VADODARA: Around four years ago, Lalubhai Vankar, a nonagenarian was the last weaver left in his village in Chhota Udepur. Lalubhai from tribal-dominated district of Central Gujarat's Dhandoda village single-handedly continued the indigenous textile tradition of weaving tribal loin cloth - Kasota or langot - worn by tribals of the region for centuries.
Kasota or 'langot' which is even today used in post-death rituals of tribals was virtually on death bed.
As tribals themselves started wearing t-shirts and cheap denims, a turnaround of sorts occurred and garments developed using this traditional weaving technique has today reached the ramp.
After working on a project for six months, two students from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Jodhpur displayed the modern day apparels at a fashion show in Rajasthan.
In the meantime, not finding many takers, weavers from the Vankar community had left the profession and many even took to diamond polishing in Surat. "Even Lalubhai's son had left the profession. We felt that if this technique is not supported, it will extinct forever," said Dr Madan Meena, director of Adivasi Academy at Tejgadh, which after a hunt located two sexagenarian weavers - Ratan Vankar and Govind Vankar in Moti Tokari village near Kanwat.
The duo had given up weaving for two decades, shifted to Surat to work in a diamond polish factory. Their looms which were lying idle were broken.
"We restored the looms, installed them at our academy, paid the duo monthly salary and started training people," said Meena.
Textile improved to create stoles
The textile was improved further with handspun cotton yarn and natural dyes to create stoles and table runners to find buyers. But the cloth had a limitation due to its narrow width as it was being woven on a pit loom and short reed.
That's when Surbhi Bajaj, a textile designer and Sonal Bajaj, a fashion designer from NIFT, Jodhpur pitched in. Surbhi first developed textile samples with different weaving patterns, Sonal Kumar carried out dress designing.
"This is a brilliant example where the less fashionable loin cloth has been refashioned into a modern costume of greater value produced indigenously by the Vankars of Chhota Udepur," said Dr Madan Meena, director of Adivasi Academy at Tejgadh.
Going further, the academy will be using organic cotton to create a yarn bank of natural dye yarns. "The textiles produced will be used for making costumes giving a new lease of life to langots," said Meena.
