Surprisingly these beautiful colours are 100% organic dyes, the herbs sourced from the forests of the Western Ghats of India in the Northern most part of Kerala, an area known as Malabar. This mountainous area running parallel to the West Coast of India is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a fascinating biological diversity and forms one of the 4 water sheds of India.
Weaving centres were set up in Cannanore, Calicut, Chombola and Tellicherry, under the patronage of the Basel Mission who were active in India from 1834. Their objective was to pass on Christianity but the main focus of their work was to create employment opportunities for the people of the area. So they taught printing, tile manufacture and weaving.
Traditionally the local villagers used small pit looms, weaving cotton fabric in their homes, but the Basel Mission, imported huge frame looms and the fly shuttle from Europe and for raw materials, they introduced scientific methods of cotton cultivation. Women were employed as thread makers and spool winders, giving them economic independence. Large sheds were erected to house the equipment and in this way they transformed what had been a small cottage industry into an economic enterprise. By the early 20th c they were the largest industrial entrepreneur in Malabar. Cotton fabric was exported all over the world, but particularly to Europe. Kakki mill cloth for the armed forces was manufactured for the first time in India by the Basel Mission !
However, the World Wars saw their influence diminish and by the 1930s many of the Malabar
weaving centres had come under the jurisdiction of the State of Kerala, although small private concerns still exist.
The cotton fabrics in the picture above, are part of an exhibition being hosted by a private weaving centre in Gujarat.
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