “a race of Persians” said to have come there over 100 years ago. Streynsham Master, chief agent of East India Company in Coromandel, travelled via Eluru in 1679.

His description suggests that there were then factories in Eluru that followed practices similar to those in Kashmir. In 1900, the study also revealed that Eluru carpets were of two styles: copies of Persian and a unique but rather coarse floral design known as “Ram Chandra”. Remarkably, it was modeled after an indigenous grass mat. In the same decade, Alfred Chatterton found 100 Kharkhanas (workshops), possibly 400 looms and 3000 workers engaged in Eluru carpet industry. In 1935, there were 600 looms.

It is estimated that during 1980-2000, around 3,000 workers were engaged in the manufacture of pile carpets with Tangellamudi as the prime centre. The industry has developed during these two decades in Sanivarapupeta, Lakshmivarapupeta, Gun Bazaar, Pension Line areas in Eluru city. Manufacturing units also run in these areas until 2000. In earlier days, there were 15 to 20 exporters for carpets.

The Eluru carpet has earned foreign exchange to the tune of crores of rupees to the nation. With rising prices of raw material, non-availability of Tangedu plantations on the city outskirts the manufacturing units witnessed losses after 2000. It was estimated that around 3,000 to 4,000 workers eked out their livelihood by weaving the pile carpets. The state government established pile carpet weaving training centres in Eluru and Sanivarapupeta to encourage the carpet industry.

In these two centres, the youth particularly women were trained over two decades. Eluru is the biggest carpet market after Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. The Government has established the carpet weaving training centres in Rajahmundry, Nandigama, Koyyalagudem and Tadepalligdem areas also to impart training to the weavers. Literally, the hand weaved pile carpet is durable, qualitative product from the artisans compared to the machine-made carpets.

The industry received a big blow with the non-availability of raw material after 2000. The trained weavers earlier earned Rs.100 to 300 per day in the industry. But government policy has started encouraging the synthetic carpet all over the country. This gave a big blow to the entire hand-made carpet industry. The industry which exported quality carpet to other countries is now looking forward for help from Centre and state government.

Non-availability of raw material and labour are also major problems affecting the carpet industry. The number of units in the city has come down to three – one each at Tangellamudi, Sanivarapueta and Lakshavarapupeta. As the carpet industry is almost on the deathbed, weavers have started migrating from Eluru to other states. The workers who obtained training in Eluru have moved to Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. Now only a handful are engaged in this industry in three or four units that have survived in the present times.

Abdul Aleem, Proprietor of Hafeez and sons told The Hans India that earlier there were ten manufacturers in Eluru and now all have downed their shutters due to worker problem and cost of production. At present only three workshops running in Eluru city, he added. “Earlier my father ran the workshop and now I and my brother Nayeem are running workshops. Compared to earlier days now the workers number is down to 40 from 3,000”, he said.

He further stated that the raw material has to be imported from Rajasthan as no raw material is available in Andhra Pradesh. This is another reason for the closure of workshops. Now the exports also stopped to other countries and the carpet industry in Eluru is dependent on Indian market for its survival, he added.

By Ramachandra Sharma Gundimeda